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MSHA: Follow procedure to submit program for corrective action
MSHA issued a reminder for the industry about the process for submitting a corrective action program for agency approval. According to an MSHA press release, the purpose of a corrective action program is to establish and implement corrective actions at a mine to reduce significant and substantial (S&S) violations that could lead to pattern of violations sanctions. A corrective action program must contain concrete, meaningful measures to reduce S&S violations; be specifically tailored to the mine’s compliance problems; and contain achievable benchmarks and milestones for implementation. These programs must be submitted to the agency for approval, MSHA says. MSHA is encouraging mine operators to develop and implement corrective action programs prior to meeting the pattern-of-violations screening criteria. “Mine operators should closely track their violation and injury histories,” says Joe Main, MSHA's assistant secretary of labor. “Developing and implementing an effective corrective action program that reduces significant and substantial violations puts a mine on track to make the workplace safer and healthier for miners.” Keep Reading
Illinois organization sets goals for state’s infrastructure fixes
The Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC) is pushing for state legislators to provide about $1.8 billion per year in investments for the state of Illinois' infrastructure and to fix roads, bridges, rail systems and airports. According to TFIC, the $1.8 billion in annual revenue would fund both pay-as-you-go spending and a bonding program that would get the state’s roads to 90 percent acceptable condition and 93 percent acceptable condition for bridges. Eighty percent of funding would support roads, bridges and airports, and 20 percent would support transit needs, according to a press release. Sixty percent of the road and bridge funding would support the state's network, while 40 percent goes to local roads. TFIC says this increase would be the first in local funding since 1999 for Illinois. Revenues would stem from all state sales tax revenue from motor fuel; ending the ethanol credit for gasoline; increasing the state motor fuel tax on gasoline by 4 cents per gallon; increasing the state motor fuel tax on diesel by 7 cents… Keep Reading
Case app allows fleet managers to track machinery and more
Case Construction Equipment introduced an app for the iPad called SiteWatch, which is designed to provide business owners and fleet managers with data on performance, productivity and maintenance. According to a press release, the SiteWatch iPad app provides actionable information to help manage fleet maintenance, optimize machine performance, lower fuel consumption and idle time, and lower total operating costs. Case says the app provides the ability to review fleet details and locate machinery; review and create geo-fences; check utilization and working status durations; review the status of alarms received within a selected time period; review and analyze fuel consumption; monitor machine health through the report of key parameters set within the web application. SiteWatch employs an onboard communication device that monitors the machine’s CAN-bus network and transmits data to a designated user’s web portal, the company says. The iPad app is available through the Apple iTunes store. Keep Reading
Non-profit group backs BRIDGE Act as infrastructure solution
The Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure's (AIAI) board of directors cast its support for the Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment (BRIDGE) Act. The BRIDGE Act is legislation Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) recently proposed. AIAI's board says the BRIDGE Act serves the public interest and provides structure and a means to achieve "mutually beneficial outcomes for both sides of the political aisle and for participants in public-private partnerships." Keep Reading
OSHA hears from NSSGA rep on silica rule
NSSGA's Pam Whitted, senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs, testified before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on the potential impacts of its crystalline silica proposed rule. Whitted joined other stakeholders in expressing concern over the cost to businesses. “OSHA’s proposal is estimated by independent analysts to cost large and small employers alike billions of dollars every year," she says. Whitted says a better approach would be for OSHA to enforce the current permissible exposure limits (PELs). A balanced view of the silica research indicates that the current is adequate to prevent silica-related disease, she says. Whitted also expressed the industry's concern regarding enforcement with OSHA’s proposal to reduce the PEL. "Many commercial laboratories may not be able to measure silica exposures at or below the current PEL on a reliable and consistent basis," she says. Keep Reading
State makes record commitment to infrastructure improvements
The Illinois Tollway will spend $1.4 billion on road, bridge and interchange improvements this year, the Associated Press reports. According to the report, the funds will derive from a 15-year, $12 billion capital program in which bonds are repaid through toll increases. Gov. Pat Quinn (D-Ill.) says the expenditure is the largest one-year infrastructure investment in Illinois Tollway history. Keep Reading
Cat among five to form alliance to boost infrastructure spending
Five U.S. companies – BNSF, Caterpillar, Dow Chemical, Honeywell and UPS – launched an alliance to further the effort toward the passage of a long-term, well-funded surface transportation bill before the expiration of MAP-21 in September. According to a press release, the companies formed the Alliance for American Competitiveness because they rely on a functioning transportation infrastructure network and represent the business users of highways and bridges who are dependent on a well-functioning, up-to-date system. Keep Reading
NSSGA: Proposed rule would cost producers immensely
NSSGA President and CEO Michael Johnson released a statement expressing concern over a proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule extending federal jurisdiction over large swaths of land that would be classified as “waters of the U.S.” According to NSSGA, this proposed rule would overstep Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court by removing the significance of “navigable” from the Clean Water Act. The association adds that the rule would impose "immense costs" on U.S. aggregates operations. “At a time when the president, Congress and Americans everywhere are rightly concerned about the state of our transportation infrastructure, it is frustrating that the EPA decides to prioritize a dramatic, unwarranted and unwise change that would so negatively impact the ability to build the roads and bridges America desperately needs," Johnson says. “The economic analysis that EPA used is deeply flawed. Under the proposed rule, increased mitigation costs at just one site could be more than EPA says mitigation costs will increase in entire states. Furthermore, violations of this proposed rule would expose… Keep Reading
Signs positive for growth in construction
FMI offered predictions for various construction markets this year upon releasing its Q1-2014 Construction Outlook. FMI predicts an 8 percent overall increase in construction-put-in-place for 2014, and the firm is anticipating continued growth over the next few years. Transportation, for example, will see a 7 percent improvement to $4.4 billion in 2014, FMI forecasts. Also, FMI expects the residential market to grow but it says the growth pace is slowing. The firm forecast 18-percent growth in single-family construction. Multifamily construction, however, will show a 27 percent increase in 2014, the firm adds. That's a drop from the 44-percent increase in 2013. In commercial construction, FMI says investors are beginning to help lift commercial out of a slump by taking more risks. The industry is expected to grow another 7 percent in 2014 to $52.6 billion. According to FMI, this would be the highest mark the category achieved since 2008. Construction will grow 2 percent in 2014 in health care, FMI adds, but a 6-percent spike is forecast for 2015 as… Keep Reading
