NRMCA e-news

Nebraska ready mix promoters recently held a successful fundraiser for cancer research, proving that the color pink and concrete go well together. Nebraska Concrete Cares recently held its second fundraiser in Kearney where hundreds came out to check out classic cars, dance a bit, learn about concrete and why so many were wearing pink and purple. "We sell color for concrete so I was like we've screwed up enough red over the years, I figured it can't be too hard to make pink," said Mike Murray, founder of Concrete Cares.

Source: September 29 posting by Nebraska TV, an ABC affiliate. Click here for story and view the broadcast report.

Sand is a hot commodity these days. As construction booms in Asia and the Middle East gulp up billions of tons of sand each year, beaches thousands of miles away are getting robbed and turned into rocky, pockmarked versions of their former selves, according to an October 6 article posted on Gizmodo Australia.

"It’s the craziest thing I’ve seen in the past 25 years," Robert Young, a coastal researcher at Western Carolina University tells Der Spiegel. "We’re talking about ugly, miles-long moonscapes where nothing can live anymore." Laura Höflinger writing for Der Spiegel visited Cape Verde, where men and women armed with shovels descend on the beaches during low tide. "From a distance, it looks like gophers have dug their way through the beaches, with piles of sand stacked up, still dark from the wetness, "she writes, "And there are several pits, some as deep as two meters." This is a scene repeated all over the world, in Kenya and New Zealand and Jamaica and Morocco.

New York Construction Materials Association Vice President Greg Novitzki recently reported on efforts to promote Roller Compacted Concrete by offering demonstration installations in several locations around New York, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O'Neill. Novitzki worked with Fulton, NY-based NRMCA Producer member Riccelli/Northern Concrete. These efforts were made possible by the work of Lisa and Wayne Stephen of Wayne Concrete. Wayne Stephen has been a proponent of RCC and taught Novitzki about the product during several of their placements, O'Neill said.

Riccelli/Northern fostered a relationship with Lan-Co Paving to promote the use of RCC and together, with the help of C&S Engineers, they set up test sections to be paved at Riccelli’s new ready mix plant in Syracuse. Local municipalities, along with local owners, engineers, developers and contractors, were invited to learn what RCC is, how it’s placed and where it makes the most sense to use it. A section was placed prior to the actual demonstration to show what the finished product looked like. The entrance to the Riccelli facility will now serve as a testament to the durability of RCC in this severe environment.

NRMCA’s National Resource Directors team reports there is much confusion regarding design of subbase under concrete pavements, with designers often repeating inefficient approaches without much regard for site particulars. As a result, it is good news that there is  a new industry paving resource available to help designers predict faulting to circumvent premature subbase erosion while optimizing the subbase and concrete sections.

With a grant from the RMC Research & Education Foundation, the Texas Transportation Institute has released two reports that addresses use of subbase through testing and documentation based on the primary mechanism of concrete failure – faulting. This saves money due to over design and gives owners the best value as they save money initially during the construction phase and have better performing pavements for minimal longterm maintenance. The NRMCA pavement team will soon be incorporating this methodology in its Design Assistance Program (DAP) recommendations and will house  associated design software that can be utilized on any project.

At its annual meeting held on September 20, 2014, the Manufacturers, Products & Services (MPS) Division of NRMCA elected Bob Welker of Argonics, Inc. as division chairman and Jill Zhang of Sysdyne Corp. as vice chairman. Each will serve the Division in these positions until 2017. The Division members also elected Frank Busicchia, Continental Mixers; Greg Elliott, MCT Group; Monty Newport, Command Alkon and Jeff Van Grootel, Trimble Construction Logistics to the Division’s Board of Directors for three-year terms. Also elected to fill an unfilled seat on the Board was Stephen Roebuck of Roebuck Consulting who will serve until 2016.

The MPS Division is comprised of equipment and product manufacturers and service providers to the ready mixed concrete industry. The MPS Division advises the NRMCA Board of Directors on issues related to their service areas and supports the Association through sponsorships, exhibits and technical expertise. Each year the MPS Division sponsors the Concrete Cares Award which recognizes ready mixed concrete producers’ commitment to community service. The next Concrete Cares Award will be handed out at NRMCA’s Annual Convention in March 2015.

