All posts by SEO Team

December 28, 2022

Virginia Casino News: Project Pushed to 2024

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. Caesars’ Entertainment Game Plan: Virginia Casino News Caesars Entertainment was slated to open a casino in Danville, Virginia, in 2023, but that has now been postponed to 2024. The main factors entering into the postponement decision were supply chain disruptions, a shortage of skilled labor, and problems with the preparation of the building site. That involves digging up hundreds of years of concrete and clearing the existing structures on the site, which was formerly occupied by a textile mill. Virginians voted to legalize commercial casinos in 2020, and five developers were approved to build casinos in the state. Which has led to many staying on top of the Virginia casino news trends. The now-postponed Caesars Virginia project, estimated to cost $500 million, is the largest and most expensive of the five. It is projected to bring the city of Danville $38 million in revenue each year. Additionally, in September 2023, Caesars will begin paying a $5 million annual subsidy...

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December 28, 2022

Remote Control Construction Equipment Trends

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. The Need for Remote Control Construction Equipment The construction industry is always on the lookout for better digital technology that will increase productivity and reduce project costs. It’s not uncommon for large projects to miss the scheduled completion date by as much as 20% or go over-budget by as much as 80%. Any technology that can help bring a construction project in on time and within budget is certainly worth considering, especially as remote control construction equipment capabilities expand, more options become available, and prices become more affordable. This article examines three of the most common remote control construction technologies, looking at the specific benefits associated with each. Drones Drones are remotely controlled aircrafts with an onboard global positioning system (GPS), and specialized downward-facing sensors of different types: Red/green/blue (RGB)—These sensors are essentially cameras that detect the same wavelengths as the human eye, taking pictures at certain intervals as a drone flies a mapping mission. The images are processed...

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December 28, 2022

OSHA Injury Reporting May Go Public in 2022

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. The Proposed OSHA Rule In March 2022, OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, published a proposed rule, “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses,” that changes some of the requirements for the electronic reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses for some employers. The proposed rule would also make such data public. Specifically, OSHA’s intent is to make the data from employers’ annual electronic submissions publicly available on a website after scrubbing individually identifying data, such as the names of the people experiencing a workplace injury or illness and their contact information. Company names, however, would be public. OSHA Injury Reporting Requirements Prior to the Rule Change Prior to the proposed rule change, employers were already required to report injuries and illnesses using Forms 300, 300A, and 301. OSHA injury reporting is done using OSHA Form 300, which is a yearly log of Injuries and Illnesses, where all reportable workplace injuries and illnesses are recorded including: Where and when...

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December 28, 2022

Off-site Prefabrication in Construction: Newest Trends

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. What Is Off-site Prefabrication Construction? The National Institute of Building Sciences’ Off-Site Construction Council defines off-site prefabrication construction as “the planning, design, fabrication, and assembly of building elements at a location other than their final installed location to support the rapid and efficient construction of a permanent structure.” More simply stated, prefabrication is the process of creating various parts of a building in a factory before assembling them on the structure’s actual site. Those parts could be precast concrete components, roof trusses, or other assemblies. They could also be entire units or modules that fit together like building blocks and are assembled upon arrival at the jobsite and connected to utilities. Many people use the terms “prefabrication” and “modular construction” interchangeably. How Large is the North American Off-site Prefabrication Market? In 2021, the North American off-site construction market was valued at $49,460.1 million. It is projected to increase by 4.9% by 2031, reaching $80,851.3 million. What Is Driving the...

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December 28, 2022

IKEA Makes $3 Billion Investment in Stores for 2022

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. A Changing Business Model: IKEA Investment News IKEA has long been known for its 500,000-square-foot warehouse showrooms located in suburban areas, typically near major population centers, where customers can purchase furniture, housewares, home décor, and maybe enjoy some Swedish meatballs while shopping. But the retail industry has changed dramatically in recent years, and IKEA is changing along with it. Leading some to question IKEA and its new construction investments. IKEA is reinventing itself based on market research into customer lifestyles, how they prefer to shop, and the logistical problems they encounter when shopping for furniture and home goods. The transformation of the company’s retail approach is intended not only to grow the business, but to do so in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. (Accordingly, IKEA’s famous Swedish meatballs now are available in a meatless version!) New Store Formats IKEA’s online sales increased by more than 73% in 2021, and IKEA’s response in Europe has been to open smaller...

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December 28, 2022

Biggest 2022 OSHA Fines

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. Construction Surety Bonds and Violations During a construction project, a variety of events might occur that may cause the project to be delayed or cost taxpayers more than originally budgeted. Construction bonds (sometimes known as contractor bonds) protect the finances of everyone involved. To be a great candidate for various surety bonds, you must have a good track record and show you complete projects on time and without risk. One way to do that is to stay up to date with violations and infractions to avoid. Below, we have compiled 2022’s worst OSHA violations to be aware of. Types of OSHA Violations The list below shows the types of violations as of January 15, 2022, for OSHA fines and the maximum penalty amount for each. The penalty amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. Type of Violation/Penalty Serious ($14,502 per violation) Other-Than-Serious ($14,502 per violation for repeat violations; no penalty for a first violation) Posting Requirements ($14,502 per violation for...

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December 28, 2022

What Is MEP in Construction?

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. What Is MEP in Construction? MEP stands for “mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.” Consulting engineering firms specializing in one or all of these commonly become involved early on, during the planning and design phase, especially on larger construction projects, such as office buildings, schools, medical facilities, and other commercial structures. MEP systems are the heart, nervous system, and circulatory systems of any building. They meet the basic human needs for temperature control, light and power, a clean water supply and sanitation. They also are highly specialized disciplines governed by exacting codes and standards. Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineers are responsible for the design of a large building’s central plant, including: climate control systems, for heating, ventilating, and cooling the building’s interior water systems, including boilers, for delivering hot and cold water exhaust systems including vents, ductwork, and exhaust fans, that prevent the spread of odors and contaminants within a building fire fighting systems digital control systems for direct control of heating,...

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December 28, 2022

What Is Lean Construction?

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. What is Lean Construction? Lean construction is a holistic approach to building. Every stakeholder involved in a lean construction project focuses on the entire process, from design through completion of construction, and even beyond, to the end of the structure’s life cycle. Lean construction is in stark contrast to the traditional approach to construction, in which individual stakeholders focus only on their own piece of the process. In a lean construction project, everyone has a voice and can offer input on any aspect of the project. For example, a plumbing subcontractor might offer a suggestion about the design of a building, and if it makes sense, it will be accepted. The construction process still is a linear sequence of phases, but those phases are viewed as parts of a whole, like links in a chain, with each link relying on the others to maintain the chain’s integrity. In a lean construction project, with everyone considering the structure’s entire life...

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December 28, 2022

What Is a Common Data Environment in Construction?

Surety Bond Professionals is a family owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your construction bond needs. Construction projects, particularly large-scale ones, generate an incredible amount of data that must be organized, managed, made available to those who need it, and analyzed for decision-making purposes. The larger the project team and the number of separate stakeholder entities involved, the greater the need for a common data environment (CDE). What is a Common Data Environment? A common data environment, or CDE, is a digital information platform that is the central point for data storage and access for a construction project. The concept originated as a central repository for BIM (building information modeling) workflows, but has since evolved to include any information and documents related to the design and construction of a building—estimates, contracts, change orders, reports, specifications, and so on. Post-construction, operational information can also be housed in the CDE. Project participants can access data in the CDE in real time, via computer, cell phone, tablet, or other device, from any location. Data that is proprietary to...

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