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?
Read MoreSources: Boral Ltd., Sydney; CP staff
Boral Building Products Executive General Manager David Mariner will return in June from an 18-month Australia tour of duty to become Boral USA president and chief executive officer. He joined Boral USA in 2010, overseeing the Cultured Stone business, then the Cladding Division, and assumed his current overseas post in December 2014.
Read MoreSource: Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.
A U.S. Department of the Treasury analysis confirms that a typical construction company faces an average effective federal tax burden of 30.3 percent against the 23.3 percent average for all U.S. businesses. The industry likewise pays the highest effective tax rate—the percent of income businesses actually pay in taxes—of any sector of the economy.
Read MoreSources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; CP staff
A first-of-its-kind consortium in the green-building industry convened 15 manufacturers and industry representatives in a roundtable discussion on the needs for enhancing product transparency and stewardship through effective product category rules (PCR), life cycle assessment reports (LCA), environmental product declarations (EPD), and Sustainable Minds Transparency Reports.
Read MoreSources: Forterra Building Products, Irving, Texas; CP staff
The top producer of reinforced concrete pipe, concrete and steel pressure pipe, plus precast drainage products has greatly expanded its prospects in the water infrastructure market, acquiring ductile iron product leader U.S. Pipe. The Birmingham, Ala., operator brings Forterra Building Products 20 manufacturing and fabrication facilities in the U.S. and Mexico, and the leading brand of ductile iron pipe, fittings, joint restraints and related products among distributors, contractors and engineers.
Read MoreSources: Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), Washington, D.C.; National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, Alexandria, Va.; CP staff
Seven national construction organizations, led by ABC, AGC and ARTBA, plan to join eight state affiliates petitioning the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for review of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s final rule on crystalline silica exposure. Released in late March, it sets a threshold of 50-micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an eight-hour shift, compared to a longstanding 250-microgram level for the construction industry.
Read MoreSources: Messe München, Munich; Imko GmbH, Germany; CP staff
Leading into their April 11-17 namesake trade fair that drew 580,000 visitors and 3,400-plus exhibitors to Munich, bauma 2016 organizers presented Innovation Awards to six companies and research institutions. In the components category, Imko GmbH was recognized for its Sono-WZ, a hand-held device that can quickly and accurately gauge fresh-concrete moisture.
Read MoreSources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff
NRMCA capped its 2016 Convention unveiling “Build with Strength,” a multi-million dollar, coordinated industry campaign to better educate the design, construction and building code communities about the benefits of concrete, especially in the low- to mid-rise sector.
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