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In this issue...
Last Day To Sign Up For The Champions Golf Tournament 30th Annual BBQ Cook-Off Set For March 26-27, 2021 AGC Releases Economic Impact Of Texas Construction Jobs Construction Supervision Fundamentals Kicks Off Oct. 6 Health Benefit Program Rates Locked In Thru 10-31-2021 Members Sign Up To Make Jobsites More Inclusive
The year 2020 brings another round of elections for president, legislators, governors, secretaries of state, attorneys general, district attorneys, mayors, city council members, school committee members and even judges. Visit ConstructorsVote.com and Harrisvotes.com for more information and resources. OCTOBER
Education/Training
Safety
Open to all AGC Houston members, this committee of safety professionals meets monthly to discuss issues and regulations that affect the commercial construction industry.
Join us for a Happy Hour in the Parking Lot Oct. 25! 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Cost: Complimentary! Sign In to RSVP. We'll provide beverages and snacks!
Sponsors: $500
Details here AGC Houston is proud to partner with the The Region VI OSHA Education Center at The University of Texas at Arlington. The OSHA Education Center at The University of Texas at Arlington is the top-ranked OSHA Training Institute Education Center in the country. View the full list of OSHA courses here. 5-8: OSHA 511: Standards for General Industry 12-15: OSHA 500: Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for Construction 13-15: OSHA 3015: Excavation, Trenching & Soil Mechanics 19-22: OSHA 501: Trainer Course In OSHA Standards General Industry 19-22: OSHA 2225: Respiratory Protection 19-22: OSHA 3095: Electrical Standards NOVEMBER AGC News
AGC of America's Chief Economist Kenn Simonson released an updated fact sheet regarding construction economic updates Sept. 25.
The coronavirus has harmed the construction industry, prompting project delays and cancellations, layoffs, and furloughs, yet it remains difficult for a majority of firms to find craft workers to hire, according to the results of a workforce survey conducted by AGC of America and Autodesk.
AGC of America launched a nationwide program designed to help expand the diversity of the industry by making job sites more inclusive. Called Culture of CARE (commit, attract, retain and empower), it is designed to help firms create more welcoming workplace environments for staff, particularly those from diverse demographic backgrounds.
In addition to the new program, the association has already released its Business Case for Diversity & Inclusion in the Construction Industry, which provides the economic, safety and productivity rationale for expanding construction diversity.
Visit BuildCulture.org
WebEd: Keep Your Team Connected: Sharing Virtual RFIs and Construction Documents with Everyone
Oct. 7, 2020 2 – 3 p.m. Free for AGC members
Tracking drawing changes, RFI submittals and responses, and the thousands of other types of design/build documents that go into a modern construction project can be an administrative nightmare. The solution isn’t always a massive, and expensive, construction management system. Sometimes, the answer is just understanding how you can use the Cloud to host and give access to all your files from one location.
AGC's “HR/TED Conference” this year provides three days of education and networking for HR, training and workforce development professionals in the construction industry. Educational sessions for training professionals cover the most cutting-edge techniques in training and development currently in use and envisioned for the future in the industry. Click here to register. Industry recruitment and retention are essential to the future of the construction industry. Just as important as finding craft workers, project managers and supervisors are ensuring that these essential workers are properly educated and trained. Efforts through AGC and its network of chapters and industry partners are focused on the goal to attract, retain and train the future construction industry workforce.
AGC of America is proud to announce the launch of the 2021 AGC Awards competitions!
The Construction Risk Partners Build America Awards (including the Marvin M. Black Partnering Excellence category) and AGC in the Community competitions recognize the nation's most impressive construction projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy divisions; those contractors excelling in their partnering and collaborative endeavors; and the charitable contractors and chapters giving back to their communities.
The AGC Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Awards recognize contractors who are champions in advancing diversity and inclusion within their workforce, subcontractor partners, supply chain, the association and in the communities they serve.
Events
OCTOBER
Enjoy The Fall Weather; It's Time To Tee It Up Monday, Oct. 5, 2020
Be Part Of The Excitement As A Cook Team and/or Sponsor Message from the President/CEO
If you have been paying any kind of attention to politics for the past decade or so, you have probably heard this statement. Many times, and not necessarily as a positive one. As the representative organization of the commercial construction industry in the Greater Houston region, for AGC Houston it was more about there being “no time to waste during a (COVID-19) crisis.”
