Previous Polls
January 20 - January 24, 2020
Recently, New York City-based major construction project jobsites have been hit with a series of surprise inspections as an effort to reduce the amount of construction worker injuries. However, some construction workers claim that more work still needs to be done to successfully prevent accidents. In the industry, which risks do you believe pose the biggest threat to jobsite safety?
January 20 - January 24, 2020
In December, global coatings supplier PPG announced that it was planning to implement a 10% price increase on its industrial coatings products globally. Do you think the decision will positively or negatively affect its quarterly sales reports?
January 13 - January 17, 2020
Last month, Boston-based company Apis Cor announced the completion of what it touts as the largest 3D-printed building in the world. Constructed in just 21 days, do you think we will see more rapid commercial construction projects with the use of 3D printers?
January 13 - January 17, 2020
On Nov. 18, a 510-foot-long suspension bridge collapsed in southwest France, resulting in two fatalities and several injuries. Although a cause has yet to be determined, a concern raised as a result has been whether structure’s weight limits were being exceeded. Should the county consider upgrading its infrastructure or increase its precautionary warnings to avoid future incidents?
January 6 - January 10, 2020
In December, the University of Arkansas opened a $79.6 million residence hall which includes three buildings built from cross-laminated timber. Although the structure has been dubbed the largest mass timber building in the United States, how long do you think it will be before another mass timber project takes its place?
January 6 - January 10, 2020
Recently, the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation released a 102-page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding updates to National Bridge Inspection Standards. With comments due by Jan. 13, 2020, do you believe the new requirements and inspection interval adjustments will help better properly evaluate and inspect these types of structures?
January 2 - January 3, 2020
At the end of November, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the ban on all retail distribution of methylene chloride to consumers for paint and coatings removal officially went into effect. Do you believe the ban will help protect consumers from the chemical’s health and safety risks?
January 2, 2019 - January 3, 2020
In early November, a sinkhole roughly 100 feet long and 20 feet deep opened in Downtown Pittsburgh, causing a Port Authority G31 bus to partially sink with it. Do you think the incident is a wake-up call to upgrade Pennsylvania’s infrastructure?
December 16 - December 20, 2019
In November, AIA released 133 new and updated Construction Management documents, including the Construction Manager as Constructor (CMc) and the Construction Manager as Adviser (CMa) families. Do you think the revised documents will improve the coordination and safety within the construction industry?
December 16 - December 20, 2019
Last month, a 380,000-gallon oil leak was reported near Edinburgh, North Dakota. At first, the spill was reported to affect 22,500 square feet of land, but later that number was reported to actually be 10 times that amount, totaling roughly 209,100 square feet. Do you think the industry needs a better system when estimating environmental damages during initial response times?
December 9 - December 13, 2019
At the end of October, The Sherwin-Williams Company announced that it began exploring options for a new global headquarters. Being headquartered in Cleveland since 1930, do you think the move will be beneficial for the global coatings supplier?
December 9 - December 13, 2019
Construction work recently began on The Boring Company’s tunnel for the Las Vegas Convention Center. According to reports on the endeavor, the project is slated to be complete in time for the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show. Do you think this target date will be achieved?
December 2 - December 6, 2019
The EPA announced last month that it would be receiving comments regarding a draft risk evaluation of more than 70 uses for methylene chloride until Dec. 30. Do think the information collected will successfully promote a list of actions needed to address those risks within the timeframe, as required by TSCA?
December 2 - December 6, 2019
In late October, SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings and NACE International, The Corrosion Society announced that merger discussions were continuing. In moving forward with intentions to keep both existing brands as separate entities in the marketplace and create a hybrid structure that includes both corporate and individual membership options and combines value propositions, do you believe the merger will positively benefit the industry?
November 25 - November 29, 2019
Last month, the Commercial Painting Industry Association officially launched to provide more resources to commercial painting business owners, as well as create a deeper connection between commercial industry leaders. Do you think the member-based organization will be beneficial for professional commercial painting contractors?
November 25 - November 29, 2019
A 10-page update released by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board showed that the reason behind the Philadelphia Energy Solutions explosions that occurred in June could be pointed to a degraded piece of metal piping. Given that the segment of piping had high nickel and copper content, which is susceptible to corrosion caused by the hydrofluoric acid in the process fluid, do you believe this incident could have been avoided?
November 18 - November 22, 2019
Following NYC’s initiatives set by the Climate Mobilization Act, Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced plans to conduct deep energy retrofits in nine city facilities, in addition to plans for identifying another 28 facilities for future retrofits. The initiative aims to cut energy usage by more than 50%. Do you believe the plan will be successful?
