2022 NECA Financial Benchmarker Report
Trades are the linchpin between the design-phase vision of the facility and its actual assembly through the many systems, equipment components and finishes. Trades, the specialty contractors, add value to a project through the assembly or installation of these systems, components and fixtures that allow the occupants and owners to use and enjoy their completed facility.
This handbook was developed as a resource. The content is intended as a user guide with practical resources, lessons learned by others, examples, and guidance to allow trade contractors and specialty construction firms operating to adopt lean principles and reap the workforce and business benefits that follow more readily. To enable their adoption, the emphasis in this handbook is on identifying and using methods to enable your craft workforce and colleagues across the firm to support the key tasks with which your firm adds value to your projects.
The handbook focuses on identifying and linking methods and techniques from the lean community with the common tasks and waste that trade contractors regularly encounter on projects. Click here to access the report.
Registration Opens for 2023 MEP Innovation Conference
NECA, MCA and SMACNA have partnered to host the 2023 MEP Innovation Conference. This three-day event, held in Austin, Texas, joins innovative thought leaders across the electrical, mechanical and sheet metal trades to improve MEP contractors’ profitability and productivity.
- Dates: January 11 – 13, 2023
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Registration Fees: $995
Attendees will engage in innovative presentations, collective roundtable discussions, and hands-on exhibitor demonstrations highlighting emerging technologies. The MEP Innovation Conference offers sessions for all levels of experience, open to all members of NECA, MCAA, SMACNA and their union counterparts.
Contractors from all three trade associations will lead the sessions geared towards operations, VDC, project management, estimating, training for BIM and more. These case studies will inform participants how new and innovative software, tools and technology are changing the industry and positively impacting contractors of all sizes. Innovation has become a key component across all trades. The MEP Innovation Conference encourages collaboration among the different trades to recognize the common problems and develop solutions where contractors reach the common goal together. Click here to learn more or to register for the conference.
California Expands State-Run Retirement Program
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation that will expand CalSavers, the state’s IRA-based retirement program, to cover virtually all California employers that do not sponsor their own qualified retirement plan. The new law, signed on August 26, 2022, and taking effect at the beginning of the new y ear, expands the definition of “eligible employer” to capture any employer in California with at least one non-owner employee. Click here to learn about SB 1126.
September is Suicide Prevention Month
Did you know that September is Suicide Prevention Month? Further, did you know that male-dominated industries tend to have more suicides? The macho, tough-guy, and stoic nature of construction workers can even discourage those who are most at risk for suicide from seeking help. Men, especially white men in their early 20’s through their 50’s, account for the bulk of suicides. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 97 percent of the U.S. construction workforce is male and according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 38 percent of construction workers in the U.S. in 2018 were between the ages of 45 and 64.
Moving from jobsite to jobsite can create an environment in which workers are not as connected to their families, each other, or a workplace community. Couples with working long or irregular hours, sleep patterns can be impacted, causing sleep deprivation and mental and physical exhaustion.
The Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) has created tools and resources which can be used to help integrate suicide prevention into your company’s culture as a safety and health priority! Items available include a social media toolkit, toolbox talks, posters, OSHA suicide prevention resources, QR codes for CIASP’s website, and logos. You can view and download all their Suicide Prevention Resources by clicking here.