Florida Construction Law

Limestone has been utilised throughout the ages and is a popular material within building and construction. We take a look at famous American buildings made out of limestone which still remain today and are iconic within America. The Pentagon, United States At 6,500,000 square feet, the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia is the world’s largest office building and serves as the headquarters for the United States Department of Defense. Designed by American architect George Bergstrom and constructed by contractor John McShain, reinforced concrete was implemented alongside Indiana limestone for the building’s exterior as a result of the lack of steel from the Second World War.  Rebuilt after September 11 2001, the building now houses over 23,000 employees and is one of the most famous buildings within America. The Lincoln Memorial, United States Constructed to honour Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U...

Dive Brief: Global construction firm Bechtel partnered with New York City-based construction safety technology company Human Condition Safety to offer the latter's new virtual reality (VR) immersion safety training. VR technology will be piloted in conjunction with training modules for workforce education at the Bechtel Innovation Center in Houston. HCS's SafeScan program allows users to repeatedly simulate dangerous or intensive procedures. Usage data from training can be collected and combined with geographic information, safety histories and regulatory requirements to optimize future training and real-world safety programs and practices. Dive Insight: Just behind  the design and development set  in employing VR are construction safety teams, who have experienced an upshot in leveraging realistic simulations to train workers in dealing with hazardous environments or intensive maneuvers — including high-risk tasks like crane operations — without act...

Health threats like Ebola, swine flu (H1N1), SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and bird flu have all taken a turn at terrifying the world's population, each pushing those likely to be exposed to establish unique safety measures. Now, the newest health scare has emerged in the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The spread of Zika in South and Central America collided with the summer media blitz for the recent Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, turning an outbreak into a full-fledged panic. Once medical workers began to suspect a connection between the virus and babies born with microcephaly, a neurological disorder, women were cautioned about traveling to Brazil, and  a group of 150 health professionals  even called for the Olympics to be postponed. Additionally, outdoor workers were determined to be exceptionally vulnerable to mosquitos carrying the disease and were also encouraged to take preventative measures. Both the  Occupational Safety and Health Administrat...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 1 —Nonresidential construction spending fell 0.9 percent from August to September 2016, according to analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Nonresidential spending totaled $690.5 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis for the month, 0.7 percent below September 2015’s figure. The government revised the August nonresidential construction spending estimate from $686.6 billion to $696.6 billion; otherwise September spending would have risen on a month-over-month basis.  Eleven of 16 nonresidential construction subsectors experienced monthly declines. “Since late 2015, the level of nonresidential construction spending in America has been effectively flat,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Undoubtedly, soft U.S. economic growth has had an impact on nonresidential construction spending growth. For several quarters prior to the third quarter of 2016, U.S. economic growth hovered around ...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 31 —September not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates improved in 32 states and the nation on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The national NSA construction unemployment rate of 5.2 percent was 0.3 percent lower than a year ago, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This was the lowest September construction unemployment rate since 2000, when it was 4.6 percent. BLS data also reported that the industry employed 208,000 more people than in September 2015. “September 2016 marks the sixth year of uninterrupted monthly year-over-year rate decreases in the national construction unemployment rate that began in October 2010,” said Bernard M. Markstein, Ph.D., president and chief economist of Markstein Advisors, who conducted the analysis for ABC. “These industry-specific unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted, so it is import...

There are so many new technological advances affecting the metal roofing industry; here’s highlighting a few that are increasing metal roofing companies productivity W eather technological devices, using cell phone apps, the newest software, flying unmanned airplanes—drones—are just a few of the technological devices that are affecting the metal roofing industry. And, they sure are making a huge difference when it comes to metal roofers getting the job done more efficiently and effectively. Productivity and efficiency is the lifeline of any metal roofing company. How it increases and continues to flow efficiently takes different kinds of measures from company to company. Drones Making Metal Roofing Easier & Safer Another way metal roofers are making their jobs more efficient to increase their production are by using unmanned aircraft—drones—to fly over roofs and help them inspect roofs, saving significant time it may take a roofer to manually go up there. Luke Hansen, o...

