Women in construction — solution to labor shortages?
Hardly a week goes by where we don’t read the latest news about construction shortages. According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) latest blog post by Klark Jessen, the construction industry still has one of the most male-dominated work forces in the country, approximately 8.9% are women according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Less than 3% are production workers. While the post focuses on MassDOT employees, it is a very interesting read. Perhaps more women in construction can solve the industry labor shortage woes. Check it out here.
National Women in Construction Week
This week (March 6 - March 12) is National Women in Construction Week (WIC) sponsored by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). To learn more about WIC Week and NAWIC, please click here.
California high-speed keeps rail rolling along
While the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CaHSR) does not have a blog site, it does have social media pages at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and LinkedIn. This week marked the demise of a five-year lawsuit attempting to block the project when the Sacramento Superior Court ruled against the plaintiff. (Visit the HSR site here for more detail about the lawsuit.)
Meanwhile, there are five construction projects currently underway, which can be viewed at the Current Projects page here. Those interested in doing business with the authority should visit the Contracts Currently Out for Bid page here. The first segments of the system are scheduled to begin operations in 2025 and the full San Francisco to Los Angeles / Anaheim rail system is scheduled to be complete by 2029 according to the Draft 2016 Business Plan.
Outlets, switches and holes are weak links in soundproofing walls
Matt Resigner addresses the topic of soundproofing walls at his award-winning construction blog mattrisinger.com. Regardless of the soundproof rating of the sheet rock used, the holes in, and gaps around, outlet and switch boxes are the sources of sound transmission. The solution to this issue is the use of putty pads. Visit the blog post here to see the video plus additional steps necessary to achieve the desired level of soundproofing.
