February 15: Active Shooter In The Workplace

February 15: First Aid/CPR/AED Training

February 2-3: OSHA 10-Hour Safety Course For Entry Level Construction Workers

February 6-9: OSHA 510: Occupational Safety and Health

February 7-9: RM 601: Intermediate Accident Investigation and Photography

February 13-20: HC 301: Trainer Course For Healthcare Employee Safety And Health

February 14-16: OSHA 3115: Fall Protection

February 15-16: HC 400: Trainer Course for Medic First Aid and CPR

February 16: OSHA Record-Keeping Workshop

February 20-23: OSHA 511: Occupational Safety and Health Standards for General Industry

February 20-March 2: OSHA 511: Occupational Safety and Health Standards for General Industry: EVENING

February 24: AGC Houston Safety Committee Meeting

February 27-March 2: OSHA 500: Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for Construction

AGC Houston members are supporting this new network, which is an alliance of Houston construction companies, associations and related businesses. The Construction Safety Network meets monthly.

The Associated General Contractors of America and its Texas chapters launched a new campaign on January 25, 2017 designed to highlight the many benefits of working in the construction industry. The new campaign, called Texas Builds, relies on testimonials from dozens of construction workers throughout Texas to highlight the industry's commitment to safety and the many career opportunities that exist in the sector.

President Barack Obama issued an executive order that mandated use of project labor agreements on large-scale federal projects, but a coalition of several trade groups, including the Associated General Contractors of America, have asked President Donald Trump to rescind the order. The groups estimate that the mandate would add 12-18 percent to construction costs.

Attorney Curtis W. Martin, Managing Partner of the Houston office of the national construction law firm of Peckar & Abramson, P.C. (P&A), has been inducted into the Fundraising Hall of Fame of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. This honor recognizes his efforts over the years riding in the BP MS 150 Fundraising Hall of Fame for the National MS Society, a two-day fundraising cycling event and the largest event of its kind in North America. Since 2001, he has raised more than $100,000 for the worthy charity.

Matt Moore has recently joined Peckar & Abramson, P.C. as a Partner in its Houston office. Matt focuses primarily on the transactional, litigation and dispute resolution aspects of construction law. He represents general contractors, sureties, owners, developers, subcontractors and suppliers in all phases of construction and on a wide variety of construction-related issues in both the public and private sectors. Matt has been selected each year since 2012 as a Texas Super Lawyer and Rising Star in the area of construction litigation, and was among the first group of candidates that successfully completed the Texas Board of Legal Specialist (TBLS) exam, thereby qualifying him for designation as Certified Construction law Specialists.

Angela Connor recently joined the law firm as an Associate in its Houston office, where she focuses her practice on construction litigation and dispute resolution. Angela represents general contractors, subcontractors, owners, sureties, and suppliers in a wide range of construction-related matters.

The Environmental Protection Agency's 2017 construction general permit, taking effect February 16, 2017 will make site operators jointly and severally liable for infractions. Several industry groups oppose the provision.

The IHS PEG Engineering and Construction Cost Index of construction labor and material costs increased 2.6 points to 53.3 in December after two months of declining prices. Labor costs increased in the Northeast, Midwest and Southern regions but stayed the same in the West.

Congress is expected to focus on flood insurance reform in the spring, as the National Flood Insurance Program will expire Sept. 30. Some lawmakers support the development of a private flood insurance market as part of reform.

AGC Houston members are invited to join the Houston Revit Users group, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Revit and BIM application users range from beginner to expert skill levels. Since 2002, the Houston Area Revit Users Group (HARUG) has been the main resource in the area for Revit Users, AutoCAD Architecture (previously Architectural Desktop), AutoCAD and other BIM-related tools.

 

The Construction Leadership Council hosted a mixer on Thursday, January 26, drawing more than 70 young construction industry professionals. The group also holds an annual poker and golf tournament to generate educational scholarship funds that benefit the Patrick J. Kiley scholarship program. Contact Charlene Anthony for more information.