Atlantic Precast a model plaintiff in suit challenging OSHA rule’s anti-retaliation provisions

Sources: Associated Builders and Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

Atlantic Precast Concrete Inc. and two other construction-tied employers are central to a lawsuit seeking an injunction on a portion of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “Improve Tracking Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” rule, effective August 10. The Tullytown, Pa.-based drainage products operator and seven co-plaintiffs request that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas declare the rule’s anti-retaliation provisions—detailed in Section 1904.35(b)(1)—as unlawful to the extent they “prohibit or otherwise limit incident-based employer safety incentive programs and/or routine mandatory post-accident drug testing programs.”

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SEFA Group starts fly ash processing at western Pennsylvania station

Sources: SEFA Group, Lexington, S.C.; CP staff

Looking north and west from its Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland base, SEFA Group is marketing the first recycled fly ash from the Keystone Generating Station in Armstrong County, Pa., near Pittsburgh. Under a multiyear arrangement with Keystone-Conemaugh Projects, the company engineered and constructed a facility to load and transport ASTM C618-grade fly ash and began deliveries in June.

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Sustainability watchdog sets concrete production water accounting standards

Sources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative, Geneva; CP staff

The Cement Sustainability Initiative has capped a two-year effort to formalize accounting of water consumption and recycling in cement, concrete and aggregate production. The new 34-page Guidance on Good Practices for Water Accounting builds on Protocol for Water Reporting for the Cement Industry (2014) and Water Key Performance Indicators (2015).

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Report tracks 28 percent jump in water, wastewater infrastructure outlays

Sources: Bluefield Research LLC, Boston; CP staff

Municipal water & wastewater utilities’ budgeting suggests pipe, treatment plant and pump expenditures will exceed $532 billion between 2016–2025, representing a 28 percent increase against comparable investment over the 2006–2015 window. The projected 10-year total is split by water treatment, supply and delivery, 48 percent; wastewater treatment and conveyance, 44 percent; and, storm water management, 8 percent.

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New Labor Department rules spike OSHA civil penalty amounts

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor; CP staff

Abiding the 2015 Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Improvements Act, through which Congress aims to advance violation fines’ effectiveness, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and sister agencies are directed to adjust penalty scales annually using what Labor Department officials describe as a much more straightforward method than previously available.

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Underwriter, Institute bring FORTIFIED Home building practice to mobile devices

Sources: Munich Reinsurance America Inc., New Jersey; Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), Tampa, Fla.; CP staff

IBHS and property underwriting giant Munich Re America have launched FORTIFIED Home On the Go, an interactive app free from the iTunes Store. Using videos, animation, and technical specifications, it walks owners, contractors and architects through the home-strengthening process. Content is based on IBHS’ FORTIFIED Home program, which is recognized as the national standard in resilient construction.

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