Concrete, cement producers and allies reinforce SCC, Sustainability program

Source: CP staff

The co-located 6th North American Conference on Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC2016) and 11th International Concrete Sustainability Conferences will draw some of the world’s leading authorities on high performance materials and sustainable practices. Key suppliers and service providers to North American concrete producers will contribute to a deep program, speakers and presentations including:

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Top appellate court to hear consolidated petitions for review of OSHA silica rule

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear all challenges to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s tightening of the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable crystalline silica. Among them are petitions for review construction and allied materials interests filed in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and 11th Circuits. A deadline for such petitions is May 24.

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Digital fabrication, nanotech, resilience, rheology presentations power SCC, Sustainability Conferences

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla; CP staff

Organizers of the co-located 6th North American Conference on Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC2016) and 11th International Concrete Sustainability Conference, May 15-18 in Arlington, Va., have scheduled nine keynote presentations across three plenary sessions. Headlining the program with keynote themes covering cutting edge technologies and concrete industry advances in sustainable production methods and practice are:

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Construction heavyweights mark Safety Week, May 2-6

Sources: Construction Industry Safety Initiative and the Incident & Injury Free Executive Forum

More than 50 national and global construction firms have joined forces for the annual Safety Week, an industry-wide education and awareness event to align with what the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and other federal agencies have set as the National Safety Stand-Down focusing on fall prevention.

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Laborers seize training opportunity in emerging rainwater capture practice

Sources: Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), Washington, D.C.

A LIUNA agreement with American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA)—billed as the preeminent national education and technical organization offering accreditation and recognized ANSI standards—provides a framework for rank-and-file to train as qualified rain and storm water harvesting system installers. LIUNA centers across North America will deliver the ARCSA Accredited Professional Training for contractors and union members.

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Iron Workers official indicted in kickback scheme defrauding rebar crew

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The U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division has charged International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union Local 201 Business Manager Juan Carlos Recinos with taking kickbacks from rebar crew members who had received backpay awards for work at the District of Columbia Water & Sewer Authority’s Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant.

 
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Business-wise cities spur small-scale production within ‘maker movement’

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A new National League of Cities (NLC) report, “How Cities Can Grow the Maker Movement,” is a first-of-its-type analysis on the emergence of new urban manufacturing and technology enterprises, highlighting examples from Boston Harbor to the San Francisco Bay, and analyzing what role local policy can play in the movement’s success.

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Powder mills keep lead in Energy Star-certified manufacturing plant census

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Twenty-seven portland cement operations are among 70 manufacturing plants to achieve Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star certification in 2015. Producers recognized for achieving energy performance in the top 25 percent of the industry are Holcim (five plants); Buzzi Unicem, Cemex USA and Lehigh Cement (four plants); Argos USA, Essroc Cement and Titan America (two plants); plus, Ash Grove Cement, CalPortland Co., Martin Marietta Materials, Salt River Materials and Suwannee American (one plant).

 
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FHWA assesses SCM, natural pozzolans within best pavement practices

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A new Federal Highway Administration Tech Brief cites benefits and drawbacks of fly ash, slag cement, silica fume and natural or alternative pozzolans for transportation structure-grade concrete. “Supplementary Cementitious Materials — Best Practices for Concrete Pavements” (FHWA-HIF-16-001) outlines how agencies overseeing road construction and maintenance confront increasing service demands on concrete structures, expectations for reduced environmental impact, plus lower initial and lifecycle costs.

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