For more information, contact Kathleen Carr-Smith at kcarrsmith@nrmca.org.

Recently NRMCA’s Engineering Division performed a survey where it asked the Research and Engineering Standards (RES) committee members for their five most onerous prescriptive requirements. RES members selected the following requirements (in this order):

a. Maximum w/cm when not applicable

b. Minimum cementitious content

c. Restriction on SCM dosage

d. Restrictions on aggregate characteristics like grading

e. Restriction on type and characteristics of SCM (Class F fly ash only etc.)

Next, RES Committee members were asked to provide for section construction project specifications (section 03300); 102 concrete specifications were obtained. NRMCA engineers looked at each specification and noted if each of the specifications had any of the above five prescriptive requirements. If a specification had all five requirements then it was calculated as 100% prescriptive. Over the 102 specifications the calculated average was 51% prescriptive. This means that on average each specification has 2-3 prescriptive requirements out of the five that were considered. The percent of specification having each prescriptive requirement was calculated as follows:

a. Restriction on SCM dosage – 85%

b. Maximum w/cm when not applicable – 73%

c. Minimum cementitious content – 46%

d. Restriction on type and characteristics of SCM (Class F fly ash only etc.) – 27%

e. Restrictions on aggregate characteristics like grading – 25%

A full report is being developed and will be published shortly as an article. NRMCA plans to conduct this survey every three years to track the industry's progress toward performance based specifications.

For more information, contact Karthik Obla at kobla@nrmca.org.

The number of regulations NRMCA observed over the past fiscal year has increased by a staggering 50%. Those issues alone are actually just the issues NRMCA has had the opportunity to observe publicly. Many other issues that could impact the industry exist are either in the post-comment phase or in the early drafting phase internally at various regulatory agencies. According to the American Action Forum, the total regulatory burden accumulated through regulation throughout 2014 alone totals north of $150 billion in costs (click here for more).

Click here to view a list of regulatory actions impacting the ready mixed concrete industry please. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

Lockout/Tagout/Tagout/Tryout Parts 1 & 2  now join two backing accident prevention lessons in NRMCA’s new Web-based safety training library. The Online Safety Series training videos are shot at ready mixed concrete plants and onsite pours with actual producers’ employees. Viewers watch their peers perform safety tasks properly so theoretical concepts become immediately applicable. Additionally, all lessons are streamed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and may be viewed an unlimited number of times within the purchased time frame. Finally, every lesson includes outcome-learning measurements, NRMCA proof of training certificates and supervisors’ logs to satisfy insurance carriers and OSHA. The development of these safety lessons were funded by the RMC Research & Education Foundation – safety is always first.

Click here for details and clips about each of the four lessons. For more information about industry-specific online safety training, please contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org or 240-485-1165 or Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org or 240-485-1164.

This year’s Environmental Certification Course will be held in Phoenix from December 3-5. Course attendees will be educated on industry-specific environmental issues that affect ready mixed concrete production, including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Discharge Permits, Stormwater Management, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Solids Management, Hazardous Materials, Dust Control, Recycling, Spill Prevention Plans, Air Quality Management, Noise Management, Environmental Auditing and much more.

On September 18, 2014 OSHA published a final rule updating the injury and illness recordkeeping requirements to expand the list of severe injuries and illnesses that employers must report to OSHA. According to OSHA, "The final rule will allow OSHA to focus its efforts more effectively to prevent fatalities and severe work-related injuries and illnesses."

Starting January 1, 2015, all employers (facilities) with 11 or more employees must report:

• All work-related fatalities within 8 hours

• Within 24 hours, all work-related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations and all losses of an eye

You can report to OSHA by:

• Calling OSHA’s free and confidential number: 1-800-321-6742

• Calling your closest OSHA Area Office during normal business hours

• Using the new online form that will soon be available

*Note: Only fatalities occurring within 30 days of the work-related incident must be reported to OSHA. For an inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye, these incidents must be reported to OSHA only if they occur within 24 hours of the work-related incident.

