Market experts gauge global economy’s impact on domestic construction

Source: Allen-Villere Partners, New Orleans

Strong stock market performance plus progress in U.S. and China trade discussions have helped temper concerns of an economic slowdown moving into 2020. In his latest Concrete Products dispatch, “Will headwinds from the global economy affect us?,” however, leading construction materials industry management consultant Pierre Villere discusses a potential 180-degree shift in market forces that could impact concrete demand. 

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NRMCA opens Driver of the Year nominations

Source: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, Va.

NRMCA is accepting through December 31 producer member nominations for the 2020 Ready Mixed Concrete Delivery Professional Driver of the Year. The award acknowledges a mixer truck driver’s significant contribution to the growth and success of individual companies and the industry, and salutes career achievement, safety, professionalism, competence and customer service. The 2020 Driver of the Year Award recipient will be honored during the NRMCA annual convention, March 7-9 in Las Vegas. Nomination forms are posted here.

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ABC underscores leading safety indicators for OSHA audience

Source: Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.

Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Health, Safety, Environment and Workforce Development Greg Sizemore emphasized proactive measures to prevent workplace hazards and reduce recordable incidents at a public, Occupational Safety and Health Administration-hosted meeting in the nation’s capital. The early-November gathering was part of a new OSHA initiative to develop leading indicator tools for safety and health performance in high-hazard industries, and create a repository of resources for companies, industry groups and other organizations.

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Lawmakers recognize aggregates’ pivotal role in DOT supply chains

Sources: National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, Alexandria, Va.; Office of U.S. Representative Greg Stanton; CP staff

U.S. Representatives Greg Stanton (D-AZ-09) and Troy Balderson (R-OH-12) have introduced the Rebuilding Our Communities by Keeping aggregates Sustainable (ROCKS) Act bill, citing its potential “to foster local access to stone, sand and gravel essential to construction and public works projects.” The legislation calls for the Secretary of Transportation to establish a working group of federal, state, tribal and local stakeholders to study the use of aggregates and recommend policies ensuring continued access to such materials. 

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Workplace injury, illness rates little changed year over year

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; CP staff

Private industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2018, unchanged from the prior year but sustaining a flat or downward trajectory from an annual 3.5 million injuries or illnesses the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) logged at the beginning of the decade. Last year also saw private employers’ incidence rates for “total recordable cases,” “days away from work,” and “days of transfer and restriction only” remain the same as 2017 levels. 

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ICF distributor corrals California builders for migration from wood

Sources: Here To Serve Holding Corp., White Plains, N.Y.; CP staff

Novus Ordo Industries Inc., a subsidiary of insulating concrete form specialist Here to Serve, has secured an exclusive contract to sell proprietary ICF systems in two of California’s most populous counties, Los Angeles and Riverside. Novus Ordo will kick off Golden State market development with late-2019 training sessions for 30 contractors. 

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Lean management, speedy review proposal disrupt EPA business as usual

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff

Changes sweeping the Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump Administration range from implementing lean management systems and creating an Office of Continuous Improvement to harmonizing regional office activities and reforming science advisory committees to ensure integrity. 

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Iconic ‘leaf’ bridge wins prestigious architecture award

Lincoln i

Among the winners of the 2019 American Architecture Awards is a 170-ft.-long pedestrian bridge in Lone Tree, Colo. that features a segmental retaining wall abutment and cast-in-place landing and stairs. Denver-based Slaton Bros. Inc. installed the split-face mechanically stabilized earth wall with integral color on the south side approach of the bridge to blend in with its natural surroundings.

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