Source: Distinguished Programs As part of the renovations of a historic building, an electrical contractor installed new electrical lines. The installation required several holes to be cut in the ceiling. Due to the age of the building, the insulation was asbestos-containing.  By cutting into the ceiling, the contractor unknowingly disturbed and released asbestos fibers throughout […]

Source: Distinguished Programs A GC was constructing a new office building. One level of subsurface parking was included in the construction plans.  During excavation activities, the GC struck a former UST with a backhoe resulting in the release of the remaining  contents of the tank. It was determined that the UST was associated with a […]

Source: https://riskandinsurance.com/, July 22, 2023 By: Gregory DL Morris Environmental justice is one of the major driving forces in the rehabilitation of idle industrial sites. Such brownfield redevelopment is being championed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as several states. In April of this year, for example, the New Jersey Environmental Justice Law, signed […]

Source: Distinguished Programs A utility contractor was replacing a municipal water line to a commercial building. During the excavation of the old line, the contractor struck an adjacent sewer  line, causing the release of sewage into the basement and the surrounding area. Costs to clean up the sewage were close to $300,000.

Source: Distinguished Programs A street and road contractor was responsible for repaving a major highway that was adjacent to a creek. At the end of the day, a tack coat was sprayed onto the  sub-base prior to paving activities, which were to commence the following day. An overnight thunderstorm washed the tack coat into the […]

Source: https://learn.aiacontracts.com/, July 7, 2023 By: Nicole DeNamur, Esq., Owner, Sustainable Strategies The design and construction industries inherently carry some level of risk.  Good contract management and appropriate insurance are core risk management strategies that every contractor should practice. In addition to these tools, there are other, complementary and cost-effective strategies that contractors can consider […]

Source: https://www.irmi.com/, July 21, 2023 By: American Global This article is the second installment in our series about design liability on design-build (DB) projects. 1 After going over the procurement phase, we will now dig deeper into the types of claims that have arisen between contractors and their designers and the circumstances behind them. 2 While they are […]

Source: https://www.mondaq.com/, July 24, 2023 By: Arthur Siegal, Taft Stettinius & Hollister On October 18, 2021, EPA issued its “PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021-2024.” This roadmap sets out EPA’s action plan for minimizing the release of PFAS into the environment. On September 6, 2022, EPA proposed to designate Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid […]

Source: https://www.startribune.com/, July 24, 2023 By: Erin Adler Hastings officials are puzzling over how to fund a $62 million water treatment project to scrub “forever chemicals” from the city’s water supply — and they’re doing it without the millions of dollars from a 3M Co. settlement that other east metro cities have received. Three new […]

Source: https://www.mondaq.com/, July 24, 2023 By: Clayton Smith, Taft Stettinius & Hollister In June 2023, the U.S. Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit declined to resolve a unique PFAS state-law issue in Admiral Insurance Co. v. Fire-Dex LLC when it rejected an insurer’s attempt to avoid coverage for per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) lawsuits and found that the […]

Source: https://www.marketplace.org/, July 19, 2023 By: Kai Ryssdal and Livi Burdette Electric vehicles are here to stay — and possibly, to put traditional fueling stations out of business. One 2019 study estimated that between 25% and 80% of gas stations could be unprofitable by the early 2030s. But closing gas stations and selling off the land means first cleaning […]

Source: https://www.ourquadcities.com/, July 19, 2023 By: Linda Cook Two more people who lived in the Davenport Hotel – torn down after a partial collapse on May 28 – are suing the landlord, the City of Davenport, and multiple businesses, Scott County Court records say. Jean Marie Vaval, Jr. and Christina Ross ask for a jury […]