OSHA’s Confined Space Rule Puts Pressure on Contractors

On May 4, 2015, OSHA released its long-pending 162-page final rule establishing a confined space standard for the construction industry. The rule, which takes...
Change Orders

Change Orders Are Inevitable; Managing Them Effectively Is Not

For contractors, the normal instrument of change on a construction project is the “change order.” When entering into a contract to build or design/build...

Construction Sites

By Christopher Scott D'Angelo Much has been written since the pandemic related shut-down was imposed addressing what rights, liabilities, and remedies may exist between the...

Standard of Care

By William S. Thomas These words by artist, architect, and designer Eero Saarinen—always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context—challenge modern...
Worker in a trench

Protection Liability

Vetting commercial general liability protection against construction defect claims There is nothing new about general contractors including terms in their subcontracts that require subcontractors to...

How to Save Money in a Construction Lawsuit

To avoid a lawsuit, general contractors use practical tips such as: 1) read and understand everything, 2) document everything—and keep it, 3) don’t do...

When to Stop Digging

In its recent “DIRT Report,” the Common Ground Alliance featured an interactive tool that showed sobering year-to-year statistics on the frequency of underground utility...

OSHA & MSHA Penalties Significantly Raised

On July 1, 2016, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued an interim final rule raising civil penalties by nearly 80 percent in some...
Contract Payment Provisions

Understanding Contract Payment Provisions

Payment terms and conditions are an important piece of every construction contract. Taking some time to understand your payment obligations will help you successfully...
OSHA Interviews

OSHA Interviews: Understanding and Exercising Your Rights

Section 8(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 authorizes OSHA to inspect workplaces “during regular working hours and at other...