ConstructConnect Blog

Good news. The number of fatal occupational injuries for the construction industry declined in 2020. The number of construction worker deaths in 2020 was 1,008, a 5.3% reduction from the 1,061 fatal work injuries in 2019.

“Change is inevitable,” as the old saying goes. On construction projects, a more appropriate statement might be that “change orders are inevitable.” If the mere thought of a change order makes you cringe, it may be time to take a look at tweaking your change order process.

Keeping your construction projects on schedule to meet your completion deadline is no easy task. Adverse weather, costly rework, unavailable resources, and subcontractor default are just a few of the things that can throw your timeline off course. Damages and penalties for not hitting your deadline can ruin your profit and hurt your construction company’s reputation.

As a contractor, when was the last time you reviewed the substantial completion terms in one of your contracts? Sure, you probably know the date set in the contract for work to substantially complete, barring any authorized extensions from justified delays, because that means it’s time to get paid the remainder of the contract amount along with any retainage that was withheld along the way.

All in all, 2021 was an okay year for the commercial construction industry. Overall construction spending was up, with residential construction put-in-place seeing an increase but nonresidential experiencing its second year of decline.

It’s that time of year again. As we say get ready to say goodbye to 2021 and ring in another new year, it's time to unveil ConstructConnect's Top 5 Coolest Buildings of 2021.

From building materials to tools to heavy equipment, construction site theft is an industry-wide epidemic. In addition to the direct costs of replacing the stolen goods, there is also the indirect cost due to increased insurance premiums, rental costs to replace stolen equipment, and lost productivity.

Cash flow is the lifeblood of any commercial construction project. Being able to effectively manage cash flows on projects and throughout the year can be the difference between the success and failure of your business.

Late last week, OSHA issued an emergency temporary standard requiring companies with 100 or more employees to create, deploy, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for their workers. The ETS does allow an exception for employers to adopt a policy that requires employees to get vaccinated or, instead of being vaccinated, be tested regularly for COVID-19, and be required to wear a face covering while at work.

Are you thinking you’ll be busier in 2022 than in 2021? If that’s the case—it may be a great time to add new construction software or new or used equipment and deduct all of it on this year’s taxes.