In my January 2020 fiber optic update, I wrote, “But later in the year [2019], it seemed that disruption was being disrupted.” Well, 2020 did not wait until later in the year; disruption began in full force by early March...
The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed our lives in many ways. Being under lockdown to avoid the spread of the virus has required that those of us who are able work from home instead of reporting to our office buildings. This has...
Atypical? That’s one way to describe 2020. There’s still uncertainty as we begin the new year, but the physical security industry is experiencing a dramatic, positive shift that looks destined to continue under any...
After realizing the success of the industry’s first COVID-19 safety stand down in April 2020, many industry-related associations and their member companies are doing the same again the week of Jan. 11–15, 2021. One such...
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been sweeping and pervasive. It has reached beyond those who have fallen ill, lost a job or who have been impacted by local and state stay-at-home orders. Supply chains have been...
A research report from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in Los Angeles, “High Frequency and Prevalence of Community-Based Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection,” tracked the results of more than 700,000 COVID-19 tests in...
On Dec. 27, President Donald Trump signed H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, into law. This massive year-end package includes a coronavirus stimulus bill amounting to $900 billion in emergency relief funds...
The COVID-19 pandemic is driving interest in broader applications of germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) lamps to disinfect building spaces. The challenge with GUV is that it is harmful to human health as well as viruses and...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires most employers to prepare and maintain records of work-related injuries and illnesses. The information is an important resource for employees, employers and OSHA in...
As more OSHA inspections are turning up infractions related to employers’ failure to protect the safety of workers and others related to COVID-19 exposures and follow-up, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
Heading into this winter, there are many questions regarding influenza and the current novel coronavirus pandemic. Both can cause serious illness, hospitalization and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC...
When the novel coronavirus struck the United States in March, the Carolinas Electrical Training Institute (CETI), Charlotte, N.C., and the Electrical Training Alliance of Jacksonville (ETAJ), Jacksonville, Fla., were...
During extraordinary times, some contractor teams take on extraordinary challenges. That’s what happened when Adams Electric Inc., Pueblo, Colo.; its subcontractors; and the entire team led by Mortenson Construction, Denver...
According to a new report by Steve Cicala, an assistant professor and Neubauer faculty fellow at Tufts University, Medford, Mass., while utilities have multiple challenges and unexpected additional expenses as a result of the...
I often tell the young people I mentor to always remember that they have two ears and one mouth, just to simply remind them to listen twice as often as they speak. This is advice I have received from multiple mentors...
According to a new special report from Dodge Data & Analytics, Hamilton, N.J., the construction industry stands in a unique position when gauging the impacts of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The special report...
Here’s a novel way to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 on construction job sites: have workers walk through a “cube” that sprays them with an approved disinfectant that’s similarly used in hospital settings. Several...
On September 30, OSHA published three additional frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers related to employer requirements for reporting employees’ in-patient hospitalizations and fatalities resulting from work-related...
Social distancing, self-quarantining, travel restrictions. It’s no secret, COVID-19 has upended business as usual. Is 2020 over yet? Before I go further, I truly hope this column finds you and your family safe and well during...
At the end of many corporate financial statements, there is a phrase that reads something to the effect that “past performance is no guarantee of future results.” This seems like an appropriate cautionary message to keep in...
