NRMCA e-news

NRMCA’s Developing Industry Leaders (DIL) program is now accepting nominations through Monday, June 15, for a limited number of middle managers to challenge themselves by thinking about an issue our industry faces. The goal of the DIL project is to broaden participants’ understanding of the ready mixed concrete industry at a more strategic, long-term, level while giving them the opportunity to also work on a team with a diverse group peers from across the country. This peer-centric program, with its accompanying industry mentorship, allows participants to not only make lifelong, career friends, but to also gain insight into a specific national challenge.

This program differs from other association programs in that individuals are placed on a team. Each DIL team chooses a separate topic to research and address over the fall and winter months. The group first meets at ConcreteWorks, where it is expected to attend various committee meetings so it can gain insight from senior managers from many perspectives. The DILs then return home to continue their work via conference calls, e-mails and Webinars with their team. The DILs reconvene in March at NRMCA's Annual Convention where individual teams formally present their findings during NRMCA’s semi-annual membership meeting. After that, the DILs are invited to become active on a committee of their choice so they can bring expertise with fresh, new insight to the working body.

There is no fee for the DIL program, nevertheless, DILs are expected to attend ConcreteWorks in September and the Annual Convention in March.

 

NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Phil Kresge recently reviewed a proposed special provision for pervious concrete being developed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Separate from other VDOT specifications, this special provision is intended for use in low-volume traffic areas, such as parking lots, where stormwater runoff is a concern.

"The engineers at VDOT have definitely done their homework," Kresge said. "It is apparent that they have been paying attention as they’ve attended the numerous pervious concrete seminars hosted by VRMCA and others."

 

The proposed special provision closely mirrors the recommendations of ACI 522.1-13. Kresge did provide some additional input with regard to proposed requirements for density, use of fibers and QC/QA requirements. A spokesperson for VDOT indicated that, while they are finalizing the provision, they are already looking for possible applications. "Once they’ve selected some sites, they’ll be looking to our industry for additional assistance to assure success," Kresge added.

 

Late last month, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee introduced S 2892, the Timber Innovation Act, a bill aimed at promoting cross-laminated timber and wood products for low- to mid-rise buildings. The bill creates federal grants for states and local communities to support and accelerate the use of wood in tall buildings and also establishes a research program on promoting and developing tall wood building construction. The bill is strongly supported by the American Wood Council (AWC), American Forest Foundation (AFF), Binational Softwood Lumber Council (BSLC) and Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (SLMA). The bill was introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and cosponsored by Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Thad Cochran (R-MS) and John Tester (D-MT). 

 

NRMCA has introduced a targeted campaign in cooperation with other concrete and building trade organizations to ensure that S 2892 does not become law. NRMCA began meeting with targeted Members of Congress last week to educate them on the negative impacts of S 2892. The message highlights that the federal government should not be choosing winners and losers in material specification. As well, federal funding should not advance the use of particular wood products over other construction materials or artificially provide preference for any building materials – especially building materials that are untested and have not been fully vetted through a comprehensive, cradle to grave life cycle assessment.

Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management held a hearing titled "Controlling the Rising Cost of Federal Responses to Disaster". At the hearing, Representatives Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Albio Sires (D-NJ) highlighted their recently introduced bill, the National Mitigation Investment Act (NMIA) of 2016. The BuildStrong Coalition, of which NRMCA is an active member, worked with Members of Congress to introduce the NMIA bill.

The bill aims to reform and improve how the federal government implements mitigation and disaster spending. The bill also would provide hazard mitigation grants to states that meet the requirements for the strongest building code standards, which will further incentivize states to modernize their building codes. Lastly, the bill authorizes the National Advisory Council to examine the economic impact of disasters and all aspects of disaster spending once a federal disaster has been declared. Eric Nelson, senior vice president of catastrophe risk management and analyst at Travelers as well as an Executive Committee member of the BuildStrong Coalition, testified at the hearing last Thursday. Mr. Nelson noted the urgency and critical need for disaster and mitigation spending reform in Congress and spoke on the merits of the NMIA bill. 

 

The NMIA bill builds upon the BuildStrong Coalition’s efforts to advance stronger buildings codes. The BuildStrong Coalition consists of national business and consumer organizations, companies and emergency management officials working together to advance stronger building codes. NRMCA has been an active member for 10 years.

 

Infrastructure Week officially kicked off on Monday, May 16, bringing together thousands of stakeholders to the nation’s capital and across the country. The 4th Annual event, held from May 16 - 23, focuses on the importance of investing in America’s infrastructure to compete in the 21st century. Representatives from labor, business and advocacy groups, including NRMCA, will participate by joining to bring a direct message to Congress on investing in infrastructure and finding a long-term funding solution for the Highway Trust Fund. The Highway Materials Group (HMG), which includes NRMCA, released a statement this week on the urgent need for a sustainable highway funding system.

