The of the Concrete Contractor AMERICANVOICE SOCIETY OF CONCRETE CONTRACTORS 2025 S. Brentwood Blvd., Ste. 105, St. Louis, MO 63144 Website: www.ascconline.org OCTOBER 2011 Tel: 314-962-0210 Fax: 314-968-4367 E-mail: [email protected] PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Clay Fischer Industry Calendar Attending this year’s 10th anniversary Annual Conference really illustrated to me how important the personal interaction is between members. It was good to get together with a November 8 – 9, 2011 lot of old friends and acquaintances, to see how their families and businesses were doing. Regional Event, Spokane, WA When I think back on the positive impact these relationships have had on our business and December 1 – 2, 2011 Sealer Workshop, St. Louis, MO my personal life, I thank my lucky stars that we joined ASCC. Between the events and being a member of a MIX Group, I can’t think of another place where I could have learned January 24 – 27, 2012 more about not only our industry, but life itself. World of Concrete, Las Vegas, NV It is extremely comforting to know that if I have an issue or just need to bounce an idea July 26 – 29, 2012 off someone, I can pick up the phone or shoot out an email (I am not a Tweeterizerer) and CEO Forum, Coeur d’Alene, ID talk to the smartest, most experienced people in our industry. Where else are you going to find that? NEW MEMBERS Another benefit is that we help each other. Welcome to our newest members. We have sent crews to Detroit and Boston to help our fellow contractors with tilt-up proj- ects. I saw in the e-mail forum that somebody was looking for some Georgia Buggies and Arizona Chapter ACI, Phoenix, AZ Tommy Ruttura offered his. There have been joint ventures formed to help guys out of a bit of trouble. Where else can you get this? Arrowhead Concrete, Inc., Austin, TX Jones Concrete Inc., Tulsa, OK It isn’t all business related. The friends I have made through ASCC have allowed me to experience a lot of things I otherwise wouldn’t have. Things like going to Maui, whale Southern California Chapter ACI, Santee, CA watching, getting hit with a golf ball, and having a barbeque on a secluded beach. Or going to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, boating, getting Jeeps stuck in butt–high mud and learning how NOT to burn down a beaver dam. Or going to New Hampshire and seeing prototype #1 of the Somero Laser Screed sitting in the weeds. Or going to Yakima, Washington and taking a personal wine tour, imbibing on said wine and being harassed about my golf game. Where else can you get a taste of these things? For those members who don’t participate, you don’t know what you are missing. Be careful out there! EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Bev Garnant It’s time again for the ACI fall convention. At the spring convention the ASCC/ACI task force – formed to help contractors play a more sig- nificant role in ACI and have a larger impact on ACI products – was discharged, it’s recommendations assigned to ACI’s Construction Liaison Committee and to ASCC. It’s time for us to step up and put these ideas into play. Several things have happened already: At our Annual Conference last month, Ward Malisch and Wayne Walker, SSI, and chair of ACI-360, gave a presentation on changes in 301, 360 and 117 documents that impact contractors. An article written by Ward, on how any contractor, even if you’re not a member of an ACI committee, can have input into ACI documents, was published in Concrete International. We will be posting this on the ASCC website. (webinars begin at 3:00 p.m. CST) Upcoming Webinars All ACI technical committee chairmen have been asked if they Date Topic Presenter would like more contractor participation. This is a big one. We need Nov. 9, 2011 Silica Task-Exposure Assessment, Michael Ladd, to be ready with contractors to fill those seats. Interpretation of Results, and CNA The ACI Construction Liaison Committee makes available docu- Effectiveness of Various Dust Controls ments out for review that are of most interest to contractors. ASCC Dec. 14, 2011 Co-worker Safety Around a Pump Rob Edwards will be emailing these to all contractor delegates. It is in your best interest to have someone in your company review them. 1 ACI’s member profile is being revised to better identify concrete contractors. This will allow ACI to improve communication with this segment of the membership. Ron Burg and Ken Hover attended the CEO Forum, and Ron, Ken, Mike Tholen, Rex Donahey, and Jim Wight attended the Annual Conference. We’re off to a good start. Making contractors more effective within the ACI process will be a long road and the responsibility is equally shared by ACI and ASCC. We have to prove that we have the people who are willing to attend conventions, speak up in committee meetings, and do the hard work of document writing and critique. If you’re not the right person in your organization to become involved in ACI, find someone who is. We either put up or shut up. SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT COUNCIL Limit Use of Stickers, Paint on Hard Hats Think twice before adding stickers, decals or paint to your hard hat. Doing so may compromise the shell’s protective capability. Personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements are outlined in 29 CFR 1910.132(a). Specific requirements for head protection are in 29 CFR 1910.135, which incorporates by reference American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z89.1-1986, Z89.1-1997 and Z89.1-2003. 