Tag: workforce: Page 20

Telematics

Managers of largest heavy equipment fleets in America voice frustrations with telematics: torrents of data, unintuitive software

Last week I attended the Association of Equipment Management Professionals annual retreat and strategy session.  As chairman of the AEMP’s conference education committee I have a lot of opportunity to rub elbows with end user members and I usually pick up some good intelligence on what the managers of these big fleets are thinking, what […]

June 18, 2014

Business

Study: Construction among America’s least depressing jobs

According to a new study, blue-collar jobs like construction, mining and those in the oil and gas industry are among the least depressing jobs in America. The study, done by a team of researchers in Cincinnati led by Lawson Wulsin, was limited to the region of Western Pennsylvania, according to a report from Discover magazine. […]

June 16, 2014

Construction Equipment

Robotic welders called in on new Tappan Zee bridge after contractor has difficulty finding skilled workers

After troubles with the installation of the massive steel piles that will support the $3.9 billion replacement of the Tappan Zee bridge near New York City, bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors has brought in robotic welders. About 1,000 of the steel piles will support the new twin-span bridge that crosses the Tappan Zee, a natural […]

June 12, 2014

Safety

How to break through apathy and other barriers to implementing safety training on the jobsite

As many as a million construction workers participated in OSHA’s National Fall Safety Stand Down last week. I saw a number of press releases, photos and tweets from companies that were participating in the event. However, one of the first news articles I read on Monday was about a fatal fall by a construction worker […]

June 11, 2014

Business

DOL reaches agreement with contractor for $5 million in back wages for 500 workers

Approximately 200 construction workers will receive $3.8 million in back wages and fringe benefits after a settlement between the U.S. Department of Labor and MDG Design and Construction for wage violations at the federally-assisted Grand Street Guild construction project in New York City. MDG had previously repaid more than $1.1 million in back wages to […]

June 10, 2014

Business

Construction job growth slows in May with 6,000 jobs added

The U.S. construction industry notched its fifth straight month of employment gains in May but saw growth fall off considerably. The industry added 6,000 jobs in May, compared to April’s revised number of 34,000. The original April data from the Commerce Department showed a gain of 32,000 jobs. Construction now employs 6.004 million Americans, 3-percent higher […]

June 6, 2014

Technology

Xbox-like remote control could make operating construction equipment as easy as playing video games (PHOTOS)

[imagebrowser id=87] Over the years, advances in controls have greatly improved intuitiveness and thus simplified the operation of construction equipment in many cases. Beyond that, ever-improving GPS technology and machines like Komatsu’s intelligent Machine Control dozers and upcoming excavator, point to a not-so-distant future where a lot of operators could be doing so from outside of […]

June 5, 2014

Business

Wages for construction and other skilled trades are on the rise

Wages for skilled tradesmen in the construction and mining as well as those in logging and manufacturing are on the rise, according to a new report from the Economist. Citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the report says that hourly wages have grown at an annual rate of around 2 percent for the last […]

June 4, 2014

Workforce

Go Build Alabama helps boost trade school attendance 30%, redirects ads to teens

Nearly four years into the Go Build Alabama construction career promotion, there’s evidence kids are heeding and acting on its message, says Jason Phelps, executive director of the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute, which heads the program. “Alabama has seen a 30 percent increase between the past two school years in the number of enrollments in […]

June 3, 2014

Workforce

How to survive your first month working in construction

In a previous post, I described the attitudes and behavior newbies need to survive their first week on a construction site. Now let’s turn our attention to what folks new to the construction industry need to know to survive their first month. Assuming you show up 15 minutes early every morning, come prepared, and work […]

May 30, 2014

Safety

Following 4 deaths in 4 days, Cal/OSHA launches special inspections across San Francisco construction sites

In a span of just four days, May 18-May 21, four construction workers died on San Francisco-area construction sites, prompting the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to launch a special region-wide inspection of construction sites. The agency announced Monday that it has deployed investigators to sites throughout the Bay Area to “determine whether adequate […]

May 28, 2014

Business

Minnesota construction firms likely need to boost pay, reduce expectations to find enough workers to meet demand

Construction is Minnesota’s fastest growing industry, and as demand continues to pile up, construction firms there are having a hard time finding enough skilled workers. And one labor analyst suggests they might need to make some serious changes to fill those vacancies. According to a report from Minnesota Public Radio, the skilled trades in Minnesota […]

May 27, 2014