NRMCA is proud to support the White House in its efforts to advance the nation’s resilience through the application of codes and standards. The White House convened the White House Conference on Resilient Building Codes earlier this month to bring increased attention to the important role of codes and standards in achieving a resilient nation. NRMCA is proud to have participated in the event. As the White House and members of the building industry bring increased attention to the important role of codes and standards in achieving resilience, NRMCA will continue its efforts to advance resilience through the following activities:

 

•Working with the National Institute of Building Science (NIBS), NRMCA will help to convene stakeholders to develop findings and recommendations on "Advancing Long-Term Performance in Codes, Standards and Other Policies." To date, codes and standards have focused on the criteria necessary to provide short-term protection and ease of evacuation in the face of a hazard event. Yet resilience requires a focus on the long-term viability of structures to support social and economic viability of an effected community. This effort will identify a potential path forward in addressing this gap.

In addition to internal program activities, NRMCA will continue to support joint efforts by the industry, including:

 

• Participation in an initiative to develop a whole community-based metric for resilience

• Promoting the Industry Statement on Resilience which has been signed by 40 leading associations in the building industry committed to significantly improving the resilience of our nation’s buildings, infrastructure, public spaces and communities. In addition to the new signatories, the group released a report highlighting resilience activities undertaken by the signatories.

 

Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) finalized a new rule to change the process and timeline for recordkeeping and reporting of annual injuries and illnesses at the workplace. The new rule will now require electronic submission of injury/illness records to OSHA, which will then be scrubbed of individual personnel data and placed online for public review. As well, the size of each establishment will determine what will need to be reported. These changes are a drastic departure from the current process of simply displaying a paper summary of the injury/illness report (OSHA Form 300A) in the workplace for all employees to see annually between February 1 and April 30.

Specifically, the rule now requires:

1. All establishments with 250 or more employees at any time during the reporting year to electronically submit OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses), OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) to OSHA or the appropriate OSHA designee;

2. All establishments with 20 to 249 employees to electronically submit OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) to OSHA or the appropriate OSHA designee;

3. All establishments with 19 or fewer employees only need to submit information from the injury and illness records to OSHA if OSHA requests it through an individual data collection;

4. All employers with more than 10 employees must still display the completed OSHA Form 300A in the workplace for all employees to see annually between February 1 and April 30;

5. All required reports to be submitted to OSHA electronically (submittal process will be through a designated secure Web site, still yet to be completed); and

6. Electronic submission deadlines for:

a. 2017: For the establishments now required to submit, their respective forms are due to OSHA no later than July 1;

b. 2018: For the establishments now required to submit, their respective forms are due to OSHA no later than July 1; and

c. 2019 and beyond: For the establishments now required to submit, their respective forms are due to OSHA no later than March 2.

Additionally, "The final rule also amends OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation to update requirements on how employers inform employees to report work-related injuries and illnesses to their employer. The final rule requires employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation; clarifies the existing implicit requirement that an employer’s procedure for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses must be reasonable and not deter or discourage employees from reporting; and incorporates the existing statutory prohibition on retaliating against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. The final rule also amends OSHA’s existing recordkeeping regulation to clarify the rights of employees and their representatives to access the injury and illness records. " 

The annual NRMCA Mixer Driver Recruitment and Retention Survey is available to take online. This year, the results will not only gather trend data, but include new information about first-year drivers. If your company has multiple geographic divisions, please fill out one survey per region – hiring is local.  The biggest swing in data last year was in regional comparisons. As with all NRMCA surveys, all respondents and their answers are anonymous and confidential. We cannot tell who filled out the survey.

 

In the end, NRMCA knows your bottom line is impacted by the state of your driver pool; NRMCA wants to give its members the best and most accurate data to help meet your challenge of having enough good drivers to meet your market’s demands for concrete. Please participate - the deadline to participate is Thursday, June 30. 

 

May 24, Richmond, BC

North West ConcreteWorks 2016

Email: Tamara Waugh, 240.485.1132

 

May 26, Webinar

Seven Things You Can Do To Place More Concrete in Buildings

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

June 6 - 8, Silver Spring, MD

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

June 28 - July 1, Centennial, CO

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

June 23, Webinar

Seven Things You Can Do To Place More Concrete in Buildings

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

June 28, Ronkonkoma, NY

Building Green With Concrete

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

June 30, Fairfax, VA

Building Green With Concrete

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535 

 

September 18 - 20, Nashville, TN

NRMCA's ConcreteWorks 2016

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

October 4 - 7, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module I: Concrete 101

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

October 11, Webinar

Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

November 7-11, Silver Spring, MD

Annual "Short Course"

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

December 6, Webinar 

Sales Performance Assessments and Reviews... for Ready Mix Sales Managers

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 13-16, Anaheim, CA

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

The NRMCA May Internet Spotlight, which will be good through Tuesday, June 7, is the Guide to Preparing RMC Job Descriptions CD-Rom. This CD includes over 500 sample job descriptions submitted by some of the leading concrete firms in the country. Also included on the CD are guidelines for writing job descriptions and a post offer screen manual. The purpose of the post offer screen is to determine if the applicant can safely perform the physical demands of the job or if reasonable accommodations can be given following ADA guidelines. These job descriptions can be easily downloaded and customized for your company's use.

 

The second Internet Spotlight for May, also good through June 7, is the driver training DVD Road Call. This 14-minute video lesson demonstrates the proper, safe and legal procedures to follow in the event of a mixer truck being disabled along a roadway.