Earlier this month, the State of Washington Court of Appeals affirmed a $150 million jury verdict against subcontractors involved in the disassembly of a tower crane that collapsed in 2019. The collapse, which was caught on video, killed four people and injured five. The Washington court’s recent opinion is notable for its detailed explanation of what
The adoption of predictive maintenance (PM), an artificial intelligence (AI) driven strategy that anticipates potential equipment failures using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, holds immense promise for the construction industry. In a previous post, we analyzed the current and future opportunities for PM in construction, including avoiding expensive and dangerous equipment failure, increasing worker
At least one thing has become clear since OpenAI’s artificial intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT exploded onto the scene this year: AI is coming for every sector. Even beyond knowledge-based tech sectors – the front line for AI adoption – industries spanning the entire global economy have begun to consider the ways in which AI and other
Even as the construction industry continues its recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it also continues to focus on worker safety. Consistent with this focus, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) scheduled the eighth annual “National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction” event for May 3-7, 2021.
A property owner is generally liable for hazards on the property that injure others. On construction projects, this presents a significant risk for owners because there are always multiple hazards present, and the owner, generally, has very little control or knowledge of all the work being performed. Chapter 95 of the Texas Civil Practice and
On May 19, 2020, OSHA issued an Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease to address how the administration intends to handle COVID-19 related complaints, referrals and reports. At the same time, OSHA also issued Revised Enforcement Guidance for Recording COVID-19 Cases. Both the plan and the updated guidance go into effect on
On April 10, 2020, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issued interim guidance for the enforcement of employer reporting requirements arising from COVID-19 illnesses that will remain in effect during the duration of the “current public health crisis.” The guidance clarifies when employers must record COVID-19-related cases. Such a case is recordable if an
On March 18, 2020, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order invoking and delegating the authorities of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide critical health and medical resources to respond to the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). On March
Over the weekend, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued updated guidance expounding on its classification of workers who are essential to the nation’s critical infrastructure viability during the COVID-19 crisis. As discussed in our previous alert and blog post, CISA has identified 16 key infrastructure sectors that should continue operations to protect
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to dominate global headlines and markets. In the U.S., COVID-19 has prompted two governors to declare states of emergency; tragically claimed the lives of multiple U.S. residents; and has been reported in 10 states and counting. Due to the growing impact of the coronavirus, commercial contractors would be wise to