Construction Blueprints Podcast WTW

Some construction sites might falsely believe that since narcotics are forbidden at the work site, this just simply shouldn't be a problem, or they might even think that having Naloxone might make people feel more of a sense of license that they can misuse narcotics at or near the workplace. 
In this episode of Construction Blueprints, Jonathan Oppenheim, North America Regional Construction Leader, is joined by Jeff Levin Schurz, a Physician, Managing Director at WTW, and our North American Population Health Leader. 
In the podcast, we explore the use of Naloxone as a potential life saving practice in the construction industry. This is an incredibly important topic as fatal drug overdoses have doubled in the U.S. since 2015.
For more information on the topic discussed in the podcast, please visit the following sources:
Surgeon General Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose (2022)

The economic and societal impacts of secondary perils has become a concern for risk managers following a year dominated by extreme weather conditions, wildfires, droughts and floods. Beyond economic damages, numerous disasters in 2023 highlighted the need for a proactive approach to risk identification, mitigation and adaptation. In this episode of Construction Blueprints, John Marsicano, Senior Director of SDI Claims and Financial Advisory Services, is joined by Kishan Dasan, Director of Strategic Growth – Construction and Natural Resources, and Todd MacDermott, Regional Construction Claim Director, to discuss the shifting dynamics of natural catastrophe coverage in Australia and how we can draw lessons from more established Nat-Cat markets like the US.

Since the CHIPS Act of 2022, the activity in the technology sector has seen a significant increase. Undoubtedly, the global chip shortage in 2021 and 2022 disrupted a lot of supply chains and it caused subsequent product shortages in many industries.
Naturally, the size of tech projects has mostly impacted the construction industry. These mega projects will take years to complete and they are going to be repositioning a lot of the major technology players’ entire supply chain and distribution model. The construction industry has quickly adapted to the changing demands and requirements of these mega projects. In the insurance marketplace, we are seeing capacity being both provided by domestic markets and international markets as they see it as a great opportunity to support this rapidly expanding sector.
In this episode of Construction Blueprints, Bill Creedon, Global Head of Construction, is joined by George Haitsch, Technology, Media and Telecom Industry Leader, as well as Jennifer Cate, Senior Construction Casualty Leader, and Edward Holland, Lead Technology Broker. Learn more about the 2024 outlook of the technology sector and the mega projects which are impacting the construction industry.

Professional liability (PL) markets have experienced dramatic changes in recent years and the construction industry was significantly impacted by those shifting market conditions.
In this episode of Construction Blueprints, Maria Sanchis, Global Construction Broking Leader, Roberto Felipe, Client Management Director, and Cynthia Olinger, North American Construction Professional Liability Practice Leader, discuss the current state of the PL market and the latest trends impacting construction projects.

Historically, the construction industry has been behind compared to other industries in terms of embracing technology. But things are changing, and construction companies are starting to utilize technology in a variety of different ways and creating their own intellectual property, their own solutions, leveraging technology in a variety of different ways.
By definition, intangible assets are those that are not physical in nature, or identifiable, and can be bought and sold independently of the owner. In this podcast, we discuss a first party product that is meant to ensure the intangible assets themselves and the specific intangible assets that we're focused on are the non-public proprietary intangible assets owned by companies.
In this episode of Construction Blueprints, Tom Grandmaison, Construction Chief Client Officer, is discussing with our special guest Kim Cauthorn, Global Intellectual Property Leader, how organizations can protect themselves against financial loss resulting from accidental or malicious insider actions that cause loss, or leakage, or damage, or destruction of those intangible assets. You will also hear more about WTW’s new construction offering - an intangible asset protection solution.

High inflation is undoubtedly putting more pressure on all businesses and the construction industry is no different. We’re starting to see a gradual upward trend in disputes driven by high inflation. Naturally, inflation impacts require more attention to the level of current and requested escalation and final adjustment clauses to assure proper recovery in the event of a claim at any point in the construction schedule.
In this episode of Construction Blueprints, Philippa Pearce, Project Management Lead, GB Construction, is discussing with our special guest Dr Kieran Dineen, Civil Engineer and an independent consultant, the impact of inflation on construction contracts and disputes. Dr Kieran Dineen also provides helpful perspective on the effect of inflation on pricing and explains the three key ways contracts are priced. We also dive into the methods that can help deal with inflation outside contracts such as better design phase, offsite construction, modular build options and more.