Dive Brief: The ADP Research Institute and Moody's Analytics produced the September report using ADP's payroll database of 411,000 customers and 24 million workers. Dive Insight: In its September 2016 National Employment Report, payroll services company ADP said that its U.S. private non-farm clients added 154,000 jobs in September, with 11,000 of those positions in the construction industry. Construction rebounded after three months of declining employment numbers, more than making up for the total loss of 10,000 positions during that period. According to the most recent Associated General Contractors of America report,  August construction employment grew  in only 61% of 358 markets year over year and decreased in 76, the weakest performance in three years. The agency holds this statistic up as further proof that contractors are still having a hard time finding skilled workers. While the number of available jobs is at a 10-year-high, AGC Chief Economist ...

Technology within construction has seen a significant shift in the creation of smart builds and cities. We take a look at five emerging technologies which will continue to transform the industry for years to come. Oculus Rift Increasingly utilized by construction workers and architects in the design of homes and commercial builds, the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is making waves after previously being made popular through the gaming sector.   With integrated headphones, users are submersed into a 3D experience, allowing users to see the inner mechanisms of model buildings, inspect materials within a virtual reality setting and interact with builds before they are constructed, allowing teams to ensure swift, informed decision making. Microsoft HoloLens Released in 2016, the Microsoft HoloLens will become a dominant force within the construction industry. Utilizing Windows 10, the technology is able to map environments or rooms, allowing users to view holograms and ...

The use of drones in construction has quickly made its way from concept to reality in recent years. With rapidly evolving technologies and the government’s response to their adoption, industry members shouldn’t be learning the dos and don’ts on the fly. That was the message from construction lawyer Trent Cotney during a recent presentation at the “Best of Success” conference. “Less than a month ago, the law was completely different. That’s how fast things are changing,” he said. “And I guarantee you six month from now, the law will change again. So it’s something you want to constantly keep up with.” He said that 20 years ago, drones were nothing more than RC vehicles. “The drones being used today are much different … these are no longer just toys.” Drone Usage A potential use of drones in the glass and glazing industry is during the installation phase. Workers on-site can use them to monitor progress, identify issues and inspect quality without having to physically elevate up...

With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe working conditions for working men and women ( www.osha.gov ).  Every state is either governed by OSHA or the state-sponsored equivalent.  The standards set and enforce safety regulations that govern all aspects of roofing construction including the proper use of fall protection and personal protective equipment. Falls are one of the leading causes of death and injuries in the construction industry. Therefore, roofers must not only follow the current laws and regulations governing fall protection, but also stay abreast of the many changes that occur to OSHA regulations each year.  A roofer that does not follow OSHA regulations can attract unwanted attention to a job site through OSHA and other government agency inspections. These inspections delay job progress and can severely disrupt business operations.  More imp...

A good contract can be a roofer’s best friend A contract can be a roofer’s best friend because it will contain terms that will assist the roofer in collecting money or defending claims. Although this article will not discuss all the provisions needed in a good residential roofing contract, it will focus on three important provisions that every residential roofing contract should include. Notice Provision . All residential roofing contracts should contain a notice provision which requires that the owner notify the contractor of any defects or claims within a certain time period. The notice provision must be clear and unambiguous and should also provide that failure to provide the contractor with notice results in the owner waiving any damages arising out of that claim. The courts have strictly construed these notice provisions and have required that the contractor provide the owner with a reasonable period of time to notify the contractor. All notice provisions should require t...

Important precautions to protect children Many states have what is commonly referred to as the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine, which is a concept arising from negligence and premises liability. Although there may be nuances from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, generally speaking, an attractive nuisance is something on real property that may entice children to enter your property and potentially be harmed by the nuisance. A property owner that is aware of an attractive nuisance must take precautions to protect children from it. What are attractive nuisances? They can include things such as swimming pools, wells, equipment or machinery, or dangerous animals. In some cases, even roof tops have been considered attractive nuisances if the owner is aware that children like to climb on the roof. To protect himself or herself from liability, a property owner should try to eliminate attractive nuisances or otherwise prevent children from obtaining access to the nuisances by installing fencin...

Which health and safety violations occur most often on the job site today? With construction accounting for one in five workplace deaths in 2014, higher penalty payouts in place and new rules for tracking and recording violations looming, we asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration which rules are broken  most often on construction-related projects. As it turns out, the worst offenses  have largely stayed the same  over time. It should come as little surprise that fall-protection mishaps top the list. With more than 20,000 incidents reported in the last four years, it remains  the leading cause of death in construction . Following close behind are faulty ladders and inefficient eye and face  and head protection. This summer, OSHA announce its interim rule  raising maximum civil penalties by 78%  to meet the requirements of a federally mandated increase designed to ensure that the fines reflect inflation. The rule went into ...