e news augusts 2016

Website  |    Events  |  Join SEAA  |  Safety Flash  |  Contact Officers Elected to SEAA Board of Directors During its July Board of Directors Meeting held in Boston, Mass., the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) elected four new officers to the Board. These individuals will serve two-year terms, concluding in 2018. They are (left to right) Geoffrey Kress, Treasurer; Chris Legnon, Secretary; David Schulz, Vice President/Industry Representative; and Carrie Sopuch-Gulajan, Vice President/Associate Representative with incoming President Josh Cilley.  More Ironworker Craft Training and Apprenticeship Continues Expansion Companies seeking to provide Ironworker Training and Apprenticeships through the SEAA/NCCER sponsored program continue to seek membership with SEAA. The most recent company to join the network, Adaptive Construction Solutions, provides a unique service for military veterans seeking to integrate to civilian careers.  Tim Eldridge, Craft Training and Assessment Coordinator and President of Education Services Unlimited reported at the July Board of Directors meeting that more than 80 individuals have taken the Ironworker assessment to date. The average pass rate on first attempt is 55%, indicating the rigor of the exams. SEAA now sponsors 11 training units and 12 assessment sites. More than 40 individuals have been certfied as instructors and performance evaluators. For more information  contact Tim Eldridge at t_eldridge@bellsouth.net or 980-722-9373. Teamwork Essential to Creative, Cost-Effective Steel Construction Solutions Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) announces the winners of its annual Project of the Year competition. "Each year, I am amazed at the increasing complexity of steel erection projects SEAA members undertake," said Project of the Year committee chairman Alan Sears. "These projects are representative of the unique challenges steel erection contractors must overcome. Teamwork with the fabricator, engineer, and detailers is often essential to creative, cost-effective completion of structural steel construction jobs," he said. Be sure to check out photo galleries for each of these award-winning projects. More Class I Winner LPR Construction for I-255 Florida Pedestrian Bridge, Aurora, Colo. Class II Winner Gabriel Steel Erectors for 635 West 57th St., Manhattan, N.Y. Class III Winner CSE Inc. for Liberty University Fine Arts School of Music, Lynchburg, Va. Class IV Winner Bracken Construction for University of Mississippi Basketball Arena, Oxford, Miss. Industry Reports Get Training at AISC Erector Certification Bootcamp Atema is hosting AISC Erector Certification Training at the Atema Headquarters in Chicago Sept. 21-22, 2016. This 2-day course will highlight what you need to know about the new AISC Erector Certification Program. Cost is $395. More Charlie Carter to become President of AISC in December Charles (Charlie) J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD, has been named the new president of AISC, effective in December. For the past eight years he's served as Vice President and Chief Structural Engineer for AISC and has worked for the Institute for more than 25 years.  Carter has spearheaded a number of  initiatives, including  revitalization of the AISC Code of Standard Practice, the development of a unified Steel Manual combining both ASD and LRFD, the development of AISC's first Seismic Design Manual, and the expansion of AISC continuing education programs into the online realm. He's also a well-known speaker and the author of numerous papers as well as AISC Design Guides on Torsional Analysis of Structural Steel Members and on Wide-Flange Column Stiffening at Moment Connections. More New Rules for Operating Drones Take Effect in August The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration has finalized the first operational rules for routine commercial use of drones. The new rule, which takes effect in late August, offers safety regulations for unmanned aircraft drones weighing less than 55 pounds that are conducting non-hobbyist operations. Insurance professionals additionally recommend that compannies using drones for commercial construction secure Unmanned Aerial Systems coverage. More Updated Aerial Platform Standards to be Released New ANSI/SAIA A92.2 standards for the design, manufacture, testing, inspection, installation, maintenance, use, training, and operation of vehicle-mounted aerial devices will soon be released. One of the biggest changes in the draft standard is the requirement for load-sensing alarms and cutouts to be built into new work platforms, reports ForConstructionPros.com.  