In order to get your contractor license, you have to prove that you have both skills and experience in the field. Once you get the license, staying relevant becomes your next goal. A lot of people may accidentally work themselves out of a job simply by relying on everything they learned years ago. Systems change, and the best practices to work within them improve as a result. To keep going, you’ll need to improve with them. Here are five things you can do to ensure that your skills remain competitive for your field.

1. Find a Mentor
   In many ways, the construction industry is set up so the people who are just starting out will automatically have lots of opportunities to work with experienced professionals in their field. This doesn’t always mean that you will end up with a mentor that you can call upon for support for the majority of your career, however. Finding a mentor who has the right approach to running a business in your field can be very useful, especially in the first several years. They can help you identify areas that you will need to continue to study, as well as lots of advice for how to keep the business going throughout the years.

2. Take Classes
   Getting your contractor’s license usually takes a fair number of classes and years of working in the field. Once you get that license, it can be tempting to think that you are done with your education for good. However, this might mean that your knowledge stagnates. As new innovations come out, you want to make sure that you have opportunities to know what they are, with a few toward becoming an expert in using them. Taking classes periodically throughout your career, and offering the same for your employees, helps to ensure that everyone’s skills remain fresh and relevant to client needs.

3. Add Another Classification to Your License
   You might decide that you only want to pursue one classification within a specific field. However, this may deny you the opportunity to grow and possibly expand your services and your business over time. Adding to your license gives you a larger repertoire of products and services that you can offer to clients. This can give you better longevity and flexibility to work within a changing industry. Occasionally evaluating your services and deciding if another classification might work well makes sure that you have a steady source of updated skills to offer.

4. Attend Conferences
   One of the best ways to find out what is going on in the industry as a whole, and your field specifically, is to attend construction conferences. You don’t have to attend all of them, and you may not even need to attend them once a year. However, booking time in your schedule and investing the money to attend conferences it is an excellent opportunity to:

• Test out new technologies
• Network
• Learn more about changes in practices for the industry

Many conferences are located in or near California, which means that you may not have to devote as many resources as you expect.

5. Network
   When you find that you tend to work with the same people all the time, and they all do things in a particular way, it may be time to break outside that box. Networking gives you a great chance to get to know industry influencers and find new contacts in your area. You don’t necessarily have to be a great conversationalist or limit your interactions to people who work in your field. Just talking to other construction professionals and even potential clients may help you get a better feel for where your field is headed, with some possible contacts for future work.

Keeping your skills relevant is something that most business owners have to consider throughout their tenure. If you stay on top of it, you will reap the rewards. To discover the benefits of a great career in construction, contact CSLS today!

Recessions happen, and it’s hard to tell when one is going to arrive. Recessions aren’t quite the same as an economic downturn, which occurs at least once every few years in the U.S. Construction can be one of the hardest-hit industries during a recession, although that’s heavily dependent on the region and the severity of the economic problems. Experts tend to watch for certain signs as indicators that a recession is likely, and you should, too. Here are five to keep an eye on, so you have a sense for what may be ahead.

1. Funds Rates Drop
   If you borrow money from a lender, you pay interest. When banks borrow from each other, they also pay interest. The rate they pay is set by the Federal Reserve, and is called the “funds rate.” Higher rates indicate that lending between banks is relatively secure. When the Fed drops these rates, it often comes as a way to persuade banks to keep making these loans to each other. It indicates that financial experts are becoming wary of the health of the finance industry.

2. Treasury Yields Decline
   If you’ve ever bought a bond, you know that this is usually a predictable way to increase your investment. As a general rule, the longer the term of the bond, the better the rate. At certain times, the rate for three-month treasury bonds is higher than the rate for 10-year bonds. Financial experts say that when this happens, it indicates that the long-term investment isn’t as safe as the short-term one. It is often a sign that a recession will come within a year or two.

