El Niño and California Construction 

A warm patch of ocean has filled reservoirs and flooded cities this year...and now it's helping keep construction contractors busy across the Southwest. The warmer waters of the western Pacific Ocean flowing eastward and displacing the cooler surface water typically found in the eastern Pacific cause the weather occurrence known as El Niño. This weather event usually brings with it a shift in North America’s traditional weather patterns—most notably bringing wet weather to California, the Southwest, and the Southeast, while the North and Northeast typically experience a milder winter. Even though El Niño affects the entire country, the weather’s impact has been most felt by the people of California and Texas.

Diggerland: Where Work Meets Play  

We were pretty excited when we stumbled across the great article about Diggerland on the Construction Junkie blog, as it looks like the world's biggest sandbox for both kids and adults. While Disneyland may win over many families, I am sure there are more than a few parents of Tonka truck obsessed kids who think Diggerland is the perfect place for a family vacation—especially if your child is ready to graduate from toys to the real thing, or if Dad has “operate an excavator” on his bucket list.

Tips for Safer Construction Sites 

Construction sites are inherently dangerous places with materials everywhere, heavy machinery in use, structures in various states of assembly (or demolition), and numerous other hazards that quietly threaten personnel at all times. While it’s impossible to remove all of the potential dangers from the work site, recent reports show that contractors who prioritize safety see greater project ROI, have better employee retention rates, and attract new hires more easily.

What follows are some simple steps that construction managers can take toward creating a safer construction sites. 

Social Media Summary 

It’s been a busy month for us on social media so far—it’s hard to believe, but we have already posted almost a hundred times! Throughout all of our social media outlets, we strive to bring our followers the most relevant, insightful, inspiring, and helpful stories from across the web in the fields of agriculture, construction, forestry, and trucking. One hundred posts is a lot to keep up with, so here are our five most popular stories from May so far…

Building a Better Construction Industry 

To many, the construction industry appears to be as healthy as it has been in years. A rejuvenated economy has spurred commercial construction and the growing population needs residential housing. Meanwhile the country’s aging infrastructure requires repair and replacement and funds are becoming available to do so. Factor in the fast growth of construction in the renewable energy sector and the future looks bright for the construction industry.

Despite so many positive indicators, however, the construction industry overall is struggling, and fast economic growth has contributed to the problem.