The ANSI standards also will include new guidelines for operators, passengers and supervisors. Fall-protection will be required on all boom-type lifts, and the new standard will discourage the use of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms to transport workers from one level to another. Further, it will be the supervisor's responsibility to prepare a risk assessment for any use of the platform. For more information, check out these other resources: Scaffold & Access Industry Association International Powered Access Federation American National Standards Institute Employers Must Comply with OSHA Anti-Discrimination Rules by Aug. 10 On May 11, 2016, OSHA amended its Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Rule. While much attention has been paid to the new requirements that employers electronically submit their injury and illness records to OSHA starting in 2017, equally important anti-retaliation provisions go into effect August 10, 2016. State OSHA plans are expected to adopt similar requirements by November 2016. This update from Sherman & Howard summarizes changes to the law and provides S&H law firm's recommendations for what employers, especially HR and HSE professionals, should consider doing before the August 10 deadline. More October is Careers in Construction Month Download Map Promoted by NCCER and Build Your Future, to date 15 states and the District of Columbia are recognizing October as Careers in Construction Month. Is your state one of them? Find out how to get legislators on board and how to plan a career day at your company or school. "SEAA supports these efforts as we recognize the ongoing importance of recruitment to the overall well-being of the construction industry," said Josh Cilley, SEAA President.  More Member News Welcome New Members Adaptive Construction Solutions Houston, TX Services Bigfoot Construction Equipment Inc. Woodstock, IL Supplier & Manufacturer Structural Steel of Carolina Winston-Salem, NC Fabricator Texas Company to provide Ironworker Training to Veterans Adaptive Construction Solutions Inc. (ACS), Houston, Texas, hires military veterans, trains them to become Ironworkers, and contracts them out to local General Contractor and Steel Erection Contractor partners in the Gulf Coast region. More Deem Structural Services Participates in Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down In May, Deem Structural Services held Fall Hazard Awareness training at each of its job sites and Ana Tomancak, Deem's Corporate Safety Coordinator, was asked to share the message on one of their General Contractor's sites. "They completely shut the job site down, which has an average of 300 workers from different trades, and allowed time for a safety training in fall protection," she said. New Strategic Partnership for Buckner Steel Erection and American Steel & Precast Erectors, Assets of Steel Performance Acquired Buckner Steel Erection (BSE) and American Steel & Precast Erectors (ASPE) have entered into a strategic partnership. While not a purchase or merger, both companies gain resources, knowledge, and support. In addition, the two companies have acquired the assets of Steel Performance Inc. More Schulz Iron Works Intern Competes at National Bridge Competition Schulz Iron Works intern Willis Swaringen, fourth from left, was part of the NCSU National Bridge Competition Team. In May 2016, Willis Swaringen, an intern working for Schulz Iron Works Inc., Raleigh, N.C., was part of a team representing North Carolina State University that competed in a national steel bridge competition in Utah. Sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction and American Society of Civil Engineers, just 48 teams out of more than 200 were selected to compete at the National Student Steel Bridge Competition. More Simpson Strong-Tie Opens Research and Testing Lab A new Simpson Strong-Tie® Research and Testing Lab at Washington State University (WSU) includes capabilities for mock-ups of new building systems, structural testing and advanced digital manufacturing. The lab is part of an agreement between Simpson Strong-Tie and WSU for an annual $100,000 donation over the next eight years to support Washington State University construction and engineering research. The lab supports research in concrete durability, repair and retrofit, tall timber buildings, deck safety, post-frame buildings, and seismic retrofit. It features a high-capacity reaction floor and wall, central hydraulic pump, overhead crane and concrete mixing station. Adjoining the lab is an outdoor reaction slab that allows for project display and natural weather exposure testing. The lab is part of the Composite Materials and Engineering Center, an International Code Council-accredited testing facility. Safety Flash: Assessing Silica Exposure for Ironworkers Nothing about being an Ironworker automatically brings to mind concerns with silica dust, silica exposure, or silicosis. However, it's worth consideration given the recent release of the new OSHA silica standard 1926.1153, which became effective June 23, 2016. The construction industry has one year to comply with the new standard. New exposure levels means that every trade on the job must now evaluate if what they're doing is safe for their employees. It's true that Ironworkers are not typically creating dust on the job by cutting block, grinding cement, or digging holes. However, consider the welder, rigger, decker, or connector who may be performing tasks such as setting a wall anchor in concrete. Or what about chipping out concrete to repair the anchor bolts? More In the News OH&S: Why the Construction Industry Needs to Adopt Leading Indicators More For Construction Pros:  Contractors Must Adapt to Attract and Sustain Effective Employees More Lift & Move USA: 300 Students attend Buckner-hosted Career Event More ABC: Associated Builders and Contractors releases 2016 Safety Performance Report More Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.