Safety
New Construction Safety Challenges Exposed by the Data Center Construction Boom
U.S. data center construction reached $77.7 billion in 2025, a 190% year-over-year increase, and owners' requirements for construction safety and compliance have significantly risen. Contractors must address new standards such as digital audits, personnel training records, and approval for high-risk operations, while also facing labor shortages and the challenge of experienced safety personnel being lured away by high-paying projects. Leading general contractors are delegating document management responsibilities to on-site crew leaders, forming a bottom-up data flow, and gradually promoting this model to commercial, healthcare, and industrial projects, making it a company-wide operational standard.
Radio Silence on Construction Sites: A Costly Management Choice
Large construction sites commonly issue two-way radios only to management, leaving frontline workers unable to report issues or receive alerts in real time, resulting in an average delay of 11 minutes per incident and about 120 lost work hours per day. This article dissects the true cost of this communication gap and explores how dedicated all-hands communication devices like Walt by Weavix, with features such as subscription models and AI translation, are changing the status quo.
Answering "What Happened?": How Contractors Use 360-Degree Reality Capture to Reduce Risk and Protect Margins
Facing rework, disputes, and closeout challenges, contractors are turning to 360-degree reality capture. Trimble ProjectSight 360 Capture integrates AI-driven reality records directly into the project management platform, automatically geolocating site photos and videos to drawings and creating a searchable timeline, thereby reducing risk, accelerating dispute resolution, and optimizing profits.
NUCA Designates June as Trench Safety Month, Launches Annual Stop Work Training Campaign
NUCA designates June as Trench Safety Month and plans to hold its annual trench safety stop work event at hundreds of job sites nationwide from June 15 to 19, including safety training, educational seminars, toolbox talks, and on-site rescue demonstrations. Supported by OSHA and the Trench and Excavation Safety Task Force, the event aims to address trench collapses, one of the most persistent risks in the construction industry.
Nextel's Legacy: How Modern Networks Deliver on the Promise of Construction Site Communication
In 1996, Nextel launched the Direct Connect iDEN network, changing the way construction sites communicated. Although the network was shut down in 2013, its core concept—fast, reliable, dedicated communication—is now realized on 4G/5G networks. This article reviews the rise and fall of Nextel and explores how modern solutions have surpassed its limitations.