On Oct. 11, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued aÌýmemorandum clarifying its position on workplace safety incentive programs and post-incident drug testing included in the 2016 final rule,ÌýImprove Tracking of Workplace Injuries and IllnessesÌý(also known as the Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule), issued under the Obama administration.ÌýÌý

On Oct. 10, the U.S. Senate approved the America’s Water Infrastructure Act, a waterways infrastructure bill that requires reauthorization every two years, with a bipartisan 99-1 vote. The House passed the bill earlier this year, and the president is expected to sign it into law this week. The legislation authorizes at least $9 billion for critical water infrastructure projects across America, including flood protection and drinking water improvement projects.

On Oct. 9, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour DivisionÌýannouncedÌýa six-month extension to its overtime and minimum wage compliance initiative, theÌýPayroll Audit Independent Determination program.ÌýAccording to aÌýWHD news release, theÌýPAID programÌýhelps workers receive more back wages due in an expedited manner, without having to wait for lengthy investigations to conclude or court cases to resolve.

Prices for inputs to construction rose 0.3 percent in September and are 7.4 percent higher than a year ago, according to an ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓanalysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Overall prices for nonresidential construction inputs rose 0.4 percent, reversing last month’s downward trend. Among individual subcategories, softwood lumber prices are down 0.4 percent, yet are up 5.4 percent on a year-over-year basis. Crude petroleum and natural gas prices are both up on a monthly basis, 8.7 and 1.1 percent, respectively.Ìý

October is Careers in Construction Month, which creates the perfect opportunity to highlight the many career paths the construction industry provides for people with a variety of experience, education and expertise. And especially given the estimated 500,000 open construction positions in the United States right now, workforce development and filling the skills gap remains a key priority for ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓand its members.

Start your journey to world-class safety today with ABC’s Safety Training Evaluation Process. STEP is a safety benchmarking and improvement tool that dramatically improves safety performance among construction industry participants, regardless of company size or type of work. Every ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓmember wants to send its workers home safely every night.Ìý

On Oct. 3, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan. This preliminary injunction will allow the merits of the case inÌýRamos v. NielsenÌýto be considered—whether these immigrants face irreparable harm if the designation is eliminated. Some of these immigrants have spent decades in the United States under the TPS designation.

FindContractors.comÌýis an excellent tool to help members find and do business with other members. Members can search for an ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓcontractor, supplier or other construction professional by name, chapter, location, sales volume or type of construction. Plus, now members are recognized for earning an Excellence in Construction®ÌýAward within the last three years. Learn more about EIC atÌýabc.org/eic.

The U.S. construction industry added 23,000 net new positions in September, according to an ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓanalysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.During the last 12 months, the industry has added 315,000 net new jobs, an increase of 4.5 percent. Nonresidential construction employment expanded by 18,600 net jobs on a monthly basis, while the residential sector added just 4,400 net positions.Though construction unemployment rose to 4.1 percent in September, it remains low by historical standards. National unemployment dropped to 3.7 percent across all industries, the lowest rate since December 1969.

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓis pleased to announce the launch of aÌýWeBuildAmerica.com, a brand-new, mobile-friendly website focused on theÌýfast-approaching November elections. The site features helpful videos andÌýinformation on the importance of voting, key issues in this election cycle, howÌýto register to vote and personalized voter guides. Members can easily customizeÌýthe WeBuildAmerica.com website to include a company logo as well as personalizeÌýthe website experience. Encourage your colleagues and employees to visit theÌýsite to get up to speed before Election Day.