Construction spending declined 0.8 percent in October from September but topped year-ago levels by 1.1 percent, as decreases in private nonresidential, multifamily and public projects outweighed a recent revival in single-family homebuilding, according to an analysis recently by the Associated General Contractors of America of new federal spending data. Association officials said that the impact of trade conflicts is harming private construction.

Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) is OSHA’s most frequently cited standard for fiscal year 2019. This marks the ninth consecutive year it has stood atop the agency’s “Top 10” list.

An annual report on the cause of construction disputes illustrates that changes to a project's scope of work was the most frequent contributor to disagreements across the sectors it studied: buildings; defense, aerospace and military; industrial; infrastructure; oil and gas; and power and utilities.

OSHA requires crane operators engaged in construction activity to be certified by an entity accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency. CIC no longer holds such accreditation. To avoid industry confusion and potential disruptions of construction projects, OSHA has issued an enforcement policy for crane operator certifications issued by CIC.

Next year could be a pivotal one for commercial construction, according to two of the industry’s top economists. The question is, though, which way will it pivot?

A company’s fleet of vehicles is a critical component of its business. And for some companies, their fleet is the heart of their business. However, keeping a fleet of vehicles (both large and small) maintained and fully operational can be a challenging task.

Millennials are now the largest generation in the world, and they are shaping everything from the housing market to consumer trends, according to the Pew Research Center. The ever-growing age cohort’s spending power is expected to reach $1.4 trillion annually in 2020, according to Accenture; as they have started to settle down and form families of their own, according to the National Association of Realtors, they have also become one of the most active generations of homebuyers in the nation.

The holiday season brings with it a mix of joy and stress for workers: 51 percent say they’re more cheerful at work this time of year, but 35 percent feel more work-related pressure, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by Accountemps, a finance staffing firm.

With the countdown on to 2020 – and the start of a brand-new decade right around the corner – it’s time for our annual look back at the commercial construction industry “highs” and “lows” from 2019. From positive trends and new business opportunities to ongoing challenges that impact how we do business, here are five factors and industry trends that shaped our work in the past year.

Join us in Las Vegas, March 23-26, 2020 for the 2020 CISCA Convention and INTEX. Registration is now open and there is a special CISCA rate for lodging. For additional questions, call CISCA at 630-584-1919 or email cisca@cisca.org.

Ceilings are functional and decorative, but also are affected by the uses and needs of the facilities in which they are installed. Exposure to heat, humidity, salt water and other conditions can have potentially adverse effects on the materials used. This all-new publication is a resource for challenging applications that you might come across. Its intent is to highlight certain challenges as well as guide you to the right resources, guidelines, and information that are available so you can make the right decisions as you move forward with your project.

Did you know that 64 percent of job applicants don’t respond to bad job descriptions? Learn how Caliper says to write job descriptions that work.

New FELTWorks™ Blades from Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions enable architects and designers to redefine the ceiling plane with a soft, linear visual that adds quiet and warmth to interior spaces.

After a year of planning, testing and analysis, the team at BRACELOK® is delighted to announce its rigid bracing solution GRIDLOK® for ceiling systems, has a preapproval with OPM-0544-13 from OSHPD.