*Note: Establishments located in states under Federal OSHA jurisdiction must begin to comply with the new requirements on January 1, 2015. Establishments located in states that operate their own safety and health programs should check with their state plan for the implementation date of the new requirements.

Click here for more information, the final rule, FAQs and other specifics or contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.

NRMCA has been promoting disaster resilience as a strategy to mitigate the impacts of climate change for a number of years in opposition to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) reactionary approach. Soon, FEMA will change its practice and require states to examine the impacts of global warming on their communities as a condition for receiving federal disaster preparedness funding, according to draft guidelines released by the agency earlier this month. Under the guideline update, states hoping to get federal funding for disaster preparedness must conduct a formal analysis of all the risks their communities face from human-caused and natural hazards, as well as potential policies and projects to deal with these risks. The projects must lessen the physical and economic impacts of disasters, such as buying sandbags for floodwaters or retrofitting buildings to withstand earthquakes.

NRMCA members can promote the inherent advantages of concrete by participate in their local analysis as they prepare for potential hazard risks to receive FEMA funding. Written comments to the Draft Guidelines may be submitted electronically to FEMA by sending an e-mail to FEMA-Mitigation-Planning@fema.dhs.gov no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, October 17.

Along with industry allies, NRMCA again successfully defended its position on many proposals affecting concrete interests at the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) Public Action Hearings held last week in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  The hearing is the final step in considering proposals and testimonies from the various industries and code officials addressing the significant development of a model green code that can be adopted nationwide. The code official body ratified the decisions made in the Spring Hearings by the code committee. The results of the code development cycle will be the publication of the 2015 IgCC model code.

There were significant wins along with expected losses for the concrete industry. Tien Peng of NRMCA delivered testimony with the following successful results:

• Extending the Service Life considered in Life Cycle Assessments to 75 years;

• Environmental Product Declarations credits not tied to existing green material credits;

• Redefining pervious pavement to void content instead of percolation rate; and 

• Opposing proprietary interests to remove Solar Reflectance (SR) to mitigate Urban Heat Island effects based on bias research data.

Unfortunately, the code officials did not overturn the committee action on the proposals which supported Resiliency. NRMCA will continue its advocacy efforts in the next building code cycle with the International Building Code (IBC).

Media articles on Congress, transportation infrastructure, regulation, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry, are updated each week by NRMCA's Government Affairs staff. To access the most recent compilation of articles for September 29 - October 3, please click here.

On October 1, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy  (SBA) joined a growing chorus of concern over EPA’s proposed waters of the U.S." rule. SBA has determined that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers improperly certified the proposed rule under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) because it would have direct, significant effects on small businesses. The EPA has drawn plenty of criticism from business groups that say the rule will be too expensive to comply with, but this is the first time another federal agency has criticized it.

SBA has asked that EPA and Corps withdraw the rule and conduct the legally required small business regulatory flexibility analysis. (you can read the SBA letter here. Multiple news sources are reporting that EPA will be extending the comment deadline on the new CWA rule until after the election. NRMCA is submitting comments on behalf of the industry.

NRMCA is now accepting entries for its 2015 Kids Art Contest, sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. The theme for the contest is "Sustainability: The Future of Ready Mixed Concrete." The contest is open to children up to grade 12 who have a relationship to an NRMCA member. Entries will be divided into the following grade categories: pre-K - K; 1-3, 4-6 and 7-12. First, Second and Third place winners will be selected from each grade category. Prizes will be awarded in each grade category ($100 first, $50 second and $25 third place). Winners in each category will be announced at NRMCA’s Annual Convention, March 1-3, 2015 in Orlando. First place entries will be auctioned at the CONCRETEPAC Auction. Images of the winning entries will be used later in the year to create a 2016 NRMCA calendar; winners and the sponsoring members will receive a free copy of the calendar.

NRMCA will use the slower time of the year to conduct two Certified Concrete Sales Professional (CCSP) classes. Use the time wisely to launch 2015!

Concrete 101 (CCSP I) will be offered in partnership with the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA) at its Austin headquarters, December 2-5. This class not only focuses sales reps on the operations and technical aspects that impact their job, it is also provides a solid foundation for all non-technical staff/managers so they have a clear understand of how the day to day technical and operations activities impact revenue.  It should be a professional development must for your financial, accounting, HR, legal, fleet, and dispatch managers.

