This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Let’s Vow To Make Their Lives A Little Easier. By Mark S. Kuhar October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which commemorates the many ways people with disabilities contribute to America’s workplaces as well as the economy. This year, having suffered a debilitating spinal injury myself, I have become keenly aware of the…
Read MoreDay: October 10, 2024
An Election Primer for Private-Sector Employers
There Are Complicated Legal And Practical Issues Of Regulating Workplace Speech While Also Respecting Employee Rights. By Tyler Hibler and Delia Berrigan As the 2024 general election looms, employers can anticipate a rise in political expression from employees both inside and outside of the workplace. Political speech encompasses a broad array of activities, extending far beyond verbal or written communication…
Read MoreBureaucratic Kryptonite
Those Who Embrace Change And Those Who Resist It May Be Necessary Sides Of A Dialogue. By Thomas J. Roach Organizations naturally develop procedures and rules to ensure that employee work habits and decisions will lead to efficient, safe and ethical conduct. Procedures and rules are necessary, but they can also cause problems. Technology and markets constantly make advances and…
Read MoreSustainability and Solar Power
Graniterock Highlights How Sustainability Can Drive Efficiency, Reduce Costs And Garner Green Credentials With The Community. by Therese Dunphy For operations looking to lower energy costs, an investment in solar energy may generate goodwill as well as financial savings. “The community is very interested in it,” said Jon Erskine, Graniterock’s director of sustainability and geology. When community members learned of…
Read MoreNIOSH Seeks Comment on Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Outdoor Workers
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released the draft Hazard Review: “Wildland Fire Smoke Exposure Among Farmworkers and Other Outdoor Workers.” It is open for public comment until Nov. 12, 2024. Smoke from wildland fires has become an increasingly widespread and potentially serious threat to public health…
Read MoreEPA Launches Climate Resilience Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the launch of a new website, the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Funding Toolbox (CRAFT). CRAFT is a user-friendly resource for technical assistance providers working with federal funding applicants and recipients to develop, apply for and implement climate-resilient investments. The website provides simple, easy-to-understand resources that can help users consider climate adaptation and resilience before,…
Read MoreNews From Massachusetts
According to the Cape Cod Times, activists seeking a moratorium on sand and gravel mining operations in southeastern Massachusetts delivered a petition to Beacon Hill leaders demanding action from Gov. Maura Healey and state environmental protection officials. The Community Land and Water Coalition, in Plymouth, Mass., which says its mission is to protect the land and waters of southeastern Massachusetts,…
Read MoreNews From Virginia
According to Richmond BizSense, despite pleas for a delay from neighboring homeowners – as well as from four of their Henrico counterparts – Goochland, Va., supervisors have approved an expansion of a decades-old rock quarry in the direction of residential neighborhoods across the county line. The Goochland board voted unanimously to allow Luck Stone Corp. to expand its operations in…
Read MoreNews From Wisconsin
According to The Cap Times, a proposed quarry in Verona, Wis., is facing opposition from Dane County officials and residents over concerns about water quality, dust and noise. The quarry would replace a farm house and small outbuilding currently at 7228 Pine Row. The 159-acre property sits between Sugar River and Badger Mill Creek within the town of Verona. The…
Read MoreConstruction Spending Down in July
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, construction spending during July 2024 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,162.7 billion, 0.3% (±1.0%) below the revised June estimate of $2,169.0 billion. The July figure is 6.7% (±1.8%) above the July 2023 estimate of $2,027.4 billion. During the first seven months of this year, construction spending amounted to $1,237.5 billion,…
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