The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration entered into a safety awareness partnership with Atlantic Skanska and Georgia Tech Consultative Service to protect workers during the construction of a water pollution control plant in Rome, Ga.

Partnership goals include reducing and eliminating safety and health hazards, assuring effective safety and health programs and providing effective safety and health training for English and non-English speaking employees. Since OSHA began its Strategic Partnership Program in 1998, it has formed more than 330 partnerships, benefiting more than 573,000 workers in the United States.

Georgia Contract Activity Up 7 Percent in March

The value of contracts for future construction in the state of Georgia improved by 7 percent during March, McGraw-Hill Construction reported.

Overall, contracts for the month totaled approximately $2.1 billion, compared to last March's roughly $2 billion figure. Nonresidential contracts decreased by 2 percent from a year ago, to total nearly $417 million. The value of residential contracts increased by 4 percent, to total approximately $1.4 billion. The value of nonbuilding contracts improved by a dramatic 42 percent, to total approximately $318.7 million.

So far in 2005, Georgia contract activity is 1 percent ahead of the pace of the first three months of 2004, with about $5.7 billion in contracts reported. Residential, with approximately $3.7 billion in new contracts, is ahead by 1 percent. Nonresidential is down by 20 percent, and totals approximately $1.1 billion. The nonbuilding category is 47 percent ahead of last year's pace, with roughly $940.3 million in new contracts reported.

Batson-Cook Doubles Up on Fourth-Time Contracts

Batson-Cook Co. of Atlanta was awarded its fourth construction contract at the Forsyth campus of Northside Hospital in Atlanta. The $23.2 million project will create 121,000 sq. ft. of new space and renovate 13,000 sq. ft. of existing space. The contract comes on the heels of recognition in 2004 by the Associated General Contractors of Georgia with the presentation of its BUILD Georgia Award, recognizing previous work done at the hospital.

The firm was also awarded a fourth contract by Atlanta-based Sea Island Co., this time to build Black Bank River Residences, a condominium complex adjacent to The Cloister on Sea Island which is currently under construction by Batson-Cook.

Jacobs Hired for Two Toll-Road Studies

Jacobs Engineering Group of Atlanta has been selected to provide general technical consulting services to Georgia's State Road and Toll Authority. The firm will work on two key planning studies: the State Route 400 corridor and the Interstate 75/575 corridor, both within the metro Atlanta area. Jacobs has more than 35,000 employees and provides technical, professional, and construction services globally.