Understanding Your Concrete Contractor's Business (CCSP II) will be offered in Silver Spring (metro Washington, DC, December 16-18. This is the time for your sales reps to concentrate on mastering how their customers' businesses work. No rock should be left unturned for possible quick orders or to tactically plan for 2015. To help, NRMCA will offer a hands-on, updated workshop, CCSP Module II, Topics tie directly into what a sales rep should know that impacts business, including learning about contactors’ estimating methods, bidding, design, procurement, project planning and scheduling.
 

Those that pass the optional exams receive credit toward STEPS career development recognition. 

 

The minutes of NRMCA's Educational Activities Committee (EAC) fall meeting held last month at ConcreteWorks in Indianapolis are now available on EAC's Web site. The next EAC meeting will be held at the March 2015 Annual Convention in Orlando.

EAC is always looking for new members. Make sure your company’s voice is heard as the industry becomes more challenged by hiring and retention issues. What are the national knowledge standards employees should know? What is the role of industry certification and professional development programs? With education opportunities continually ranked as the #1 reason producers are members of NRMCA, let’s all continue to raise the bar! 

NRMCA is offering its information-packed, one-day course, Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems and Mixture Submittals, intended for concrete producers, contractors, engineers and testing labs on Wednesday, December 10, in Denver. Dealing with concrete specifications, troubleshooting low strength problems and ensuring proper mixture submittals can be expensive and time consuming. This one-day course will get into code and specification requirements (ACI 318, 301, ASTM C94) governing ready mixed concrete including exposure categories in the ACI Building Code 318-11. It will suggest specification revisions for all around benefits in performance and cost which is based on a specification guideline document. The guideline document is the result of review of numerous concrete specifications (Section 03300) belonging to large owners and has been reviewed and supported by the NRMCA Research Engineering and Standards Committee.

The course will cover the analysis of strength test results to identify causes for low strength problems and provide guidance to track compliance with specification requirements. Non-destructive testing techniques like the Rebound Hammer, core testing, evaluating core test results for acceptance and assignment of responsibility will be discussed. The course also provides necessary details required for an efficient concrete mixture submittal following the ACI 318 Flowchart for Selection of Concrete Mixtures.

Course instructors are Luke Snell, P.E., FACI, FASCE, Western Technologies and Karthik Obla, Ph.D., P.E., vice president technical services at NRMCA. Producers, contractors, engineers and testing labs will find the discussions on investigating low strength problems and specifications very helpful to address issues that impact partnering, project cost and schedule. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will earn 8 professional development hours, a certificate of completion and credits toward NRMCA’s STEPS program.

Click here for more information, registration options and staff contact.

*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

October 14, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

October 15, Silver Spring, MD

Improving Concrete Quality

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

 

October 17, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

October 22, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

October 23, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

October 28-29, Uncasville, CT

Northeast Region ConcreteWorks

Email: Nicole Maher, 1-888-846-7622, ext. 1158

 

November 3-7, Silver Spring, MD

Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

November 5, Webinar

STEPS - A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 7, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

November 11, Free Webinar

Roller-Compacted Concrete for Streets and Local Roads

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

November 18-20, Silver Spring, MD

The Effective RMC Supervisor - Silver Spring, MD

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 19, Webinar

Sales Performance Assessments and Review for Ready Mix Sales Managers

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 20, Webinar

Sustainable Design with Concrete

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

December 2-5, Austin, TX

CCSP Module I, "Concrete 101" - Technical/Product Knowledge

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

December 3-5, Phoenix

Environmental Professional Certification Course

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

 

December 5, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

December 9-12, Phoenix

Plant Manager Certification Course

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

 

December 10, Denver

Handling Concrete Specifications

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

 

December 16-18, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge - Understanding the Concrete Contractor's Business

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

 

January 15, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

January 16, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

February 17-19, 2015, Silver Spring, MD

Dispatcher Training Forum

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

 

February 24-26, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: Business Skills Basics for Profit - General Business Knowledge

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

March 18, Webinar

STEPS - A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

March 31-April 2, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills Workshop - 24 hours

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154