ConstructConnect Blog

As the old adage goes, time is money. The more production you can squeeze out in a period of time, the more money you make, right? But if you’ve been struggling with improving production or even if everything is going fine, there are several things you can do to increase throughput without sacrificing quality from removing obstacles to reorganizing the way you work.

Lean construction is based on a simple concept: create value for the client and minimize waste. Implementing lean thinking into construction can be difficult because it requires adopting a different mindset and approach to construction from traditional methods.

Offsite construction has been around for years, but interest in this construction method has grown rapidly in the past decade. Benefits of offsite construction include decreased costs compared to conventional construction methods, shortened project schedules, reduced waste and safer working conditions.

It’s no secret that construction can be very slow when it comes to change. Nevertheless, the advent of new technologies has dramatically contributed toward the modernization of the whole industry. A general need for change has emerged as a result of the serious productivity problems that are noticed in big markets like the United States and the United Kingdom.

When hurricanes or natural disasters hit an area, efforts turn to disaster relief and cleanup and calls go out to companies that specialize in these areas. The Coast Guard is called, rescue missions are deployed, and The American Red Cross dispatches volunteers to begin making sense of the chaos.

What does a retail district in Nashville, an apartment complex for homeless veterans in Orange County, CA and a condominium building in Detroit all have in common? They were all built using repurposed shipping containers as the primary building material.

Construction equipment theft continues to be a major concern for business owners. Stealing construction equipment is a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for thieves, especially on unsecured construction sites. Less than 25% of stolen construction equipment is recovered each year.

One of the things I love about the construction industry is that it's filled with so many honest, hardworking people. One of the things I find frustrating about it though is that a lot of those same people often avoid technology that could make their jobs so much easier and more efficient. I see this mistake most frequently when it comes to their marketing efforts.

While many people celebrate the push for legalization of marijuana, the reality of marijuana legalization is complicated for employers. Under federal law, marijuana is still considered a Schedule 1 drug, which indicates that regulators consider it to have a high potential for abuse, no agreed-upon medical purpose, and insufficient safety standards for use under medical supervision. As a result, even in states where both medical and recreational use of marijuana has been legalized, employers’ legal responsibility to ensure a safe workplace puts all companies in complicated legal positions.

After a three-month delay, OSHA’s Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard (1926.1153) went into effect on September 23. The delay was so the agency could develop educational and guidance materials regarding the new rules and to provide assistance to companies help them become compliant.