3. Consumer Confidence Slows Down
   Although much of a recession relates to hard numbers like funds rates or treasury yields, a lot of it sits with what people think about it. Part of the devastation of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 was that so many people took their money and ran. Or, they tried to take their money and were unsuccessful. Consumer confidence may seem like a nonsense indicator, but it tells you what people think and how they may use their money. Confident consumers are more likely to sell a home or buy a new one. They are more likely to invest their money. When people lose that confidence, they keep their money close to hand. They shorten the demand for new housing or other projects important to the construction industry.

4. Employment Changes
   If you’ve paid attention to the news at all, then you probably know that unemployment is around an all-time low for most of the population. This might give you confidence, but it’s important to pay attention to the kinds of jobs that are coming in. Signs of a flagging economy don’t usually begin with massive layoffs. Instead, companies start cutting back hours. They may hire temporary workers instead of regular employees, so that they are not as obligated to provide costly features of employment like benefits. If you notice that the average number of hours is starting to go down, or the type of jobs available changing, this may be an indicator that businesses are getting ready to cut back.

5. New Construction Tapers Off
   The health of the construction industry may not apply to everyone living in the U.S., but it certainly makes a big difference for people working in it. Experts have already noticed that the burst of construction since 2012 is starting to slow down a little in many regions of the country. Although California still has a major shortage of housing and a ton of construction projects for the next several years, this assumes that the market is still strong enough to make it happen. If property prices start to drop, or people begin to worry that they won’t be able to pay for new construction, they’ll be more likely to stick with what they have.

If you have a contracting business for decades, you’ll likely run it through more than one recession. Knowing what to look for helps you prepare for the possibilities. To find ways to make your contracting business the best it can be, visit CSLS today!

Everyone has had that boss who seems to know exactly what they need and gives it to them. Similarly, practically everyone has had a boss whose management approach cut them off at the knees. Running your own business requires developing a leadership style that allows you to get work done without alienating everyone underneath you. Read more about these common leadership styles to see which one fits you the best, and how you can use it.

Collaborative
When you have a collaborative leadership style, you like to get lots of input from the people working under you. You want to work as a team and it shows through your efforts to get employees involved in the decision-making that affects their own tasks. This leadership style can help you maximize the benefits you get from the people you hire. Just make sure that you are getting input from everyone on the team, not just one or two people. Develop a few strategies to refine vague or problematic suggestions, so that collaboration doesn’t slow your workflow.

Easygoing
With an easygoing leadership style, you’re going to let your employees mostly take care of their own jobs. You hired them for their skills and you expect them to use it. If you’re extremely busy with your own tasks, this approach can help you free up time you need to get things done. On the other hand, you’re putting a lot of trust in people who might not work as well in this kind of environment. Periodically check in with your employees to make sure they have everything they need and keep basic tabs on their progress. Consider a different approach with entry-level hires or anyone who needs extra support.

Authoritarian
The opposite of easygoing, an authoritarian leadership leads alone. They make decisions without much consultation from employees and often without considering their needs. Most people probably wouldn’t want to classify themselves in this group. However, as you first start out, you might develop this style by default. When you work for yourself and have no employees, this may be the only style you can choose. It might also make sense if you hire someone with very limited experience. Just make sure you’re giving your employees enough opportunities to learn and grow within the position.

Incentivizing
As an incentivizing leader, you are goal-oriented and you want your employees to reach those goals. To do so, you set benchmarks and provide incentives like prizes or bonuses to people who work within those limits. This can be an effective leadership strategy as it gives employees an extra reason to push through the next obstacle. Mix up the rewards so that everyone feels like their needs or wants get representation. Just keep in mind that people can get stuck when you ratchet up the goals too far or too fast. Make incremental improvements that people can stretch to grasp but still reach.

Leadership by Example
Many people like to build a rapport and respect as a leader by not being much of a leader at all. If you love to get down into the equipment with your employees and work as hard as they do, you can inspire them by your commitment. People who lead by example tend to teach as they go, giving less-experienced workers the benefit of your knowledge. It’s important to make sure that you don’t get too distracted by the job to let others take turns. It can be difficult to let go of some tasks you’ve done 1,000 times. If you remember to give them the opportunity, they’ll reward you by making your job easier.