29 CFR 1910.135 doesn’t contain wording that explicitly prohibits painting or the placement of adhesive stickers on hard hat shells. ANSI’s latest edition of standard Z89.1-2009 references painting in Appendix A4. The appendix recommends caution should be exercised if shells are to be painted and, if so, to consult the helmet manufacturer. As for stickers or decals, ANSI states in Appendix A7 that helmet decorations should not be used to obscure dents, cracks, nonmanufactured holes, other penetrations, burns or other damage. Consult the helmet manufacturer before applying any stickers or decals. OSHA has issued an interpretation letter regarding the use of adhesive stickers or paint on hard hats, warning they can interfere with an employer’s ability to comply with impact, rough treatment or wear that might reduce the degree of protection. Paints and stickers may eliminate electrical resistance and, depending on the location and quantity, hide defects, cracks, penetration and any damage that otherwise would be readily identifiable during the employee’s inspection. Another concern is that paints, thinners and solvents can attack or damage a hard hat’s shell and reduce protection. The OSHA letter further explains that painting or applying stickers must be performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruc- tions. Hard hat manufacturers usually provide very specific instructions regarding paints, stickers or decals that will not negatively affect a protective helmet’s performance. MSA instructions According to MSA Bulletin Number 0600-43, it is permissible to use pressure-sensitive stickers or tape with self-adhesive backing as long as they are not closer than ½” from the edge of an MSA helmet. MSA recommends refraining from painting helmets. Paint may attach and damage the helmet’s shell, reducing the degree of protection originally provided. Bullard instructions Two Bullard letters state the use of self-adhesive stickers to personalize its hard hats or for other marking or identification purposes is a common practice. Adhesive stickers should be placed at least ¾” away from the edge of the helmet. The area of the helmet that’s covered should be kept to a practical minimum to permit regular inspection of the helmet shell for signs of damage from use or aging. Avoid painting hard hat shells in all cases. North instructions According to North, the use of self-adhesive stickers for identification purposes is a common practice. There is very little or no interaction between the adhesive on pressure sensitive stickers and the shell of the hard hat because of the type of adhesive or glue used. Fibre-Metal instructions North warns against painting, imprinting or applying decals or stickers without written permission of North Safety Products. Paint can attack the shell and cause degradation while stickers can cover cracks or damage. Sperian instructions Sperian’s hard hat care sheet notes that stickers and labels may be added to the hard hat shell, as long as none is over ½” from the bottom of the hard hat. Paint contains chemicals that will interfere with the performance and integrity of the hard hat. Do not, under any circumstances, paint the shell of a Sperian hard hat. “Courtesy of Lab Safety Supply, Janesville, WI, Reproduced with Permission” 2 DECORATIVE CONCRETE COUNCIL Frank Lewis, DCC Council Director ASCC Annual Conference Recap I attended the ASCC Annual Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan in September and came away with a huge amount of new informa- tion to help me grow - including everything from safety program implementation to moisture problems in concrete floors. The seminars were presented by some of the best minds in our industry. If the great seminars were not enough, a smart contractor could get the straight skinny on a wide variety of meaningful topics during a productive afternoon of roundtable discussions. What better way to get eyeball to eyeball with the very folks who are having some of the same issues you are or maybe have them solved by experienced people who are at the table to share with their fellow contractors? Here’s the list of the roundtable topics: Marketing and Business Development - Succession and Exit Strategies - Managing Debt – Mix Design and Tolerances for Polished Floors - Maximizing Manufacturer Relationships - Keeping Up Morale in Tough Times – Estimating Strategies.