OSHA tallies safety gains at severe injury reporting requirement’s one-year mark

Sources: Occupational Safety & Health Administration; CP staff

In the first year of a new reporting requirement for severe work-related injuries, companies notified OSHA of 10,000-plus incidents, spurring opportunities for the agency to work with employers to eliminate hazards and protect other workers. Since January 2015, employers have been required to report any injury involving hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours, and continued to be bound by an eight-hour limit for workplace fatality reporting.

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Sustainability specialist economizes plant-specific LCA, EPD preparation

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, Ottawa; CP staff

A catalyst behind the database of concrete and cement production environmental impacts, the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute has released an online calculator affording ready mixed producers instant Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Product Declaration figures for any mix, easing preparation of full LCA and EPD reports for green building certification candidate projects.

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Natural disaster-wise governor measures building, human resilience

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

In a resilience-themed keynote address at the PCA Spring Congress, two-term Mississippi Governor and past Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour assured his audience, “In my state, there is a whole lot more concrete being used today than there was before Hurricane Katrina.”

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DOT solicits input on prospective rule addressing sleep apnea-prone truck drivers

Sources: U.S. Department of Transportation; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff

Per National Transportation Safety Board recommendation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking public input on the impacts of screening, evaluating and treating commercial motor vehicle drivers for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The agency poses 20 questions it deems will provide the necessary information before determining whether or not to pursue a proposed rule.

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Oldcastle Precast raises Intermountain presence in Colorado Precast asset deal

Sources: Oldcastle Precast Inc., Atlanta; CP staff

Oldcastle Precast has boosted its Colorado, Montana and Wyoming underground structures market stake, acquiring the assets of Loveland, Colo.-based Colorado Precast Co. Known for delivering custom products or structures well beyond their typical shipping radius, Colorado Precast also excels in offerings consistent with Oldcastle Precast’s strategy of being a leading infrastructure solution provider in every major U.S. market.

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QC specialist applies 3D imaging to concrete masonry height, volume, density

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Sources: Neoculus Technologies, Quebec City, Quebec; CP staff

A developer of real time inspection tools for a range of production processes timed commercial launch of the HVD (Height Volume Density) Control System for concrete brick, block and pavers with the National Concrete Masonry Association’s 2016 ICON-Xchange in Orlando. The announcement follows Neoculus Technologies’ piloting of the equipment with Oldcastle Architectural’s Quebec-based Permacon business.

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Titan America: Market conditions, escalating costs quell N.C. greenfield mill

Sources: Titan America LLC, Norfolk, Va.; CP staff

After years of permitting and pre-construction activities, Titan America has shelved plans for a Castle Hayne, N.C., cement plant with up to 2 million tons’ annual capacity, but will maintain a terminal on the site, located just outside the coastal town of Wilmington.

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Dufferin attains premier certification for responsibly sourced aggregate

Sources: CRH Canada Group, Toronto; Cornerstone Standards Council, Woodbridge, Ontario; CP staff

Dufferin Aggregates’ Acton Quarry in Halton Hills, Ontario, is the first operation to receive Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC) certification as a supplier of responsibly sourced stone, sand and gravel. The certification stands to benefit internal and external customers of an integrated aggregates, ready mixed and construction entity long the Ontario flagship of Holcim (Canada), but now an Oldcastle Materials sister business under CRH Canada Group.

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OSHA probes fatality stemming from wood floor to concrete slab design change

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff

OSHA has proposed nearly $80,000 in fines for Great Southern Building Systems, LLC, Pearl River, La., for safety violations related to concrete formwork collapse during the reconstruction of a Hurricane Isaac-damaged restaurant in Kiln, Miss. Great Southern served as a subcontractor to Berthelot Design Systems, whose principal and sole employee, Gary Berthelot, was trapped and killed by falling concrete and debris while placing supports as slab pouring commenced above him.

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Missouri S&T sets annual concrete conference agenda

Source: Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla

The 2016 Missouri Concrete Conference, May 3-4 on the Rolla campus, will feature presentations covering steel or macro synthetic fibers in concrete; impact of air pollution control on fly ash; proper curing techniques and materials; soil stabilization and full-depth reclamation; new American Concrete Institute pavement construction guide; lithium silicate curing compound; floor slabs and toppings; practical applications of resistivity testing; the Super Air Meter; city and county pavement management programs; and, Missouri Department of Transportation bridge girder specifications.

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