Becoming a leader isn’t something that happens overnight. You have to evaluate your leadership style and develop ways to motivate your employees to make your business a success. For more information about what you need to start your own contracting business, contact CSLS today!

Construction has always been a highly regional industry. Even if you work for a national or international company with satellite offices in multiple states, you’re still focused on the building needs of the community close to home. This can really complicate things if you’re working on a certification but you’re not planning to remain in the state. Here are a few things you should do, if you’re working toward becoming a licensed contractor in California but you don’t intend to stay here to build your career.

1. Research State Regulations
   Although there are international and federal regulations on the way you build things and the types of work you can do with a license, most rules you will have to follow are set at the state level. This means that if you move to a different state, you can expect that you will need to follow different guidelines. Well in advance of your move, you should invest the time to research the common guidelines you can expect for your particular field and the kind of services you plan to provide. This will help you avoid confusion or problems after you move and start working to set up your business.

2. Learn About Licensing Requirements
   Every state has its own licensing requirements. Some states only require a license for certain types of services, while others may have much higher expectations. The last thing that you want is to get in trouble because you didn’t have a license when you needed one. Look into the licensing requirements for the state that you plan to go to and make sure that you understand each step. With the experience that you gained in California, you may be able to bypass some of those requirements. But there’s a good chance that you will need to take a different exam and submit an application with different requirements than what you can expect here in California.

3. Look at Limitations for Reciprocity Agreements
   Reciprocity agreements for contractor licensing can be a wonderful benefit when they exist. For example, the state of California has reciprocal licensing agreements with:

• Arizona
• Louisiana
• Nevada
• Utah

This means that you may have a much shorter path to securing a license in these states. Make sure that you know all the details. Consider contacting the California State Licensing Board or the licensing authority for the state in which you plan to move. This will help you confirm that you understand your responsibilities and the best way to use this benefit.

4. Talk to People Who Have Moved
   With a state the size of California, it’s not difficult to find people who have moved from California to another state in the country. If you have the opportunity, talk to people in your field who moved from California to the state you plan to go to. It might be worth checking out a construction conference in that area to meet people and network. This will help you get a better sense for what the workload is like to establish a business in that state, as well as what you can expect to find in your field as a whole.

5. Consider Regional Supply and Service Differences
   A lot of your focus may be on how you can meet the requirements needed to provide services in your chosen state. It’s also worth finding out about regional differences in supply chains and services. For example, you may find that inland states take longer to get supplies that require international shipments, especially those made by boat. You might also discover that the demand for your services is significantly different in another region than it is in California. This might be a benefit for you, if there are more people who need skilled workers in your field in that state. But it might also change the way that you offer services, so it’s good to have a plan in advance.

California is a great place to live, but it’s also a good place to get your construction education for a career somewhere else. To find out how you can become a licensed contractor, visit CSLS today!

California’s AB 5 has only been active for less than two months, and the effects are spreading across multiple industries. Although construction has been relying on independent contractors for decades, the long reach of the law may make things more difficult for professionals working in the industry. A lot of people are also fighting to change the law, through amendments or an eventual repeal. Here’s an update on how this legislation is affecting construction, and how that might apply to your contracting business.

Meeting the ABC Test
The construction industry in California used to rely on other requirements to establish whether or not someone could be legally classified as an independent contractor. The ABC test implemented by AB 5 creates a new set of standards. Specifically:

• Independent contractors must have free control over their own businesses, including the work that they might regularly do for another company.
• They must also be established as a contractor or business owner in a formal way.
• They must offer services that are different from that company‘s business model, and be able to sell those services to others.

If you are an independent contractor, it may not be very difficult to meet these requirements. But it depends heavily on the work that you do.

