L.B. Hall Fireproofing, a minority- and women-owned fireproofing company located in Crystal Lake, Illinois, announced that Estefania Roa will become the company’s new CEO. In 2022, Roa became president and owner.

The purpose of this article is to simply differentiate “exit planning” and “succession” and outline the main points for a CEO to remember when succession planning.

Registration for the American Concrete Institute’s 2024 Professors’ Workshop is now open. This year’s event will be held in three stages on July 15, 23 and 24.

The ICAA Convention & Trade Show is your one-stop-shop to learn, network and discover the latest insulation industry products and services from the best in the business.

Chaney Enterprises, a ready-mix concrete, aggregates, custom blends, and related construction supplies provider, announced its customer, Eastern Bay Management Corporation completed the first multi-story, multi-use commercial insulated concrete form (ICF) building on the Eastern Shore in Maryland.

Without question, the building and construction industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Approximately 1.1 million construction jobs were eliminated in the first two months of the pandemic prior to the industry’s designation as “essential.” While the industry has recouped nearly 80 percent of its workforce since then, companies will need to hire another 1 million workers over the next two years to meet the country’s insatiable demand for new home construction and improvement.

Have you ever been to an industry trade show? I usually attend several each year; the INTEX Expo, World of Concrete, and this year I had the opportunity to attend the Remodeling Show sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders at the Convention Center in Baltimore. You can always tell when a trade show is in town. Local restaurants and hotels are filled with small groups wearing matching shirts.

Following the launch of its first-of-its-kind ExoActive Exoskeleton, Festool announced on Aug. 20 its lineup of fall products that blend power, efficiency and organization. The launch includes a new cordless rotary hammer drill, the KHC 18, new energy sets and Systainers, jigsaw and oscillator saw blade sets, and limited-edition DOMINO kits.

Sector veteran Peter Cardy offers answers to your workplace dilemmas

Lowell, MA — Certain job tasks may expose construction workers to silica dust at levels more than 10 times the permissible exposure limit set by OSHA, according to the results of a recent study.

Washington — NIOSH and the Mine Safety and Health Administration are looking for presenters for a virtual workshop on silica exposure and lung disease in the mining industry, scheduled for Oct. 22-23.

In this highly competitive market, strong GC-subcontractor relationships have never been more critical.

Let’s face it, there are many ways a contractor can get off track during the preconstruction process. 

The American Shotcrete Association (ASA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Campo as the new executive director of the organization.

In towns and smaller cities nationwide, local governments are looking for ways to implement greener operations and promote sustainability initiatives that will benefit their communities in a changing climate. But faced with finite resources and an urgent need to act, where should these municipal leaders start?

Honeywell Global Corporate Headquarters at Legacy Union in Charlotte, North Carolina, is recognized as one of the most sustainable and technologically advanced office buildings.

Are you ready to step into a retail space where style meets acoustic excellence? Welcome to the remarkable transformation of Dardano’s shoe store in Broomfield, Colorado, where Altispace laminate beams, illuminated beams and wooden ceiling clouds have mitigated sound reverberation issues and revolutionized the shopping experience.

The Charity Retail Association is pushing for better volunteering practices and a renewed focus on reuse

Washington – State-run OSHA programs face staffing challenges in part because of budget cuts, and federal OSHA should provide better access to training and deadlines for taking over troubled state programs, concludes a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Washington — President Donald Trump on Oct. 9 announced he will nominate Amanda Wood Laihow for one of the two vacant seats on the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, which has been shorthanded – and lacking a quorum – for more than five months.

Washington — A few days away from the office may help clear your head and leave you feeling more positive about work. But how long does that positivity last once you return? Not long at all, say about two-thirds of respondents to a recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association.

Cambridge, MA — A Workers Compensation Research Institute study of workers with low-back injuries shows those who receive longer-term prescriptions for opioid painkillers take significantly longer to return to work than those who are not prescribed opioids.

Canterbury, England — Many people returning to work after the death of a loved one don’t receive adequate support from their employer, according to a study from Canterbury Christ Church University.

Washington — Workers’ opinions about returning to the office amid the COVID-19 pandemic vary greatly based on each individual’s situation, but most want their employer to take certain actions to ensure their safety when they do, results of a recent survey show.

