On March 2, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it will begin enforcement of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general, shipyard and construction industries on May 11, 2018. According to an OSHA news release, the enforcement date was previously set for March 12, 2018, but this new timeframe aims to ensure stakeholders are aware of their obligations and compliance to the final rule.

On March 20, 2018, ABC joined leading employer organizations to form the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage (P4ESC). The coalition will work to strengthen and protect employment-based health care coverage and will champion solutions to protect these benefits for hardworking Americans.

Continued strength in construction resulted in a 7.3 percent January 2018 not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate, down 2.1 percent from January 2017 and the lowest national January rate on record, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by ABC. Further, estimated construction unemployment rates were down in all 50 states on a year-over-year basis.

ABC named the nation’s top craft professional and craft instructor during ABC Convention 2018 last week in Long Beach, Calif. Richard Brown of Gaylor Electric Inc. was named 2018 Craft Professional of the Year, and William Fuller of ABC’s Greater Houston Chapter was named 2018 Craft Instructor of the Year.

Sixteen teams of four undergraduate students from colleges and universities nationwide put their construction project leadership skills to the test during ABC’s annual Construction Management Competition (CMC) at ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif. Teams were assigned to manage the completion of the same mock project over two days. First, second and third place awards in five categories were presented to the winners at the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony at the convention’s conclusion on March 22.

ABC announced the winners of the 31st annual National Craft Championships (NCC) during its Careers in Construction Awards ceremony at the conclusion of ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif.

ABC announced that it has awarded National Diversity Excellence Awards to six member companies. Representatives from each company received the award on March 21 at ABC’s 28th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif.

ABC honored more than 100 projects collectively worth $2.6 billion at the 28th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif.

ABC announced the winners of the 2017 National Safety Awards at ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif. A total of 54 ABC member companies were recognized for their safety performance on March 21 during the 28th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards.

ACI Mechanical Inc., Ames, Iowa, has been named ABC’s 2017 Contractor of the Year, an award that recognizes companies for their corporate integrity, commitment to safety, professional development and expert craftsmanship. President Mike McCoy accepted the honor at the 28th annual Excellence in Construction® (EIC) Awards gala on March 21 during ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif.