2019 construction spending is expected to continue rising, up 4.8 percent, although at a slower pace than 2018’s 6.5 percent growth, according to Atradius’s annual Market Monitor for the global construction industry. As the U.S. economic expansion slows down, commercial construction growth should decline slightly this year due to higher office vacancies.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Wednesday that her office cited 66 construction companies with wage theft violations in 2018 and levied $2.7 million in total penalties, which includes almost $1.5 million in restitution and more than $1.2 million in fines.

I hope you are all enjoying the winter season. As you look forward to what is ahead in 2019, I hope you have marked your calendars to attend the CISCA Convention in National Harbor, Maryland, April 22-26. Today, I want to share with you several great opportunities available to CISCA members during the upcoming convention. Please take a minute to read all the opportunities and commit to those you can.

Total U.S. housing starts plunged 11.2 percent in December – the third decline in four months, and the deepest drop since June – as single-family starts dropped 6.7 percent and multifamily starts plummeted 22 percent. December's annualized pace of starts was the lowest since September of 2016.

The expanding economy and focus on rebuilding America’s infrastructure have fueled demand for skilled labor in the construction sector, leaving many contractors facing a shortage of workers. In the meantime, the workforce is aging, creating new challenges for contractors, which may have to revamp jobsite safety initiatives to address the needs of older workers. 

Starting a drone program is daunting for general contractors both large and small, but there’s never been a better time than now to take the plunge, says William Pryor, enterprise solutions manager at Skycatch, a drone data and analytics firm. Of all the commercial applications for unmanned aerial vehicles, construction drone products are among the most mature, he said in a recent webinar, and from a project's design to completion, there are “low-hanging fruits” within arms’ reach of many GCs.

A study done at Michigan State University in 2012 found that the average jobsite conflict took 161 hours (~20 days) to manage. The wages of the workers involved cost an average of $10,948.00! This study was the first of its kind to assign a monetary value to the conflicts that occurred on actual jobsites. So what can you do to help deal effectively with jobsite conflicts?

Reserve your spot for this year's Convention and INTEX Expo, to be held in National Harbor, Maryland, from April 22 to April 26, 2019! We'll see you then for a full week of education, networking and relationship-building!

When long term care is needed, there are only a few options available to pay for those types of expenses. Beginning Monday, March 4, Genworth Life Insurance Company and CISCA are working together to provide members with access to long term care insurance protection.

It is SCC's goal to help keep your company up to date with ever-changing OSHA regulations and keep you informed of news that affects your industry. Click below to read the company's February bulletin in full.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas sentenced the former head of a Conway,  Arkansas, construction company to three years in prison for committing $2.9 million of bank fraud. Michael Beasley, former president of Cobas Inc., must also pay $2 million in restitution.