Exceptions for Subcontractors
The use of subcontractors is a major part of the way that AB 5 can affect the construction industry. Subcontracting is a very standard practice, where it would be less common in industries like retail, transportation or hospitality. If you regularly hire subcontractors, you can usually avoid worrying about this law if you make all of your actions related to subcontractors above board. You need to:

• Make the contracts clear
• Put expectations in writing
• Distinguish your services from theirs

There are some fields in construction where this may prove to be a problem. For example, contractors who rely on subcontractors to provide daily services, or who request additional things on top of the work indicated in the contract, may need to separate these things. It’s normal to develop a working relationship that borders on friendship with your regular subcontractors. But you’ll need to make sure that it has a formal basis.

Worker Misclassification as a National Issue
While business owners in a lot of industries are worried about what AB 5 may mean for them, it’s important to keep in mind the spirit of the law as well as the details. The premise is that the state wanted to prevent businesses from treating people like employees without giving them access to benefits and other services like workers compensation or unemployment. This also changes tax liability that makes it harder to fund government systems.

Most independent contractors in construction shouldn’t have a problem proving that they’re not employees. But how it applies to you depends mostly on the way that you run your business. If you hire a lot of subcontractors, you’ll want to make sure that they can meet the subcontractor exception. If you are typically working as a subcontractor, it may be worth investigating how your typical work environment may apply to this law.

The Future of AB 5
It’s hard to tell what will happen with this law in the future. Since it became active in 2020, many lobbying groups in various industries have sought legislative support to amend it or scrap it altogether. At the same time, other states like New Jersey have considered similar legislation to fight worker misclassification. While the broad effects of AB 5 have made some states wary of enacting their own solutions to the problem, there’s also a possibility that it could become federal law, as well. As a contracting business owner, it will be your responsibility to make sure that you continue to meet these requirements in the work you choose to take, as well as what you offer.

Becoming an independent contractor offers you a lot of freedom to create your own career, as long as you can follow the current laws regulating it. To find the perfect career path for you, visit CSLS today!

Gas prices in California range from moderate to terrible. What you pay is so dependent on a variety of factors that it may be difficult to set those expenses from one year to the next. Electric or hybrid cars have been an option for years, but many business owners worry that they won’t have the versatility offered by a gas-powered machine. The industry is changing a lot each year, so it’s important to keep tabs on what’s coming. Here are a few ways you can determine if an electric vehicle would be a good choice for your contracting business.

You Have a Limited Region for Services
Years ago, electric cars had a very limited range. Now, there are several electric vehicles that can last for 200-300 miles between charges. The major difference for planning out the daily use of your contracting business is the access to energy sources. If you find that you regularly need to drive 100 to 200 miles or more to a job site, you would need to locate a nearby charging station or consider a different vehicle.

You Can Install or Find Charging Stations
One of the major concerns about electric vehicles is the ability to charge it. You can’t simply go home and plug it into the wall. This means that you will need to either install a charging station at home or your place of business, or find charging stations in the area. Charging stations are becoming more common. And while the cost to charge may be competitive or even cheaper than what you would pay for gas, you can’t fill up the battery in five minutes. If you have the ability to spend about $1,000 on a charging station, you’re more likely to be able to manage this limitation.

Your Vehicle Limitations Are Lower
A lot of people have preferences for a specific make and model of vehicle that they like. Being committed to buying cars through one or two specific manufacturers may dramatically limit the options you have for electric vehicles. This is changing over time, and what is available now may be a small portion of what will be available five years from now. But if you are less worried about who is making the vehicle that you buy, you’ll have greater choice. This is also true for contractors who don’t necessarily need to work out of their vehicles, using them more for commuting to and from the job site.

You’re Willing to Take a Chance on New Products
The thing about new technology is that it can be relatively unpredictable. The idea of buying an electric vehicle the year that it comes out for the first time takes some courage. You have to be willing to deal with some minor design flaws and other issues that come up before manufacturers have a chance to test out the product on a much larger scale. But if you’re an early adopter of technology in general, this may not be a problem. Getting a head start on new technology may help you save money or make your job easier. If you know that you are often excited about the next big thing, then buying a brand-new model may present a reasonable investment.

