Latest Construction Headlines

All the headlines from our Construction Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Georgia Closes Contractors’ Liability Loophole

Dec 2 2007 // General contractors in Georgia are no longer able to use subcontractors as a broad shield against bodily injury and property damage claims at construction sites under a new law.The new statute went into effect July 1. The...

Aon Construction Services Group Adds Four

Nov 29 2007 // Aon Corp. announced that Michael R. Szot, Jim Reilly, Gary L. Stevens and Micah Chen have joined Aon Construction Services Group, all to be based in Los Angeles.“These individuals instantly enhance our profile within...

Florida Construction Licensing Board Appointees Named

Nov 21 2007 // While State Senate confirmation is required, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced the following reappointments and appointments to the Construction Industry Licensing Board:·Carl Engelmeier, 57, of Apopka, president, E.H....

N.Y. City Fire Department, Contractors Form Joint Job Safety Council

Nov 21 2007 // New York City fire department officials and construction contractors have formed a joint advisory council to lay down stringent safety rules for job sites, aimed at forestalling such mishaps as the fire that killed two...

Residential Woes Continue Over EIFS

Nov 18 2007 // The use of the exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS), also referred to as “synthetic stucco,” in construction is nothing new to commercial or residential builders.EIFS, a multi-layered exterior structure...

Construction Litigation Puts Agents at Risk

Nov 18 2007 // Construction is an inherently dangerous activity. Hundreds if not millions of dollars are at stake with each project, and if something goes wrong, contractors often look to their insurance to cover claims. When that...

San Diego Construction Worker Ordered to Pay $13,667

Nov 16 2007 // San Diego County Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh has ordered an employee of a San Diego construction company to pay $13,667 in restitution to the California State Compensation Insurance Fund in a workers’...

Urquhart Joins Lockton International Construction Team

Nov 14 2007 // Lockton International announced the appointment of Duncan Urquhart as Managing Director for their International Construction team. He will be based in the London office and joins Lockton from Oxygen, where he was Head of...

Texas Construction Company Funds Safety Scholarship

Nov 14 2007 // The American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Region III, which encompasses Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, announced that Austin, Texas-based McComb Construction Company donated $4,000 toward the establishment of a...

MIT Sues Renowned Architect Gehry for Alleged Building Defects

Nov 7 2007 // The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has sued world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, alleging serious design flaws in the Stata Center, a building widely celebrated for its unconventional walls and radical angles.The...

La. Gov: ‘Katrina Cottage’ Construction to Begin this Month

Nov 7 2007 // Construction of Louisiana’s first Hurricane Katrina cottages will begin this month at the New Orleans headquarters of the National Guard, nearly a year after the state received federal funds to build them, Gov....

Calif. AG Files Lawsuit Against PacifiStaff Construction Training Company

Nov 7 2007 // California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. has sued PacifiStaff, a Southern California corporation that trained construction companies to violate workers’ compensation laws by the use of “fake corporations...

Sloan Mason Offers Pipeline Construction Casualty Package

Nov 6 2007 // San Diego-based Sloan Mason is offering a provision of competitive coverages for pipeline construction contractors. Coverages include workers comp/general liability/umbrella liability/auto/inland marine/property with an AM...

Socius Makes Two Appointments in San Francisco

Nov 6 2007 // West Coast Insurance Wholesaler Socius Inc has appointed Shannon Mahoney business development manager and Tim Troy assistant vice president in the company’s San Francisco headquarters. Mahoney is charged with...

Construction Set to Begin on Collapsed Minneapolis Freeway Bridge

Nov 2 2007 // Construction to replace the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge was cleared to start as scheduled on Thursday, after a Ramsey County judge declined to hold up the $234 million project.Judge Edward Cleary on Wednesday rejected...

N.H. Construction Firms May Exempt 3 Executives from Workers’ Comp

Nov 1 2007 // New Hampshire construction firms may exclude up to three executives from their workers compensation policies, provided the executives do not actively work on construction sites, under a recent change in statute.The new...

Calif. Sees Downward Trend in Workplace Injuries, Accidents

Nov 1 2007 // The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) announced that workplace injuries and accidents declined in California in 2006 in all but four of 19 key industries compared to 2005.Overall workplace injuries and...

Federal Grand Jury Indicts La. Woman in Construction Bonds Case

Oct 29 2007 // A federal grand jury in New Orleans brought a 15-count indictment against a Louisiana woman who sold construction bonds in several states, including Tennessee, after she was barred from the insurance business.Federal...

Jansen & Hastings Provides Defense Costs Cover for Calif. Construction Companies

Oct 23 2007 // Responding to increasing pressure of U.S. immigration law enforcement on California’s construction companies, San Francisco-based Jansen & Hastings has launched ConstructINsure. The product provides cover...

Ironshore Launches Specialty Construction Division

Oct 22 2007 // Hamilton, Bermuda-based Ironshore Inc. announced the company has entered into the specialty construction sector with the launch of its IronBuilt division. IronBuilt, based near Boston, offers construction risks protection...