ConstructConnect Blog

As technology adoption continues to ramp up in the construction industry, one area getting a lot of attention is improving safety. A strong emphasis is on using wearables to monitor workers and their environment to make jobsite safer. Wearable tech in construction is being embedded into apparel and personal protective equipment (PPE) already common on construction sites like hard hats, gloves, safety vests and work boots.

As a construction professional, it’s probably difficult to imagine no longer using paper in your daily activities. We’re talking no more hard copies of plans and specs, invoices, contracts, time sheets, punch lists, contracts or bids.

By now we should all be familiar with OSHA’s Fatal Four in construction: falls, being struck by objects, electrocutions and being caught in or between objects. These are top four causes of construction worker deaths each year.

It’s Safety Week 2017 (May 1 – 5) for the construction industry, which focuses on the shared responsibility of jobsite safety. This year’s theme is "It's in Our Hands" to emphasize the responsibility each worker has not only for their personal safety but for those around them as well.

It’s been about five years since the construction industry started its slow recovery from the Great Recession. Flash forward to today and the industry has rebounded nicely with construction spending at an all-time high and demand for construction is strong. The only problem? The industry is still dealing with a skills gap and labor shortage caused by layoffs and a mass exodus of skilled workers who retired or chose to seek greener pastures when the economy tanked.

Construction contracts contain many important clauses, such as “Pay-If-Paid” and “Pay-When-Paid” provisions. Each of these significantly defines important rights and potential liability of parties to the contract. While each of these terms affects a prime contractor’s obligations to its subcontractors, whether or not they are paid by the owner, the critical distinctions seriously affect primary rights and duties under the laws of each state and jurisdiction.

Verbal agreements and oral representations made during negotiations for an agreement, when later reduced to writing, are unenforceable. Under the law, when the agreement of the parties is later reduced to writing and verbal agreements and/or representations are not contained in the original written agreement, such omitted terms are NOT ENFORCEABLE! The Parol Evidence Rule, a rule of common law in most jurisdictions, excludes such representations made prior to the writing and/or not contained in the written agreement.

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.

Worker fatigue is often an overlooked hazard on the construction site. Fatigue, whether physical or mental, impairs a construction worker’s ability to safely and effectively perform their job duties. It increases the risk of accidents and injuries which can lead to unnecessary workers’ compensation costs and can greatly reduce productivity on a project.

For construction professionals, one of the biggest benefits of cloud-based software and storage is mobility. Being able to manage any aspect of your business anywhere you have an internet connection and a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop is vital these days.