Washington – U.S. law enforcement deaths in the first half of 2013 increased slightly from the previous year, but decreases occurred in firearms- and traffic-related deaths, according to preliminary data released July 11 by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Chicago – Law enforcement officers who wear body armor are 76 percent more likely to survive a bullet to the torso than officers who don’t wear the gear, according to a study from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

Waterloo, Ontario – Coffee shop workers often experience pain in their shoulders and lower backs caused by preparing and serving beverages, according to a recent study from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.

Baton Rouge, LA – Service industry workers in Louisiana report a higher prevalence of poor health, chronic health conditions, and risk factors such as smoking and binge drinking than all other workers in the state, according to an analysis conducted by the state’s Occupational Health and Injury Surveillance Program.

Denver — In Colorado, marijuana use among workers in certain jobs “in which workers have responsibility for their own safety or the safety of others” exceeds that of the state’s general workforce, according to a recent study from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Durham, NC — Researchers at Duke University have identified a new tool they say can help doctors and public health officials track firefighters’ exposures to cancer-causing chemicals, as well as determine when and where the risks may be greatest.

Washington – The Department of Labor and OSHA have an “identical” interest with labor unions in defending a legal challenge to the Improve Tracking of Workplace Illnesses and Injuries final rule, making union intervention unnecessary, attorneys representing DOL said in a legal brief issued May 30.

Silver Spring, MD — More than 3 out of 4 nurses say their employer isn’t providing a safe workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, results of a recent National Nurses United survey indicate – a finding the labor union claims underlines the impact of businesses “reopening too soon.”

Falls Church, VA – The average salary for industrial hygienists has increased more than $10,000 in the past five years, according to survey results released May 30 by the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

Using recent data and analysis from NIOSH, the Workers Compensation Research Institute and other organizations, Safety+Health presents an infographic showing the impact of the opioid crisis on the workplace.

Hartford, CT — More than a third of work-related injuries occur during people’s first year on the job – resulting in more than 6 million missed workdays, according to a new report.

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released guidance on break requirements for short-haul commercial truck drivers who unintentionally exceed time or distance driving limits.

The time certainly is ripe for security industry businesses that are involved in sustainability. First movers are blazing a profitable path to the sustainable future and demonstrating the value of going green to companies that are preparing to dive into what will soon be the “new normal.”

 Leviton announced its OmniTouch 7 touchscreen was recognized by the Consumer Electronics Association's TechHome Division with the 2014 Mark of Excellence (MOE) Award of Human Interface of Product of the Year.  

Do your employees have quick access to properly working emergency eyewashes and showers? To ensure equipment is available when needed, employers should make accessibility a top priority, according to Shannon Harper, ESEW product manager for Houston-based Encon Safety Products.

Washington — A “fundamental shift” is needed in the mining industry’s approach to coal dust exposure to help mitigate a surge in black lung disease among underground coal miners, according a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter partnered with CoastalCOMS to install digital cameras networked with Milestone XProtect® Corporate to monitor wave breaks and sand lines.

Download a free white paper to learn more about OSHA’s role in ensuring workplace safety and how the J. J. Keller Safety Management Suite can help you stay fully compliant with OSHA requirements.

Atlanta – After 5,400 votes covering more than 100 products, the results are in for the inaugural “Best in Show” New Product Showcase Awards!

Detroit – Night-shift workers who experience insomnia but report low levels of sleepiness have higher levels of cognitive impairment than those with insomnia who say they experience “excessive” sleepiness, according to a recent study from the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital.

Toronto — Researchers at York University say they’ve found a link between women who perform shift work and delayed onset of natural menopause.

Richland, WA — Spending just three days working a night shift “can knock the body’s biological rhythms off course, disrupting important processes related to blood glucose regulation, energy metabolism and inflammation,” researchers from Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory say.

Washington — Immigrant construction workers employed by small companies do not receive the same amount of safety and health training as their counterparts at larger companies, according to a recent study from NIOSH and the American Society of Safety Engineers.

Secaucus, NJ — The rate of positive drug tests rose by double digits in five of 16 major U.S. workforce industry sectors from 2015 to 2017, according to a recent analysis by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

Vancouver, British Columbia — A new forklift safety video illustrates why the equipment’s operator should be the only rider.

Silver Spring, MD — Awareness of nanotechnology or nanoparticles in the construction industry remains relatively low among contractors, union leaders and apprenticeship program staff, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the Center for Construction Research and Training – also known as CPWR.