"The Dotted Line" series: External threats to the job site — March 14

In the latest installment of our monthly series, we'll explore how external threats can impact the job site. Construction is a high-risk business, but hazards can sometimes originate from outside sources. Drunk drivers speeding through a job site, operations in a high-crime neighborhood or even terrorism can threaten workers. On Tuesday, March 14, we'll take a look at how construction companies can protect their workers and what their legal responsibilities are to keep them safe.

Construction material price report — March 14

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the monthly Producer Price Index on Tuesday, March 14. That afternoon, the Associated Builders and Contractors will offer its take on the data, and we'll cover both reports in a combined story.

Last month, the BLS reported that January construction material prices rose 1.0% from December and were 3.8% higher than the December 2015 level. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu cited steady growth in global demand for materials as the primary factor in last month's price bump. Overall, contractors are forecasting a steady climb in material costs this year. Will Tuesday's report reinforce that trend?

Housing Market Index — March 15

Homebuilder confidence in the potential for new, single-family construction has spent the last two months slowly backing off of the decade high it hit in December. Those initial gains were attributed to optimism within the industry regarding President Donald Trump's election. Since then, however, the index has stabilized as pre-existing head winds including the labor shortage, limited lot supply and development costs stress builders' outlooks.

On Wednesday, March 15, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index will release its figures for March, showing the impact of recent executive actions — such as that to review the Waters of the U.S. rule — as well as continued mortgage rate increases on its outlook.

Housing starts — March 16

A volatile month for the multifamily housing category masked continued recovery in the single-family segment in January, according to the latest housing starts report from the Commerce Department. Experts said that month's report came in on par with analyst expectations, as the multifamily sector continues its post-recession slowdown and single-family ramps up — with strong head winds like lot and labor availability, rising mortgage rates and regulatory costs keeping the month-over-month growth at a modest 1.9% and year-over-year at 6.2%.

The Commerce Department will release its starts figures for February on Thursday, March 16, which are expected to offer a clearer picture of the shape of the single-family housing market entering the spring 2017 selling season.

OSHA's future under Trump feature — March 16

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency driven by regulations. In our feature article on Thursday, March 16, we’ll take a speculative look at how promises like those of President Donald Trump to slash regulations could influence the agency in the coming years.