2017 Business Management University will exceed your expectations

by Georgia-SMACNA | Oct 27, 2016 | News

SMACNA’s Business Management University, Feb. 26 to March 2, 2017, in Tempe, Ariz., is one of the industry’s most highly regarded and longest-running programs. Consistently exceeding contractors’ expectations, you will study the industry’s newest ideas and best practices to master running a successful sheet metal and HVAC company.

What are participants saying about SMACNA’s Business Management University?

• “The program went above and beyond my expectations.”
• “It was very, very useful to me, and gave me a better understanding of how to best run my company.”
• “The program blew away my expectations.”

It will exceed your expectations too. Studying real-world business practices with top-name construction industry experts and professors, you will learn financial management, strategic planning, change order management, contractor survival skills, negotiation, time management, leadership, and productivity.

You will return to your business ready to hit the ground running to implement these exciting new methods and strategies learned.

Watch the SMACNA website for registration details coming soon, and register on SMACNA’s National Educational Programs webpage. If you sign up by the early-bird deadline you will save money. Additional attendees from the same company also receive a discount.

For more information, contact Bridgette Bienacker, SMACNA’s director of business management and membership at bbienacker@smacna.org.

SMACNA’s New Silica Exposure Model Safety Program Available

by Georgia-SMACNA | Oct 27, 2016 | News

Breathing silica dust can cause a variety of serious respiratory ailments. Protect your workers and learn how to comply with OSHA’s new standard on worksite silica exposure with SMACNA’s new Silica Exposure Prevention Model Program—free to members only.

The new rule, which OSHA issued in March, is written as two standards, one for construction and one for general industry and maritime workplaces.

For the construction industry and affected SMACNA contractors, potential silica exposure can be found in tasks that include drilling, cutting, and grinding silica-containing materials such as concrete and stone.

For SMACNA contractors, a typical task affected by this new rule would be setting duct or pipe hangers into concrete ceilings. Most employers can limit exposure to silica dust by using work practices and equipment that are readily available today, such as wet methods and vacuum dust collection systems.

SMACNA’s Silica Exposure Prevention Model Program includes roles and responsibilities, exposure control methods, engineering and work practice controls, a fact sheet with major provisions, and a summary of OSHA respiratory compliance requirements.

SMACNA members can download a free copy on the Safety Model Programs section of  SMACNA’s Safety webpage.

The full requirements of the OSHA rule for the construction industry become effective June 23, 2017. Visit the OSHA silica website to learn details on the new standards.

Take advantage of SMACNA’s Safety and Health Policies, Procedures, and Model Programs, which provide this free silica program and more free safety and health programs. You can also customize these model programs to meet your unique needs.

For more information, contact Mike McCullion, SMACNA’s director of market sectors and safety (mmccullion@smacna.org / (703) 995-4027).

FMI Construction Outlook Q3 2016

by Georgia-SMACNA | Oct 26, 2016 | News

The construction industry has largely recovered from the recession, at least in terms of billions of dollars in construction put in place. Up until the last two years, it seemed like a very slow recovery, but then the return to growth blossomed. The acceleration of growth in the past couple of years wasn’t a complete surprise. However, fresh memories of the recession kept some companies from hiring until everyone else started hiring to the point where labor shortages in the industry became a big issue. Pent-up demand was set free in almost every construction sector.

The economy is still adding jobs, and people are buying homes and spending money on consumer and durable goods, but not as much as before the recession, or enough to boost the Consumer Price Index. So, what do we see now for future growth? Continued slow growth in most areas, but, as noted above, those billions add up.

FMI’s Construction Outlook Q3 2016 Report (PDF)

DOL Issues Final Rule on Paid Sick Leave Requirement for Federal Contractors

by Georgia-SMACNA | Oct 5, 2016 | News

On September 30, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“DOL”) released a Final Rule Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors. The Rule implements Executive Order 13706 which requires contractors working on federal contracts to provide paid sick leave to certain employees.

The new requirements apply to contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2017. Contractors who disregard the new requirements can be subject to debarment, among other penalties.

The Final Rule in general:

• Requires that employees of contractors, or subcontractors, working on or in connection with federal contracts accrue not less than one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
• Allows contractors to limit sick leave accrual to 56 hours (i.e., 7 days) per year, but requires contractors to carry over an employee’s unused leave into the next year.
• Does not require contractors to pay out accrued but unused sick leave when an employee separates employment, but requires contractors to reinstate an employee’s accrued sick leave if an employee is rehired by a covered contractor within 12 months of separation.
• Allows employees to use their paid sick leave not only to care for their own physical or mental health but also to care for sick children, parents, spouses or partners, and for circumstances related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Unlike some state and local ordinances, the Final Rule does not provide any exemption for contractors who are signatory to a collective bargaining agreement or for those within the construction industry.

Areas that provide paid leave through a local vacation or other plan may meet their obligations via that plan as long as the benefit provided (leave) is at least as good as the paid leave required by the Final Rule. Specifically, the Final Rule includes a provision providing that a contractor may fulfill its obligations through a multiemployer plan that provides paid sick leave in compliance with the requirements of the Final Rule. However, this does not allow the employer to shift responsibility to the plan. The new provision also provides that regardless of what functions the plan performs each contractor remains responsible for any violation of the Final Rule that occurs during its employment of the employee.

SMACNA is currently working on more detailed guidance for SMACNA members who are federal contractors. Additionally, we anticipate that new information will be coming out over the next few months and SMACNA will continue to monitor and update SMACNA members as appropriate.