Fall protection, hazard communication top OSHA violations tally for FY2013

Fall Protection once again leads the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s top 10 most-cited workplace safety violations, which the National Safety Council announced last month in Chicago during its 2013 Congress & Expo.

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Sustainable Practices All Concrete Producers Should Start With

Within the concrete world, we hear a lot these days about sustainability. Maybe at times a bit too much, as it can become confusing to concrete producers who may not be sure how it applies to them or where to start. And, the many buzzwords associated with sustainability can further mystify a movement that isn’t going to go away or die out as the next fad, but one instead which is going to form the foundation for how all successful businesses are going to operate tomorrow and into the future. In other words, sustainability and sustainable practices are the future for concrete producers.

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NLRB’s delivery-labor standard sinks Operating Engineers’ serial grievances

This year is winding down with signs of recovery throughout construction. Certain union locals might find 2013 wanting, however, as National Labor Relations Board authorities have determined that their attempts to come between concrete suppliers and contractors violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

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Regulatory uncertainty drives coal ash recycling rates to fourth straight year of decline

Sources: American Coal Ash Association (ACAA), Farmington Hills, Mich.; CP staff

The total volume of coal ash recycled in the U.S. was off 4.7 million tons in 2012 against the prior year, while fly ash used in concrete remained at the nearly flat level of 11.8 million tons, a 44,000-ton boost over 2011 consumption-far off the pace of a 7 percent year-over-year increase in portland cement shipments.

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