Table of Contents

Economics
Organized Labor/Collective Bargaining
Employee Relations
Motivation & Productivity
Training
Safety/Hazards
Worksite Accidents
Drug Testing
Technology
Construction Websites
Women in Construction
Construction Management
The Future of the Construction Industry
Appendix

APPENDIX

380. Rekus, John F. “Understanding OSHA’s fall protection standard.” Occupational Hazards April 1999: 57-61.

This article discusses construction falls as being the primary cause of death among workers and the cause of over 60,000 injuries every year. Fall-protection options such as guardrails, safety nets, or hole covers are discussed.

This article examines the advent of alternative workers’ compensation program designed to pay benefits to injured union workers while keeping costs at a minimum for contractors. Description of one such program in Minnesota is given.

Data presented by the Department of Labor indicates that outside of manufacturing, the construction industry has the worst safety record. New initiatives in safety and discussion of a program called “HomeSafe” that is aimed at residential contractors are presented.

This article discusses the skilled labor problems in the building industry and the strategy that is being devised to encourage younger people to pursue careers in the trades. Discussion of the indifference among builders and the initiative that is needed to recruit more people into the industry.

This article discusses who is primarily responsible for safety at a multi-employer worksite. Issues include: interpretation of OSHA regulations as they relate to multi-employer sites, current case law, familiarity of OSHA officers about safety management and more.

385. Sharoff, Robert. “Augmented title: job site alcohol and drug abuse.” Builder(National Association of Home Builders March 1997: 154-157.

This article discusses the tough stance against drug abuse throughout the construction industry. Discussion of the construction industry as having the highest abuse rate of any vocation. Theories as to why drug abuse is so prevalent in the construction industry are given.

This essay examines the lag of technology used in the construction industry. This identifies factors that inhibit the use of new technology as perceived by managers of companies, government officials and academicians associated with United States construction.

This thesis introduces self-regulation theory to the economics of safety and health and provides a detailed investigation of the relationships between safety programs, unions, size of establishment, and government enforcement in the construction industry.

The authors discuss the legal issues and implications of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of NLRB versus Town and Country Electric, Inc. to approve of the practice of salting. They examine the issues and initiatives that can be lawfully taken by organizing construction industry employees.

This article discusses OSHA’s 1994 revision of Subpart M standards that requires full-body harnesses for construction workers working at heights of six feet or more.

The case against union-only project labor agreements in the public sector is presented. The author asserts that project labor agreements discriminate against 80 percent of the construction industry’s employees who do not belong to any labor union and who do not want union representation.

391. Coupe, Bradford W. “Legal considerations affecting the use of public sector project labor agreements: a proponent’s view.” Journal of Labor Research Winter 1998: 99-
113.

The author asserts that PLAs are an important tool for effective labor relations management on construction projects, but it should be noted that there are also caveats to these agreements. The debate and legal adjudication should be conducted with an emphasis on the public interest rather than on the interests of the bidders, the unions, or the employees.

Back to Table of Contents