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Real headlines from construction and trade publications on prices, safety, housing, jobsite tech, workforce and new tools, summarized in our own words. Each story links to the original publisher.
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Construction input prices rose 2.2% in September and 11.2% over the past year, the biggest annual jump in almost four years. Pricier fuel and tariffs on steel and other metals did most of it, and some contractors are now waiting months for steel.
San Francisco startup Origin raised $20 million to build out its OG-1 interior robot, which starts with drywall finishing. Pilots are lined up with two big U.S. drywall finishing contractors and with crews in Europe.
OSHA proposed about $648,000 in fines against a general contractor and five subs at a commercial site in Monroe, N.Y. It says a nearly 75-foot excavation wall had no proper sloping or shoring, and nobody inspected it daily.
The 2026 AGC and NCCER workforce survey finds firms still can't fill craft jobs even as some markets cool. Data center work is pulling workers away from other projects, and NCCER is urging contractors to train and keep the people they hire.
Hilti's battery core drill handles wet or dry coring and has a boost mode for hitting rebar, shake-loose core removal and anti-bind torque control. The bare tool runs about $2,349.
ABC's backlog gauge rose to 8.7 months, mostly on data center work at the largest firms. More than one in four contractors now expect profit margins to shrink over the next six months.
D.R. Horton signed on to use Promise Robotics' robotic factory service for more than 1,250 homes. The service turns a builder's existing plans into factory-made components that crews then install on site.
OSHA teamed up with AIHA, ASSP, the National Safety Council and CU Boulder's Construction Safety Research Alliance for two years. They plan training and multilingual materials on spotting the hazards most likely to kill or seriously hurt workers.
Western SPF 2x4 held flat at $464 per thousand board feet, about 6% above a year ago. The bigger headache is getting the wood: trucks and rail cars are short and diesel keeps rising, so delivery charges are climbing.
Procore users can now see Compass prequalification scores and ratings for subcontractors right inside the platform. ENR reports that subs' underlying data isn't shared.
NAHB's remodeling index rose a point to 62 in the third quarter. Remodelers say material costs, labor shortages and hesitant customers are the main drags, and NAHB expects steady work this year and slight growth in 2027.
Washington State regulators want construction PPE rules to spell out that gear has to actually fit the worker wearing it. Public hearings on the proposal are scheduled for Nov. 10 and 16.
