OSHA issues guidelines for construction workers in highway work zones

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) released a formal letter of interpretation that now requires workers in all highway and road construction zones to wear high-visibility garments in two specific circumstances: when working as flaggers and when exposed to public vehicular traffic in the vicinity of excavations.

“Road and construction traffic poses an obvious and well-recognized hazard to highway/road construction work zone employees,” said Richard Fairfax, OSHA’s acting director for the directorate of construction. “[H]igh-visibility apparel is required under the [Occupational Safety and Health Act’s] General Duty Clause to protect employees exposed to the danger of being struck by public and construction traffic while working in highway/road construction work zones.”

The revision of the interpretation stems from an Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ruling, which found that a 2004 interpretation letter stopped short of requiring that high-visibility garments be worn in all highway and road construction work zones. With this revision, OSHA now more clearly requires construction workers in all highway/road construction work zones to be protected from road and construction traffic by wearing high-visibility garments.

To read the release, click here.

Danis buys NC-based R. N. Rouse

A major Ohio construction contractor is expanding its reach with the acquisition of a North Carolina firm, reports Columbus Business First.

Ohio-based Danis Building Construction Co., agreed to acquire Goldsboro, N.C.-based R.N. Rouse and Company Inc. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Danis has more than 400 employees company-wide and annual revenue of more than $300 million. R.N. Rouse is a privately owned construction company with 90 employees and average annual revenue of $75 million. In addition to its headquarters, the company has offices in Wilmington, N.C. and Cary, N.C. It serves health-care, industrial, institutional and corporate clients in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

CEO John Danis said the firm had been looking for expansion opportunities since opening a Jacksonville, Fla., office in 2000. The R.N. Rouse deal builds the company's geographic reach and gives it room for growth, he said.

A broader footprint also should allow the company to take on different work. While Danis' main focus is health-care contracting, R.N. Rouse’s focus is corporate office and technology construction.

Click Here for further information.

Magazine ranks NC business climate No. 1

North Carolina claimed the "Top Business Client" designation from Site Selection Magazine for the fifth year in a row. This is the eighth time in nine years that the state has the top hone in the publication's annual ranking.

"Business leaders know we are listening to them and working aggressively to meet their needs,” said Gov. Bev Perdue. “Companies know that in North Carolina they will find top-quality talent, world-class infrastructure, a pro-business environment, and premier education institutions. North Carolina is simply a great place to do business.”

“The synergy between North Carolina’s research parks, corporations, communities, and economic developers at the state and local levels is a major factor in this year’s top ranking,” said Site Selection Editor-in-Chief Mark Arend.

Site Selection magazine is an economic development publication. For more details, click Here.

OSHA lists 10 most frequent workplace safety violations

The U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revealed the preliminary top 10 most frequent workplace safety violations for 2009 as part of a presentation at the NSC’s annual Congress & Expo. The number of top 10 violations has increased almost 30% over the same time period in 2008.

“We appreciate our colleagues at OSHA presenting their new violation data to such a receptive audience,” said National Safety Council President and CEO Janet Froetscher. “The sheer number of violations gives us new resolve in raising awareness about the importance of having sounds safety procedures.”

The workplace violations are:

1. Scaffolding - 9,093 violations
Scaffold accidents most often result from the planking or support giving way, or from the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

2. Fall Protection - 6,771 violations
Any time a worker is at a height of four feet or more, the worker is at risk and needs to be protected. Fall protection must be provided at four feet in general industry, five feet in maritime, and six feet in construction.

3. Hazard Communication - 6,378 violations
Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import and prepare labels and safety data sheets to convey the hazard information to their downstream customers.

4. Respiratory Protection - 3,803 violations
Respirators protect workers against insufficient oxygen environments, harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays. These hazards may cause cancer, lung impairment, other diseases, or death.

5. Lockout-Tag out - 3,321 violations
“Lockout-Tag out” refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected start up of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

6. Electrical (Wiring) - 3,079 violations
Working with electricity can be dangerous. Engineers, electricians, and other professionals work with electricity directly, including working on overhead lines, cable harnesses, and circuit assemblies. Others, such as office workers and sales people, work with electricity indirectly and may also be exposed to electrical hazards.

7. Ladders - 3,072 violations
Occupational fatalities caused by falls remain a serious public health problem. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) lists falls as one of the leading causes of traumatic occupational death, accounting for 8% of all occupational fatalities from trauma.

8. Powered Industrial Trucks - 2,993 violations
Each year, tens of thousands of injuries related to powered industrial trucks (PIT), or forklifts, occur in U.S. workplaces. Many employees are injured when lift trucks are inadvertently driven off loading docks, lifts fall between docks and an unsecured trailer, they are struck by a lift truck, or when they fall while on elevated pallets and tines.

