For Construction Pros

Does Construction Project Management Software Help Deliver Projects Under Budget?

By Kimberly Hegeman - Monday April 29, 2013

We've covered the topic of software multiple times in this blog, and its prevalence and importance in the construction industry continue to increase. In a recent survey from Software Advice, 94 percent of survey participants said they relied on some kind of software to manage their projects. Trends in Online Project Management The 2013 Construction Project Management Benchmark Report shows the important findings from Software Advice's survey of 230 construction industry professionals regarding their use and satisfaction with construction project management software . The top three takeaways from the survey, according to Software advice are: Construction project management software produces superior outcomes. Survey...

Where Do You Stand on Distracted Driving Policies?

By Kimberly Hegeman - Wednesday April 17, 2013

Aegis Mobility, a manufacturer of software for mobile devices to prevent workplace distracted driving, recently conducted a survey on the issue of employee distracted driving . The survey received responses from 547 professionals in safety, risk and fleet management disciplines from a variety of different industries in the United States and Canada. According to Aegis, "The objective of the survey is to measure corporate fleet operators' perspectives and attitudes toward distracted driving and how attitudes are changing over time." Your Company Could Be Liable for Employees' Distracted Driving Prevent Distracted Driving Here are some of the key findings from the survey: 86% of respondents report their companies take some...

Truckers Not as Happy with SCR Diesels But Most are Saving Money

By Larry Stewart - Friday April 5, 2013

More than half of motor carriers comparing the performance of 2010 diesel engines with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emissions technology to 2007 engines have seen fuel economy improve (nearly 40 percent reported no change), and 53 percent of carriers said there has been no change in engine-related maintenance costs. Forty percent of carriers indicated that costs have increased, according to Transport Capital Partners’ (TCP) First Quarter 2013 Business Expectations Survey. FleetOwner.com's coverage of the TCP study makes a few important points about how to interpret the results. Truckers' experience with the diesel-emissions-control technology that has been coming to most off-road equipment for about a year doesn't...

5 Safety Tips When Working with Scaffolding

By Kimberly Hegeman - Monday March 25, 2013

Fall prevention is one of the biggest buzz words of construction safety. Fall prevention permeates so many different areas of construction, including scaffolding use and safety. Kee Safety , a global supplier of components and custom systems for railings, barriers, roof edge protection and fall prevention, recently compiled a list of five scaffolding safety tips designed to help contractors "stay proactive about scaffolding safety". Safety Video: Falls in Construction - Fixed Scaffolds Tip 1: Slow down or consider efficiency building alternatives While the pace at which construction work gets finished is often important to projects and budgets, it can also influence careless and costly mistakes, including gaps in safety on...

Managing A Technology Driven Construction Industry

By Kimberly Hegeman - Tuesday March 12, 2013

The construction industry, just like everything else, is evolving. Technology is becoming more prominent and more important for equipment, jobsites and management. Keeping up with changing technologies is tough. Incorporating technology into your construction business can be a challenge. And managing projects in this technology-driven world is a skill construction contractors will need to master. An article by Matt DeVries in AGC's Constructor e-newsletter takes a look at areas where technology is becoming more prominent and having an effect on the construction industry. DeVries singles out four areas of the construction industry where technology and project management collide. Is Mobile Technology Becoming a Foundation of...

Why You Should Enforce Ladder Safety

By Kimberly Hegeman - Tuesday March 5, 2013

When your employees use ladders on the construction jobsite, do they give more than a passing thought to ladder safety? As a construction business owner, do you? You and your employees should consider ladder safety just as important as all other areas of safety on a construction jobsite. Ladder safety statistics: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that in the U.S. 724,000 people are injured in a ladder-related incident - nearly 2,000 each day! Little Giant Ladders estimates that 100 of those people injured experience a long-term or permanent disability Several agencies report more than 330 people die each year from ladder accidents Handling injuries (strains and sprains to neck, shoulders, back, knees...

Free Material Kits Enhance Construction Safety Meetings & Training

By Kimberly Hegeman - Wednesday February 20, 2013

As a construction business owner, you should be fully aware of the importance of safety. But safety isn't just a topic discussed once and then left on the shelf to collect dust. Safety is an ongoing discussion. Safety procedures should be updated for each different jobsite. Safety should be reviewed to make sure employees and processes are working safely as intended. Safety should be taught and then reviewed, many times. In a poll of ForConstruction.com visitors back in May 2012, we asked readers to let us know how often they meet to discuss safety on the jobsite. Here's what respondents said: 7% More frequently than daily 31% Daily 14% More frequently than weekly 28% Weekly 21% Less than three times per month In another...

Business Strategies for Construction Businesses in 2013

By Kimberly Hegeman - Monday January 21, 2013

This blog post was written exclusively for ForConstructionPros by nationwide equipment financing company Balboa Capital. Now that 2013 is upon us, every business owner wants to start the new year with a positive outlook. For those in the construction industry, the new year has shown positive signs for business due to a higher demand for housing across the nation. With growing job markets, many people will be starting new jobs, and they’ll want to move to cities where those jobs are located. Recently, a leading construction information resource reported that the amount of single family housing units will increase by 21 percent, and that fewer foreclosures will stabilize housing prices. PCA Report Predicts All 50 States...

Protect Your Business From Fraud

By Kimberly Hegeman - Wednesday January 16, 2013

We are all well aware of how fraud and identity theft can harm our personal lives. But construction business owners should also be aware of how fraud can hurt their businesses and what steps they should take to protect their companies from fraud. Blog: Don't Ignore Corporate Identity Theft RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. , a Providence, R.I.-based commercial bank holding company, is working to educate business owners and make them aware of areas of vulnerability. “During and just after the holidays is when many fraud schemes pick up, as more people feel stretched with greater year-end expenses,” says James Gifas, head of RBS Citizens Treasury Solutions. “As we look ahead into 2013, companies may have blind spots they may...

Prevent Electrical Injuries on Construction Sites

By Kimberly Hegeman - Wednesday January 2, 2013

This blog post was written exclusively for ForConstructionPros by equipment leasing company Balboa Capital. Construction business owners know that having healthy and hard-working employees is the key to running a successful operation. No matter what the construction project at hand, there are often many types of electrical equipment being used on a daily basis, which means worker safety is more important than ever. Your construction team is invaluable to your company, and enacting proper training and safety protocols are the keys to preventing injury and maintaining highly productive workers. Electrical Hazards on Construction Sites The statistics are shocking Many fatal accidents occur from careless mistakes but are...