June 12, 2017 – Concrete Products

OSHA silica rule decision spells three-month reprieve for contractors

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

Occupational Safety and Health Administration has moved the target for the construction industry to comply with the revised respirable crystalline silica exposure standard from June 23 to September 23, citing a need to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance due to the unique nature of employer requirements. The standard reduces the worker exposure threshold from 250 to 50 micrograms of silica dust.

Fatality-data mining finds noon the deadliest hour on construction sites

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

A new report from Associated General Contractors of America and Virginia Tech University’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction confirms or clarifies long-held observations concerning project site safety. “Preventing Fatalities in the Construction Industry” is based on individual examination of 2,338 construction fatalities reported over the 2010-2012 period in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities (BLS/IIF) program.

Obama Fair Pay and ‘Volks’ rules no match for successor’s pen

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

President Donald Trump has signed House Joint Resolution 37, which rolls back his predecessor’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673 and relieves federal contractors and subcontractors of onerous paperwork and compliance terms attending what critics called the “blacklisting rule.”

Lehigh Hanson solidifies New York footprint in Saunders asset deal

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

Sources: Lehigh Hanson, Inc., Irving, Texas; CP staff

Lehigh Hanson has reached an agreement to acquire the 13 ready mixed concrete and nine aggregate operations of Saunders Companies, whose roots trace back more than a century in central New York. Set for a third quarter closing, the asset transaction will be effected through subsidiary Hanson Aggregates New York LLC, which has 14 ready mixed, 19 asphalt and 23 aggregate sites—many along the Interstate 90/New York Thruway corridor.

EPA’s Back-to-Basics agenda tames myriad Obama regulations

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

A Pennsylvania coal mine was the backdrop for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s early-April announcement of an agency agenda true to Trump administration objectives. “Back-to-Basics means returning EPA to its core mission: protecting the environment by engaging with state, local, and tribal partners to create sensible regulations that enhance economic growth,” he affirmed.

Cemex, Heidelberg incur antitrust policy on both sides of the Atlantic

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

Judging by the positive effect he and cabinet members have had on business beyond stock market metrics, President Donald Trump had cause to march toward his 100th day in office confident and content. Consider “Back to Basics,” a proclamation Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt outlined last month for a group of coal miners unaccustomed to friendly visits from White House representatives; or, House Joint Resolution 37, whereby President Trump and Capitol Hill allies have kneecapped aspects of Barack Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which stymies competition in federal project contracting.

Meadow Burke embraces new headquarters efficiencies

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

Sources: Meadow Burke, Riverview, Fla.; CP staff

Meadow Burke has consolidated its manufacturing, distribution, engineering, and business support functions into a new facility located eight miles from downtown Tampa. Construction of the 48,000-sq.-ft. building consisted of 84 tilt-up concrete panels along with company hardware including Super Lift III Inserts, Slab Brace Bolts and B-75 Wall Brace Inserts.

OSHA musters stakeholders for inaugural Safe + Sound Week

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA has designated June 12-18 as “Safe + Sound Week,” calling on organizations of all sizes in a wide range of industries to raise awareness of the value and importance of workplace safety and health programs. Participation can help with the launch of such programs or energize existing ones, the agency notes, underscoring three core elements:

Report connects stormwater harvesting to ‘sustainability dividends’

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

Source: Arcadis U.S. Inc., Highlands Ranch, Colo.

More than half of water utility leaders have yet to embrace innovation and risk missing out on important “sustainability dividends,” according to “Empowering Water Utility Innovation,” a new report released ahead of the American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition, June 11-15 in Philadelphia.

EPA reviews candidate Water Infrastructure Finance projects

June 12, 2017 Concrete News

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program has received ‘letters of interest’ from prospective borrowers in communities across 19 states, each seeking to partner with the agency to invest in local water supply or wastewater treatment and conveyance projects.