9. Electrical (general) - 2,556 violations
See #6.

10. Machine Guarding - 2,364 violations
Any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact injures the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be eliminated or controlled.

Source: Today's Facility Manager. Click Here.

NC voter information found online

Last year, NC voters set record high turnout throughout our state. But a year later, voting booths could be sadly silent on November 3 if pivotal local elections are overlooked by the same voters who flocked to the polls last fall.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Research by the N.C. Center for Voter Education shows that the No. 1 reason why voters don't go to the polls is because they don't know enough about the candidates.

Fortunately voters can find the facts they need to cast a confident ballot by visiting NCVoterGuide.org, an online voter guide created in a partnership between the N.C. Center for Voter Education and UNC-TV. The guide features candidate profiles, along with resources on voting in this year's election.

Local elections may not have the flashy ads and endorsements we had last year, but they do deal with such vital issues as the water we drink, the neighborhoods we live in and the schools our children attend. Cast your vote on Tuesday.

Clayco is seeking subcontractors for two design/build mess halls

The North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) will host a free subcontractor Meet and Greet with Clayco, Inc. on November 10, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Coastline Conference & Event Center (501 Nutt Street, Wilmington, NC 28401). All NC contractors are welcome to attend. Online registration is required.

Clayco is seeking subcontractors for Military Construction Projects P-1212 and P-882, Hadnot Point, Camp Lejeune.(Contract N40085-09-C-3210).

This $19.4 million project includes design and construction of one single-story and one two-story mess hall in the Hadnot Point area of Camp Lejeune. No contracts are expected to be awarded during the event. Clayco will use the interviews at the event to contact potential subcontractors.

Clayco is seeking SB, SDB, SBA HUBZone, VOSB, WOSB and SDVOSB subcontractors with:

· Bonding capability in some trades

· Ability to maintain current insurance

· Ability to meet installation access requirements

· Capability of maintaining staffing to meet schedule deadlines

· Financial capability to accomplish the work required

· Experience working on military installations

· Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection trades have already been awarded. However contractors in these specialties are encouraged to attend for consideration on future projects at Camp Lejeune.

For more information on Clayco, Inc. click Here.

The NCMBC is a component of the NC Community College System, headquartered at Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville. To register for this event, and for more information on NCMBC, visit www.ncmbc.us.

Dozers descend on Capitol Hill; Lawmakers oppose extension of transportation bill

Idled by recession, a caravan of bulldozers paraded through Washington urging Congress to reauthorize multi-year highway bill

A caravan of bulldozers and other construction equipment paraded through the streets of Washington to send a message to lawmakers that they must act now to stop the job bleeding in the construction equipment industry. Start Us Up USA! campaign organizers, joined by House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and other allies, staged a rally on the National Mall against a backdrop of idle construction equipment and a sea of orange flags to emphasize the 550,000 jobs lost in this industry and encourage the federal government not to delay enactment of multi-year highway legislation.

Congressional Quarterly reports Republican opposition to a six-month extension of the current transportation bill has killed the plan in the Senate. Instead, lawmakers will vote on a stopgap spending measure for the highway authorization bill by the end of the week. The current bill expires Saturday, and the stopgap measure would extend funding through Dec. 18.

"Across the country, time is running out for the men and women of this industry as job losses continue to mount and prevent a broader economic recovery," said Toby Mack, president and CEO of the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED). "New transportation funding is a critical component to spurring a recovery of the construction equipment industry nationwide and improving our nation's infrastructure," added Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), who along with AED, is co-sponsoring the Start Us UP USA! campaign.

While recession abates for some sectors of the U.S. economy, the construction equipment industry remains stalled in a deep depression, according to Mack and Slater. In fact, eight percent of all jobs lost during the recession - or two out of every 25 - can be traced to this ailing industry, according to an economic report released just last month by IHS Global Insight.

IHS Global Insight analyzed the impact of the construction equipment depression on individual states. Construction industry employment losses in North Carolina were estimated to be 19,804 jobs. Output losses in the state were estimated at $3.84 billion.

AEM and AED largely blame the downturn in their sector, in part, on the uncertainty surrounding the future of the highway program and a scarcity of new federal investment in needed transportation improvements that would benefit the public and strengthen our nation's competitiveness.

The current law - SAFETEA-LU - that funds the majority of our nation's transportation investments is just days from expiring on October 31, and Congress and the administration have yet to move on a new multi-year reauthorization bill. Leaders in the Start Us Up USA! campaign are calling for enactment of a new transportation bill before the spring construction season begins in early 2010.

Additional details can be found at www.StartUsUpUSA.com.