OSHA issues final rule on crane operator certification
OSHA recently published a final rule that clarifies certification requirements for crane operators and maintains the employer's duty to ensure crane operators can safely operate equipment.
Under the final rule, employers are required to train operators as needed to perform assigned crane activities, evaluate them and document successful completion of the evaluations. The rule also requires crane operators to be certified or licensed and receive ongoing training as necessary to operate new equipment. Operators can be certified based on the crane's type and capacity, or type only, which ensures more accredited testing organizations are eligible to meet OSHA's certification program requirements.
The final rule, with the exception of the evaluation and documentation requirements, went into effect Dec. 9. The evaluation and documentation requirements go into effect Feb. 7.
For more information, visit www.osha.gov or call (800) 321-6742 [OSHA].
Report: Majority of projects to go green in next three years
Forty-seven percent of those participating in the "World Green Building Trends 2018 SmartMarket Report" expect to make the majority of their projects -- more than 60 percent -- green by 2021. Published by Dodge Data & Analytics, the report indicates the international market for green construction projects has grown significantly in the past 10 years and demand for green building activity is poised to grow -- even double in some regions.
The report also found the biggest challenge to increased green building -- the perception that it costs more than traditional construction -- declined dramatically from over three-quarters in 2012 to under half today.
Participants included over 2,000 architects, engineers, contractors, owners, specialists/consultants and investors from 86 countries.
For more information and to download the report, visit www.construction.com/toolkit/reports/world-green-building-trends-2018.
Construction employment rises in 44 states from 2017
Forty-four states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) added construction jobs between October 2017 and October 2018, while 36 states and D.C. added construction jobs between September and October, according to an analysis of recent Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said firms in most parts of the country are adding staff to keep pace with growing demand for construction, but cautioned that rising labor and materials costs could undermine future demand.
Texas added the most construction jobs, while Arizona added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year. Construction employment reached a record high in five states: Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
For more information, visit www.agc.org or call (703) 548-3118.
ABC: Construction sector to remain strong in 2019
ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu forecasts another strong year for construction sector performance, yet warns about inflationary pressures.
Job growth, high backlog and healthy infrastructure investment all spell good news for the industry. However, historically low unemployment has created a construction workforce shortage of an estimated 500,000 positions, which is leading to increased compensation costs.
"U.S. economic performance has been brilliant of late. Sure, there has been a considerable volume of negativity regarding the propriety of tariffs, shifting immigration policy, etc., but the headline statistics make it clear that domestic economic performance is solid," said Basu. "Nowhere is this more evident than the U.S. labor market. As of July, there were a record-setting 6.94 million job openings in the United States, and construction unemployment reached a low of 3.6 percent in October."
For more information, visit www.abc.org or www.constructionexec.com.