November 18 - November 22, 2019
In October, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a program that aims to reestablish the federal Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, which would provide federal grant money to states in need of bridge repairs or replacements found by the Federal Highway Administration. Do you believe this can help save some of the country’s most structurally deficient bridges?
November 11 - November 15, 2019
Last month, the European Commission officially decided to classify titanium dioxide in its powder form as a substance that is “suspected of causing cancer in humans” despite various objections. Do you believe that the TiO2 classification will increase health and safety protection for those within the coatings industry?
November 11 - November 15, 2019
Researchers at Stanford University recently produced an “anti-solar panel” prototype that collects energy from the night sky through tapping into the temperature difference between Earth and outer space. Do you believe the technology has equal potential for green energy as existing solar panels?
November 4 - November 8, 2019
Recently, the city of Milwaukee Plan Commission and the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee approved changes to the Ascent timber building (slated to be the tallest wooden building in North America) to make the structure even taller. How long do you think the structure will be able to keep this title after its completion?
November 4 - November 8, 2019
Danish wind energy firm Ørsted recently announced that the Hornsea Project One—what will be one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms—was nearly finished and on track for its 2020 completion date. In pushing the U.K. closer to its 2030 goal of deriving a third of its electricity from offshore wind, do you think more countries will convert to offshore green energy practices?
October 28 - November 1, 2019
PPG recently announced the launch of PPG Services, a “digitally-enabled service platform” that aims to allow businesses to identify and connect with painters and then manage and schedule general painting maintenance projects. Do you think the platform will prove beneficial to commercial businesses with multiple locations, as intended?
October 28 - November 1, 2019
Earlier this month, crews began dismantling the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge (located in the Oregon Inlet of North Carolina) with guillotine-like saw blades in order to use concrete portions for an existing offshore artificial reef. Slated to be complete by 2020, do you think this method of removing the bridge’s piles and spans will prove to be financially effective?
October 21 - October 25, 2019
According to a survey released from the Associated General Contractors of America, along with Autodesk, 80% of construction firms reported to struggle with filling hourly craft positions. Since the survey’s findings were released, the AGC has called on the federal government for help. Which, if any, of the federal requests to aid in filling craft positions do you think will be the most useful?
October 21 - October 25, 2019
The Mackinac Bridge, located at the Straits of Mackinac in northern Michigan recently received a new paint job with help from a Ruby+Associates-designed movable scaffolding system. Without the innovative equipment, do you think the project would have been able to reach completion within a year?
October 14 - October 18, 2019
In a recent ruling by the National Labor Relations Board, misclassification of employees as independent contractors no longer violates the National Labor Relations Act. However, some claim that the ruling will further hurt the industry as misclassification already points to lower operational costs and further inconveniences contractors who correctly classify their workers to be competitive against others who don’t. Do you think the rule will help or hurt?
October 14 - October 18, 2019
In August, SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings announced the reestablishment of its Pittsburgh chapter, known as the SSPC Steel City Chapter. Do you believe the chapter will attract new members from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, as well as western Maryland and other northeastern states?
October 7 - October 11, 2019
At the beginning of September, it was reported that a panel of independent experts approved a $100 million fix for the sinking and tilting 58-story Millennium Tower in San Francisco. Do you think the installation of 52 new piles, extending twice the distance into the bedrock of the north and west sides will prove to reduce future sinking and improve the structure’s seismic performance?
October 7 - October 11, 2019
The comment period ends next week for U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s August request for feedback on its current respirable crystalline silica standard as it applies to construction. In receiving feedback on “the effectiveness of engineering and work practice control methods not currently included for the tasks and equipment,” do you think appropriate control measures for pieces of equipment connected to silica exposure will be revised?
September 30 - October 4, 2019
Last month, a new report from GlobalData—a research firm that breaks down construction projects in the United States—found that nearly 60% of the construction market is occupied by just 10 states. The report aims to provide an assessment of the current construction project pipeline, based on various data collected from the 10 key states over a five-year span. Do you think the study will help improve future construction methods?
September 30 - October 4, 2019
In August, researchers based out of the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, India, announced the development of a new way to protect ships from corrosion using a compound from mango leaves. Though further testing still needs to be conducted, do you think the technology will be used in future industrial coating products?
September 23 - September 27, 2019
Over the summer, Danish architecture firm COBE was tapped for a new science center, planned to be built in the Swedish university city of Lund. With plans to be fully carbon-neutral, do you think the potential icon of sustainability and durability will inspire a future generation of architectural projects?
September 23 - September 27, 2019
Lake Charles, Louisiana-based SOWELA Technical Community College recently received a $1 million donation for the development of a pipeline academy from TC Energy. Do you believe the regional learning center will positively affect the oil and gas industry?