Your Vehicle Maintenance Obligations Are Too High
Spending money on vehicle maintenance is part of the job description for a lot of contracting business owners. When it comes to electric vehicles, costs could be lower in most cases. Electric cars do not need things like oil changes, which can add up to hundreds of dollars a year. You may have a harder time finding a mechanic who has lots of experience servicing electric vehicles, but the difference in equipment may also lead to fewer repair needs. If you find that your vehicles are constantly in the shop for one reason or another, buying electric might be a way to circumvent at least some of it.

Buying a new vehicle for your business takes some serious research. If you are a good candidate, electric vehicles could help you cut costs and save your profits. To find out more about building your contracting business career, contact CSLS today!

You’re calling the team around to talk about a particular concern, and you realize that a couple of people are consistently missing. Device use on the construction site can be a practical and timesaving decision, particularly for all the apps designed to improve safety or efficiency. But it’s easy to forget what a distraction smartphones and tablets can be while people are trying to work, as well. Here are several factors to consider as you put together a policy for smartphone use while employees are working.

Identify Existing Problems
Since there is such variety in the day-to-day workings of a contracting business, you’ll want to start by identifying the problems that you have. It’s worth investigating what you might expect if you have a larger workforce or if you start offering different services, but it may make more sense to begin with what you see right now. For example, many people use smartphones to listen to music or podcasts while they’re working. They may also use them to text while operating equipment. Watch the way you and your employees use them throughout the day, so that you can address the most pressing issues first.

Look at Benefits to Workflow
Smartphones create problems, but they also solve them. The worker who is busy on their phone while on a break can also communicate with you or other employees using the same device. Many apps designed to improve your construction workflow are meant to work on smartphones because these tools are fairly ubiquitous. Make a list of every way you use a smartphone during the work day for business-related tasks. You’ll need to make sure that they can still get done if you change how much access your business allows for it.

Consider Future Risks
Ultimately, you’ll need to figure out what are your biggest risks from permitting smartphone use at the jobsite, now and in the future. Employees who are wearing noise-canceling headphones with music playing may not be as aware of their surroundings, or might not be able to hear warnings from others. This is what OSHA claims is one of the biggest safety risks related to smartphone use. But other activities that require smartphones may also be a problem. Devices and apps can cut down on the time you spend working on projects, but they’re only worth it if they can remain a helpful tool and not a dangerous distraction.

Avoid Reactive Decisions
In the wake of a near-miss, it’s tempting to set a strict no-smartphone policy that leaves little room for ambiguity. And for some jobsites, this may simply be a requirement. After all, if you’ve got a team of people running heavy equipment all day long, it would be awful if one of them was regularly looking away from the mark to answer text messages. But it’s important to make your policy decisions from a position of clear-headedness and reason. If you used to have a permissive policy and now you allow nothing at all, you may inadvertently encourage people to try to sneak around you. In short, you’ll need to get your employees’ buy-in for a policy change to work.

Set Realistic Goals
Any hardline policy for employee safety needs to be serious. But it also must be something that you can carry out consistently. For example, if you say that you’ll collect and secure everyone’s smartphones when they arrive and keep them until the end of the work day, you’ll need to be able to enforce that policy every single day. If you decide that you’ll give people access on breaks, you’ll be in charge of getting them back once that break is over. Talk to your workers and get their input about what they need and how you can find a safe compromise. You’ll be much more likely to get their compliance as a result.

Monitoring smartphone use on the jobsite is just one more thing you’ll need to be able to do as an owner of a contracting business. For more tips about developing your contracting career, contact CSLS today!

Is it better to be a master of none or a master of one? This is a question that skilled tradespeople have been trying to answer since the Middle Ages. In truth, it’s not possible for most contracting businesses to be so general they literally do any job. Most contractors will specialize to some degree, but the level of specialization can affect how you work (and how much work you can get). Here are a few reasons to consider going in either direction.

