GSA Announces Winners of First-Ever Construction Awards
The General Services Administration recently presented its inaugural, biennial GSA Construction Awards program, honoring 18 federal-government construction projects in four categories: capital projects, small projects, alternative delivery projects and special recognition awards.
Held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28, the awards recognized “outstanding achievements in construction, with a focus on quality and craftsmanship, collaboration and team dynamics, sustainability, innovation and technology.” Top honors for Project of the Year went to the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Modernization and Annex in Charlotte, North Carolina, for which Brasfield & Gorrie served as general contractor.
“Federal buildings play important roles in the communities they inhabit, providing vital government services and serving as civic cores that catalyze economic development and growth,” says GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “When it comes to the award-winning work we’re celebrating—and the talented Americans who worked on them—these buildings will accomplish all of that and serve the American people for years to come.”
For a full list of award winners, visit gsa.gov/real-estate/design-and-construction.
New National Standard on Heat Stress
The American Society of Safety Professionals has published the first national standard on heat stress for workers in construction and demolition operations. The new standard offers information for companies to develop effective heat-stress-management programs along with training requirements for employees and supervisors.
As a voluntary consensus standard, the new program is intended to provide guidance where a federal standard doesn’t exist.
“This new industry consensus standard is an important development, because there is no federal regulation focused on heat stress,” says ASSP President Jim Thornton. “Employers need expert guidance on how to manage heat-related risks. They must have the tools and resources to identify and help prevent work hazards before an incident occurs.”
