Íæż½ã½ã’s 2024 Construction HR & Workforce Conference will be held on October 20-22, 2024, in Denver, CO. The event will feature keynotes focusing on the intersection of HR and workforce development. The program will also feature a multi-track educational program that includes sessions focused on HR and training practices, while others will highlight workforce development strategies. Some sessions will cover both!
Íæż½ã½ã is pleased to announce the appointment of new members to serve on its Environmental Committee. Members of the committee have direct access to federal regulatory officials, influence over Íæż½ã½ã’s environmental agenda, and a means to exchange valuable information with one another and industry peers. Íæż½ã½ã’s environmental team appreciates the volunteers dedicating their time on the Environmental Committee, as well as the Climate Change Working Group and task forces. Join us in welcoming the new members to the committee.
As previously reported, efforts to limit or outright prohibit the use of employee non-compete agreements have gained considerable momentum in the past year with several states, including California, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Oklahoma, banning non-competes entirely.
Join us in St. Louis, Missouri, July 16 – 18, for this year's Construction Safety, Health & Environmental Conference
The 2024 Construction Super Conference (CSC) will occur at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas from December 9 – 11, 2024, and offer continuing legal education. This year’s Call for Presentations is now open through Friday, June 7, 2024. Find the Call for Presentations here. All educational content will be selected from submissions through this Call for Presentations. The Construction Super Conference Board of Advisors will review and select the most qualified submissions for the 2024 event. Íæż½ã½ã is a proud sponsor of the Construction Super Conference and an Íæż½ã½ã representative sits on the advisory Board.
On April 18, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued its final rule to better protect miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The final rule will not only cover contractors who operate surface mines, but also any contractor who performs construction or maintenance activities at a mine site. After the publication of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) final rule addressing exposure to crystalline silica, many surface mine operators established programs that incorporated the OSHA requirements.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule to regulate certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund as it is more commonly known) has cleared the interagency review process. Completion of this step signals that EPA is very close to issuing the new rule. Íæż½ã½ã has long discussed risk exposures for contractors associated with this regulatory approach: where contractors encounter these chemicals in earthmoving or dewatering activities. Most recently, Íæż½ã½ã raised these concerns to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works as they considered possible implications of EPA’s forthcoming rule at a March 2024 hearing. Construction companies, along with several other industries, are at risk of litigation for contamination not originating with them. Many groups, like Íæż½ã½ã, are asking Congress to step in to protect innocent parties from liability---provisions that the law currently does not provide.
The Íæż½ã½ã Contracts & Construction Law page recently added significant new content. Among these updates is a new dispute resolution and mitigation subpage featuring a recent paper by Christoper Brasco of Watt, Tieder LLP entitled Mediation Uncompromised. The paper emphasizes the importance of selecting the right mediator and understanding negotiation paradigms and styles. This article summarizes the mediation best practices outlined in the paper.