Management

The superintendent for an Ontario contractor testified on Monday that his company has made harnesses mandatory for all employees at risk of falls - a response to the death of a worker who fell when a concrete slab slipped two years ago.

None of the employees who worked drilling foundation pillars were wearing harnesses the day site supervisor Glen Barnes was essentially swallowed up by collapsing soil, according to superintendent Aidan MacIsaac. Published reports indicated, however, that witnesses testifying expressed doubt that a harness would have prevented Barnes's death.

The incident occurred in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada on November 15, 2005. Pro-Caisson was contracted to build eight concrete piers as part of the foundation for expansion of Owen Sound's municipal water filtration plant.

A Georgia-based contractor faces $40,000 in fines from OSHA following a fatal fall at a Niagara Falls, New York hotel construction site. DEC Management Inc. of Athens, Georgia was cited for six alleged serious violations of safety standards.

The proposed fines come after an October 3rd incident in which an employee was killed and another was injured when the precast concrete panel on which they were standing shifted and fell 25 feet to the ground.

"Falls are the number one killer in construction work," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo. "This case is the starkest example of what happens when basic, vital safeguards are ignored. This tragedy could have been prevented had these safeguards been in place."

The inspection by OSHA found that the panel was not secured and lacked the strength and structural integrity to safely support the employees. The workers also lacked fall protection and had not been provided required fall hazard training.

The National Association of Home Builders is still accepting registrations for its upcoming Building Systems Council Showcase, which is being held in Hilton Head, South Carolina from October 28-31. The showcase features issues important to manufacturers, builders, dealers, suppliers and associates in the concrete, log, modular and panelized home building industries.

Showcase attendees can witness educational sessions, trade show exhibits, award ceremonies and network with others in the business.

To make an online reservation, go to www.hiltonheadmarriot.com.

Led by an expected 10 percent growth in China, worldwide Portland cement consumption will increase 5.5 percent this year followed by a rise of 6.9 percent in 2008 – an average of nearly 160 million metric tons annually – according to a Flash Report issued by PCA last week.

The international report cites robust growth conditions in emerging and transitional economies, such as those in South America, Eastern Europe and Asia. China continues to play a critical role in consumption trends, accounting for more than 45 percent of the world’s cement consumption.

The report predicts the world economy will increase 3.11 percent in 2007, with a 2.94 percent increase expected in 2008.

The National Standards Development Committee of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) has approved the first PCA standard utilizing the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited voluntary consensus process.

The new standard, PCA 100-07, “Prescriptive Method for Design and Construction of Residential Concrete Walls”, facilitates the use of cast-in-place concrete wall systems built with either removable or stay-in-place forms, such as insulating concrete forms (ICFs). It applies to the construction of detached one-and-two family dwellings.

PCA 100-07 provides a simplified approach for the design and construction of cast-in-place concrete foundation and above-grade exterior walls. It is based on the requirements of ASCE 7-05, “Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures”, ACI 318-05, “Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete” and test results.

PCA anticipates that the standard will be referenced in the 2009 edition of the “International Residential Code for One-and-Two Family Dwellings” (IRC), and will be available from PCA by the end of the year.

CEMEX announced that it intends to begin construction of a $400 million cement manufacturing facility near Seligman, Arizona.

Operations at the Seligman Crossing Plant are to begin by 2012. The facility will manufacture cement to serve the growing needs of Arizona, including the Phoenix metropolitan area.

“CEMEX is committed to balancing the demand for development in the region with environmental sustainability to ensure that it provides for the growing needs of the expanding residential community in the Phoenix area in a responsible, mutually beneficial way,” said Gilberto Perez, President of CEMEX USA.

Despite the falling prices of other construction materials, the price of concrete continues to rise, although modestly, compared to previous years.

Jim Haughey, chief economist with Reed Construction Data, notes the price of pre-cast concrete grew 4.9 percent compared to last year while the cost of cement rose 4.7 percent. However, those increases are modest compared to jumps in prior years. In 2005, for example, prices of concrete products jumped 17 percent.

Haughey cautions, however, that the overall decline in prices may be offset by rising construction labor costs, especially in the retail sector, where it is difficult to find laborers with a retail specialty.

Housing dragged U.S. construction spending down 0.4 percent in July, the Commerce Department reported, but spending on nonresidential construction was up 0.6 percent during the same period. It was the 10th consecutive monthly gain for nonresidential construction.

“Nonresidential construction shrugged off the turmoil in homebuilding and credit markets in July to post another solid gain,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

“For the first seven months of 2007 combined, total construction was down 3.4 percent and residential plummeted 18 percent compared to the same period in 2006,” Simonson added. “Those figures obscure the 15 percent jump in nonresidential spending.

Simonson also noted that some categories that might seem susceptible to the much-ballyhooed credit crunch showed no signs of slowing down.

“Private nonresidential construction—the type that might seem most vulnerable to a credit pullback—showed no sign of contagion, rising 0.4 percent in July and 17 percent year-to-date,” Simonson said. “The three most speculative components — commercial, office and lodging, all advanced. Commercial construction was up 0.6 percent for the month and 15 percent year-to-date. The two biggest commercial subcomponents—multi-retail – big box and other general merchandise stores, shopping centers and malls – and warehouses, both leaped 4 percent in July and 28 percent year-to-date. Private office construction climbed 0.6 percent and 22 percent, and lodging shot up 0.8 percent and 60 percent.”