On Sept. 24, the Safer Federal Workplace Task Force issued guidance on the president’s executive order calling for a broad vaccination mandate for direct federal contractors. The guidance raises many questions without clear answers, including but not limited to how the mandate will be enforced and employer liabilities stemming from the mandate; the precise (but clearly broad) applicability of the mandate to federal contractors’ employees (whether or not they are working directly on a federal project); and whether there will be provisions for testing employees who do not receive exemptions for medical or religious reasons. AGC has retained outside legal counsel—and is asking some of the brightest legal minds within the industry—to help it review its legal options. AGC cannot, however, complete its review until the FAR Council issues a contract clause, which would, unlike recent guidance, be legally binding. The association has directly spoken with the White House Office of Management and Budget, and key federal construction owner agencies to explain the significant disruptions this mandate will cause the construction of federal projects, among other things.
Linbeck Group was honored for having the nation’s best construction safety and wellness plan in 2020 by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association, which oversees the Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Awards, an annual ranking of construction safety programs, noted that 43 other companies were also selected as winners for the quality of their safety programs.
Apply by Wednesday, October 20, 2021!
Nearly one-third of U.S. metro areas lost construction jobs between August 2020 and August 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials noted that the job losses are occurring as the fate of a bipartisan infrastructure bill that would boost demand for construction remains uncertain in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division published a new resource for stakeholders in the construction contracting community: the Davis-Bacon Wage Determination Conformance Request Guide.
AGC has posted the fifth edition of the Construction Inflation Alert, a document to help owners, officials, AGC chapters, and others understand what contractors are experiencing regarding materials costs, production lead times, and supply-chain bottlenecks.
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Guidance Expected as soon as September 24
On September 18, AGC put forth a bevy of concerns for OSHA to consider as the agency works on regulations requiring all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or mandate that any workers who remain unvaccinated produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis. AGC and its members have encouraged voluntary COVID-19 vaccination for their employees since the vaccines became available. The construction industry has proven throughout the pandemic that it can work in a safe and essential manner. OSHA has previously deemed many construction activities as low exposure risks. AGC is reviewing viable legal options in the event the regulations put forth by OSHA exceed the agency’s authority.