Having taken a leading role in ensuring our industry was deemed “essential” in the early days of the pandemic by publishing a “COVID-19 Recommended Practices for Construction Jobsites,” the focus of the AGC staff shifted to ways of modifying chapter operations. Modifications were necessitated by the new normal of social distancing while still fulfilling the chapter mission of ”bringing people together to advance the issues important to the commercial construction industry.”
Without the support and expertise of so many of our members, it is hard to imagine these events even happening, much less as successfully as they did.
Member News
Linbeck Group, LLC announced the recent completion of Houston's famed Rothko Chapel after months-long renovations. The Architecture Research Office designed the $30M master plan for the restoration. After a year-and-a-half of renovations, the chapel, named for the painter Mark Rothko who also helped design the space, will mark its 50th year in 2021. The chapel required significant restoration work, from bringing previously unreinforced concrete block walls up to code to reconfiguring and updating the foyer. Houston philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil funded the chapel as a nondenominational, contemplative space. Located at located at 3900 Yupon St., the Chapel reopened on Sept. 24, 2020. Congratulations to the Linbeck Group team members on completing this significant accomplishment for one of Houston's artistic and spiritual landmarks!
A recipient of the women’s safety harness grant from the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is piloting a new women’s safety harness design across it’s Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta-area project sites. The safety harness grant was created by AGC with Autodesk to help meet the need for properly fitting personal protective equipment for women working in the construction industry and to encourage more participation by women in the industry. McCarthy Building Companies distributed harnesses to 27 women workers who work at various jobsites. “As a company that self-performs concrete and other common trades on our projects, McCarthy realizes the need to be intentional about recruiting and developing talent from across our jobsites and in the communities where we work,” said Joe Jouvenal, Regional President for McCarthy’s Southern Region operations. “Outfitting our female workers with PPE that is made specifically for them not only keeps them safer at work, but also complements our efforts to provide an inclusive environment where all of our workers feel like we’re here to help them be successful.” News you can Use
Over the past two decades, Texas courts have shown more and more deference to non-compete agreements; a positive step for employers who seek to maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Often, the question raised is “How do I know if I need a non-compete?” Colby Hodges, Andrews Myers, PC, sheds light in this informative article.
Read the full article.
The Greater Houston Parthership notes that September marked a half a year since COVID-19 arrived in Houston. In the early stages, the pandemic cost Houston more than 365,000 jobs and only about 110,000 have been recouped to date. While some industries have been able to recuperate, other sectors that require face-to-face interactions continue to struggle and will be among the last to regain all jobs lost in the pandemic
The Army Corps of Engineers is looking to begin work next year to widen Port Houston to accommodate larger ships, said Lori Brownell, director of channel improvement at the port. The USACE finished a five-year feasibility study in April for the project, which would widen the channel to 700 feet along Galveston Bay and would deepen upstream segments to 45 feet.
The Wage and Hour Division encourages employers to audit their pay practices and consider participating in the PAID program. On this website, interested employers can find the resources they need to participate in PAID, starting with relevant FLSA compliance assistance materials.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed rule clarifying the definition of employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as it relates to independent contractors. AGC has long called for federal clarification of the independent contractor status and preservation of legitimate independent contractor relationships, such as those that have historically existed in the construction industry.
Resources
 Through social distancing reminders, the additions of hand-washing stations, workplace hygiene protocols and the wearing of masks, we are seeing the best in our members.
Contractors and workers must continue to execute the proper precautions to keep safety viral and our industry open.
STAY INFORMED
You can find updates on our dedicated COVID-19 Resources webpage for the commercial construction industry.
Thank You To All Of The Construction FIrms That Took Part In The Safety Stand-Down! AGC Houston and the Safety Committee thank all of our general contractors and specialty contractors who helped to dedicate time to promote worker safety and fall prevention. A big thank you as well to all of our safety consultants and affiliate members who provided safety demonstrations and resources on jobsites.
Poorly fitted harnesses are ineffective and can cause fall injuries. Women, in particular, often have a hard time getting PPE that fits at work.
Find out more about "Providing Safety and health Protection for a Diverse Construction Workforce: Issues and Ideas". #StandDown4Safety
Here's Looking at You
Wearing facemasks and sitting at a six-foot distance from each other, safety professionals spent their day learning about reducing the risk of workplace hazards and working under COVID-19 restrictions. While you can't notice, the group of men and women were all smiles! Taught by our very own Director of Safety Services, Kim Mason, the OSHA 30-Hour For Construction course meets four consecutive Thursdays through October 22, 2020. Check out all of our OSHA classes and get your accreditations! Learn more about our collaboration with the OSHA Education Center at The University of Texas at Arlington. |
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With renewed excitement, 
