Labor Law Challenges for Your Construction Business

Due to remote, unsupervised working locations, changing work sites, regular travel and industry regulations, the nature of the construction industry exposes contractors to risks for lawsuits and administrative claims from disgruntled employees. To steer clear of liability issues, construction business owners must be aware of numerous compliance areas.

Timekeeping Procedures: To preserve your business and remain competitive, you must catch errors before they accumulate into significant deviations from the legal requirements.

Reporting Time Violations: The nature of construction makes scheduling difficult since work is often dependent on circumstances beyond an employer's control. Regardless, an employer should strive to minimize scheduling errors.

Meal and Rest Period Compliance: All construction management personnel should be intimately familiar with state meal and rest period laws and any exemptions from those laws.

Prevailing Wage Pitfalls: All construction business owners should be extremely familiar with state and federal prevailing wage laws for public works.

Reimbursement Policies: Employers who provide an expense allowance should have a documentation system to show the necessary reimbursement.

Employment Agreements: Employers should take the necessary time to systemize and regulate their hiring and termination policies to avoid future issues.

This article appeared in the November 2011 issue of Construction Business Owner.