Who Gets the Best Jobs in Your Area?
If you’re already running a business, what you do with it is going to depend a lot on where the money is. On the other hand, if you haven’t started yet, it’s even better to research how people work in your field in your region. Perhaps the best jobs, the highest pay and the greatest reliability go to the people with the deepest reservoir of knowledge and experience. But it could also be true that the most reliable route in your field requires flexibility to take different jobs as they come. Your research will help you determine which path is best.

Are You Struggling to Find Consistent Work?
The big worry about going into a niche specialty is that you’ll narrow your business out of success. After all, if you can’t take the jobs that exist but you’ve got tons of experience in a style of work that no one needs, you won’t be able to earn enough income to pay the bills. And although this is a question you certainly should be asking yourself in the early years of your career, you may need to consider it again every few years. An inability to find consistent work in your field, regardless of your own personal ability and marketing structure, is a sign that you may want to diversify your services.

Can You Meet the Needs of Your Field?
On the other hand, some business owners realize that there is plenty of work in their area, but not for them. Being able to meet the needs of your area and the specific requirements of your field is a balancing act. The last thing you need is to be yet another business that lacks the skills, experience or equipment to perform the jobs that so many clients want. If you see a need in your area that isn’t getting met by yours or other businesses, this may be your time to specialize. That extra investment into your skillset could make your services indispensable.

Do You Understand Industry Standards for the Field?
Build a few years of experience in a particular field, and you’ll get to know the industry standards inside and out. If you start to think about expanding, you need to make sure that you can still meet those requirements. Failing to do so can have bigger consequences than not trying. For example, if you’re accustomed to taking contracts in the private sector, you’ll be used to a fairly different workflow than if you shift to bidding on public sector jobs. Being able to bounce back and forth requires quite a bit of specialist knowledge, especially about contracts and liability.

What Are the Risks and Rewards of Expanding Your Services?
Of course, delving into new services always requires an investment. And as a business owner, you must pay attention to the return you get from specializing or generalizing. In many cases, offering a unique set of options or expanding into a different field requires getting another license. Specializing may call for additional education that might take months or even years, depending on what you hope to do. You must also keep opportunity costs in mind. If you’re going to focus your efforts on one thing, you want it to have a higher chance of success or bigger rewards than the alternatives.

Deciding if you’re going to be a generalist or a specialist is a question you’ll ask yourself every time your business needs a change, especially at the beginning. When you’re ready to begin your construction career, visit CSLS today!

If you’re a member of Generation X, a millennial or Gen Z, you’ve probably had the importance of getting a good college education lectured at you since you were learning to walk. When getting a bachelor’s degree is no longer a guarantee of securing any job, much less a great career, it may be time to look at other options. Although college is still a good choice for a variety of reasons, recent studies show that the bachelor’s may not be the gold standard as it once was. If you’re thinking about college, here’s a few reasons that getting your associate’s degree might be the better long-term choice.

Lower Student Loans
When the average college graduate leaves a California school with about $35,000 in debt, it’s time to consider the return on your investment. It’s true that graduates with a four-year degree tend to earn more than someone who only finished high school, but there’s a wide world of opportunities between the two. By getting an associate’s degree, you not only shorten the time to graduation. You also give yourself the chance to get the work done at a community college with a good trade program, which can dramatically cut down on the total costs for your education. Shrinking your loan potential to half or a quarter of what it could be makes it easier for you to find your place in the industry, wherever that may be.

Flexibility to Add Certificate Programs
Any degree is an investment. It’s just that a bachelor’s takes more of an investment for a longer period of time. If you’re trying to work while studying, like many Californians, you need to maximize the benefits you get from the program. Lots of two-year colleges offer certificate programs along with an associate’s that you may be able to work on at the same time. And if you’re not committing for several years into the future, it may be easier for you to do just that.

More Time for Apprenticeships or Other Career Development Options
In this industry, you need time to develop your craft. You can get some of it inside the classroom, but that won’t be enough. In order to even take the contractor licensing exam, you usually need years of experience working for another licensed contractor in your field. This is true even if you get a bachelor’s degree. With a two-year degree, you’ve got more time to devote to finding the right fit, whether that means applying for and participating in apprenticeships or other options for career development. And since apprenticeships are an even more effective way to start on a great career path in the industry, this gives you a better chance of getting the job you want.

