On May 18, the administration released the latest regulatory agenda outlining their plans for their final months. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) listed a number of new initiatives.  An update on rulemakings affecting the construction industry is outlined below.

The University of Washington Department of Construction Management inducted Kathleen Garrity, retired president of the ABC Western Washington chapter, into the Construction Hall of Fame for her substantial contributions to the industry on May 24. She is the second woman to be inducted.

On May 18, the administration released the latest regulatory agenda outlining their plans for their final months. The agencies are looking to work on several rulemakings impacting federal contractors. An update on rulemakings affecting the construction industry is outlined below. 

On May 12, ABC joined with 15 organizations to send a letter  to the U.S. Senate in support of the EEOC Reform Act (S. 2693.  This legislation aims to eliminate the “enormous and unreasonable administrative burdens” posed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed revisions to the Employer Information Report (EEO-1), which would require employers with 100 or more employees to provide data on W-2 pay and hours worked, beginning in 2017.  

A brand-new 2016 Ram Tradesman Crew Cab truck was presented to ABC Craft Professional of the Year Scott Walters at an event in Grand Rapids, Mich. Scott, a carpentry superintendent at Dan Vos Construction Co., was awarded the truck courtesy of the award sponsor, Tradesmen International, with custom upgrades donated by FCA US. 

Construction jobsites in Washington, D.C., stopped work at midday on Thursday, May 5 so that workers could attend a special Safety Week event, the Ballpark Grand Slam for Safety at Nationals Park. Workers made their way to the stadium for safety and equipment demonstrations and exhibits, a Stretch and Flex exercise, subcontractor safety awards, remarks by OSHA's Acting Director, of the Directorate of Construction and lunch. The event was sponsored by ABC -a Safety Week partner, major general contractors, insurers and Associated General Contractors 

ABC today released the following statement in reaction to the release of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) final rule on Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, commonly referred to as “electronic recordkeeping.”

An amendment which would exempt the Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) from the controversial “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” Executive Order 13673, proposed rule and guidance, commonly referred to as “blacklisting,” passed the House Armed Services Committee on April 28.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released three new fact sheets that are free to download from OSHA's Publications webpage. A ladder jack scaffolds fact sheet* illustrates how to prevent injuries from falls when using work platforms supported by portable ladders. A confined spaces fact sheet* emphasizes the OSHA requirement for employers to develop and implement procedures for summoning rescue or emergency services in permit-required confined spaces. Lastly, a fact sheet on longshoring in marine terminals* describes how to prevent semi-tractor driver injuries during container lifting operations. 

On April 28, ABC submitted a letter to the chairmen of the congressional Task Force on Health Care Reform urging them to take action on common-sense health care solutions.  In the letter, ABC expressed its strong support for the task force’s mission to “modernize American health care with a patient-centered system that gives patients more choice and control, increases quality, and reduces costs.”