The U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division has charged International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union Local 201 Business Manager Juan Carlos Recinos with taking kickbacks from rebar crew members who had received backpay awards for work at the District of Columbia Water & Sewer Authority’s Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant.
A new National League of Cities (NLC) report, “How Cities Can Grow the Maker Movement,” is a first-of-its-type analysis on the emergence of new urban manufacturing and technology enterprises, highlighting examples from Boston Harbor to the San Francisco Bay, and analyzing what role local policy can play in the movement’s success.
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Twenty-seven portland cement operations are among 70 manufacturing plants to achieve Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star certification in 2015. Producers recognized for achieving energy performance in the top 25 percent of the industry are Holcim (five plants); Buzzi Unicem, Cemex USA and Lehigh Cement (four plants); Argos USA, Essroc Cement and Titan America (two plants); plus, Ash Grove Cement, CalPortland Co., Martin Marietta Materials, Salt River Materials and Suwannee American (one plant).
A new Federal Highway Administration Tech Brief cites benefits and drawbacks of fly ash, slag cement, silica fume and natural or alternative pozzolans for transportation structure-grade concrete. “Supplementary Cementitious Materials — Best Practices for Concrete Pavements” (FHWA-HIF-16-001) outlines how agencies overseeing road construction and maintenance confront increasing service demands on concrete structures, expectations for reduced environmental impact, plus lower initial and lifecycle costs.
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In a resilience-themed keynote address at the Portland Cement Association Spring Congress, two-term (2004–2012) Mississippi Governor and past (1993–1997) 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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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and companion federal agencies have designated May 2-6 as the third annual National Safety Stand-Down, reminding or educating construction employers and workers of the serious dangers of falls—the leading cause of fatalities stemming from construction site accidents.
Read MoreTwo active Department of Labor matters beg: Is it right for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to demand timely reporting of major worksite injuries, but wrong for an employer to mirror such policy on minor bumps and lacerations?
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