Similar Income and Growth Opportunities
Although education is a worthy pursuit in its own right, there are many reasons that you might want to consider what you’re getting from the work you put in. Higher income and greater choices for careers draw most people to college, especially the ones who finish their programs. But recent research indicates that an associate’s degree might be just as effective for long-term income growth as a bachelor’s, especially in industries like construction. Many construction jobs have flexible entry requirements. This often means that an associate’s can set you apart almost as readily as a bachelor’s, especially if you have certificates or other experience to bring to the table.

Foundation to Continue Education Later
If you decide that you ultimately want to pursue higher-ranking positions like a construction manager or executive of a larger company, you may need to add to your education. But getting your associate’s and starting your career from there isn’t going to stop you from taking other programs at a later date. In fact, by giving yourself the opportunity to apply your knowledge at first, you may make pursuing a bachelor’s or even a master’s more effective later on.

Black Lung Disease feels like a reminder of a completely different time. And yet, lung disease caused by the repeated inhalation of a toxic substance is making a comeback in California and other states. The push for engineered stone countertops in residential and commercial construction is creating a problem that many people thought had largely been eradicated. The cutting of silica for countertops, as well as silica dust left on the jobsite, has led to several cases of silicosis. This is a permanent and serious health condition. Here’s what you need to know, and how you can protect yourself and your employees.

What Is Silicosis?
If you haven’t worked with silica personally, you’re probably at least familiar with the packets used in shelf-stable food items to help keep them fresh. Silica is a common mineral that makes up a lot of things you see all the time, like quartz, sand or even glass. When ground down to a powder, silica is surprisingly easy to inhale. But once you get it into your system, it’s practically impossible to get it out. It only takes a few weeks to start showing symptoms of silicosis, or you might not notice it for years. Common signs include:

• regular cough
• chest pain
• fever
• breathing difficulties

Since these are common symptoms of a variety of conditions, it’s sometimes hard to diagnose. Once you’ve got it, it’s a chronic lung disease you’ll have to manage for the rest of your life. Silicosis can make the side effects of smoking worse, and is associated with a higher risk of lung cancer. It can even be fatal, especially with high exposure.

Why Is Lung Disease Becoming a Problem in Construction?
Silicosis has been a concern in the mining industry for more than a century. People who are mining granite or quartz get a high level of exposure to it, which increases the likelihood that they will inhale it. It’s becoming a bigger problem in construction, due to the increased popularity of engineered stone countertops. Silica is the primary component of these countertops. At this point, experts are reporting at least 18 cases in four states including California. Although that may not seem like much, it’s possible that there are many more out there that haven’t been diagnosed yet. The seriousness of the condition indicates that people at risk should take steps to prevent it.

Which Fields Are At Risk?
People who manufacture glass or stone countertops are the ones most likely to deal with silica dust. However, anyone who works in adjacent fields or in areas where others are working with silica may also be at risk. This means that if you’re working in electrical in a new house where another contractor is cutting a quartz countertop, you could be inhaling the dust. You’re at risk, even if you’re coming in after they are done.

How Can Contracting Businesses Protect Themselves?
Proper procedures can make the difference between health and a higher risk of cancer or other long-term health problems. If you’re working with or near silica, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends several prevention steps, including:

• avoiding eating or drinking near silica dust
• use different materials for blasting
• washing properly after working with silica
• relying on water or wet products for cleaning instead of compressed air

In addition, employers may want to educate themselves and their employees about the common signs and symptoms of silicosis. A faster diagnosis can help avoid the problem getting worse.

Working in construction was always a little bit risky, but there are modern trends that can make it worse. Knowing about the rise in silicosis cases in California can help you identify ways that you can run your business safely and effectively. To learn more about the best practices for a variety of construction fields and prepare to take your licensing exam, contact CSLS today!