September 16 - September 20, 2019
At the beginning of August, a “waste-to-energy skyscraper,” ideally to be housed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, was proposed by United States-based designer Honglin Li. Given an honorable mention in the 2019 eVolo Skyscraper Competition, do you think the design has the potential to become an actualized project?
September 16 - September 20, 2019
In July, a ceremony was held to celebrate the competition of the 1.5-billion-euro Chernobyl New Safe Confinement. The infrastructure—known as The Arch—is reported to be the largest moveable land-based infrastructure ever built and took a combined 33 million working hours to construct. Given a lifespan of 100 years, do you believe the essential structure for proper disassembly and decommissioning of radioactive materials will pay for itself?
September 9 - September 13, 2019
In July, an Italy-based project titled, “Urban Flying Opera,” used drones to paint a large-scale graffiti project with the aim to beautify the city of Torino. With more stories of drones being utilized for this type of coatings work, do you think the technology has the potential to eventually replace commercial painters?
September 9 - September 13, 2019
Toward the end of July, President Donald J. Trump signed an order that would promote the expanded use of American-made iron and steel in federal projects. The “Buy American” platform is slated to push the domestic content threshold from 50% to 95%. Do you believe this will help to boost the U.S. industrial economy?
September 2 - September 6, 2019
A recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that in many climates in the United States, the use of “cool” exterior walls could lead to annual heating, ventilation and air conditioning energy cost savings up to 11% for stand-alone retail stores, 8.3% for single-family homes and 4.6% for medium-sized office buildings. Do you believe the cost savings is worth sacrificing a building's style?
September 2 - September 6, 2019
Announced in mid-July, a historic Pennsylvania bridge will be the first in the U.S. to use an electrically isolated tendon system (EIT), which helps to detect corrosion on post-tension tendons with reported minimal changes to construction schedules. Would you consider using this technology?
August 26 - August 30, 2019
Last month, the New York State Assembly approved legislation establishing a PaintCare program—a paint stewardship program involving paint manufacturers and producers in conjunction with the American Coatings Association that allows consumers to recycle specific types of paint. Do you think the program will help or hurt local governments with paint collection and disposal services already in place?
August 26 - August 30, 2019
In the beginning of July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $33 million contract for four miles of border wall work in Texas. Environmental regulations including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, among others, for this section of work, were waived. Do you think this is the best policy to speed up the construction?
August 19 - August 23, 2019
Researchers from Columbia University have recently developed a new coating material inspired by the Saharan Silver Ant to keep buildings cool. According to physics professor Nanfang Yu and his team, the developing coating can reflect up to 99% of sunlight. Slated to require more research and testing, when do you predict the technology will be released into the market?
August 19 - August 23, 2019
As reported by the Center for Climate Integrity early last month, various U.S. coastal communities are expected to pay $416 billion in seawall protection services over the next 20 years. Do you think all 50,000 miles worth of coastal barriers will be successfully installed or will we see the abandonment of waterfront communities?
August 12 - August 16, 2019
In New York City, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders recently passed Senate Bill S6599, which sets a net-zero emissions economy goal by 2050. Joining six other states with zero-emission electricity goals or requirements, do you think the U.S. will eventually have similar legislation pass in all 50 states?
August 12 - August 16, 2019
Last month, SSPC and NACE confirmed that merger talks were beginning to make headway. With organizations expected to host a membership vote by the second quarter of 2020, do you think industry professionals will be ready to adapt to this possible change?
August 5 - August 9, 2019
In June, ground broke on the $2 billion, 170-mile passenger South Florida Rail Project, which will connect Orlando and South Florida. Expected to remove 3 million cars from Florida roadways between the points of travel, do you believe the infrastructure will pay for itself?
August 5 - August 9, 2019
In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new lead standards to protect children, lowering dust-lead hazards from 40 micrograms of lead per square foot to 10 micrograms on floors and 250 micrograms to 100 micrograms on windowsills. In addition to the grant program passed in March, do you believe the EPA’s efforts will prove effective?
July 29 - August 2, 2019
In June, Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis went on record to say that Pittsburgh’s International Airport couldn’t afford to not rehabilitate the facility. Although PIT only sees a fraction of annual passengers since its opening in 1992 (from 38 million to 8 million), do you agree that a $783.8M project—that includes decreasing the size and upgrading the terminals—is necessary?
July 29 - August 2, 2019
The Florida Department of Transportation recently released information on an $802M infrastructure plan slated to take place in Miami over the next four years. The project involves a new six-arch bridge and rehabilitation to three major highways, all slated to be constructed at the same time. With holidays, weather, special events and unforeseen circumstances all taken into account, do you think the project will be successfully completed by fall 2023?
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