APCA Safety Committee Meeting
November 8, 2018
Sheraton North Houston at George Bush Intercontinental
Houston, Texas
1. Welcome
Committee Chair Ron Oakley, Sunland Construction, welcomed attendees and said he was happy to see so many people at the meeting. This hotel – the Sheraton North Houston at George Bush Intercontinental – will be our meeting place going forward.
The following representatives from APCA-member companies were in attendance:
Ben Bookman
Rob Booth
Nick Bruno
Mike Castle
Dean Dodson
Dominique Estrello
David Evans
Adam Helleberg
Miles Hester
Larry Horton
Jimmy Lindsey
Laris Nolan
Ron Oakley
Kyle Parko
Rich Prosser
James Roberts
Jose Ruiz
Richard Rybka
Charles Simpson
Clint Wilson
OSHA:
James Shelton
APCA Staff:
Mike Ancell
2. Safety Moments
Oakley reviewed the procedures for an emergency evacuation during the meeting, including nearest exits, a meeting place outside, and who should have to attendee list so we can account for everyone.
During introductions, Laris Nolan, Bluewater Constructors, offered a poignant safety moment from a fatal car wreck he had witnessed a week earlier. He assisted the victim and the first responders and was moved by the experience: "It tore me up." Laris' story underscored the importance of safety efforts, and he urged everyone to "think about what you're doing."
3. APCA Executives' Opening Comments
APCA Board member Nick Bruno, Bi-Con Services, thanked attendees for coming. He knows everyone is busy and appreciates their participation. He said the committee's challenge is to pave a safety path for merit-shop contractors, and he noted the importance of developing and sharing best practices and on-boarding new employees. He encouraged everyone to speak up during committee meetings; participation is how you get value.
APCA President-Elect Mike Castle, Progressive Pipeline, thanked attendees for volunteering their time and for their leadership on safety: "It says something about you and about your company." He echoed Bruno's comments on speaking up and being involved.
4. Introductions
All participants introduced themselves and shared their company name, years in the industry, and something good that had recently happened to them or their family.
5. OSHA Update
OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist Jim Shelton discussed a variety of safety topics with the group, including the recently issued final crane rule, rate-based incentives, drug testing, a new emphasis on ammonium nitrate, and the agency's big push on trenching & excavation safety (if a compliance officer drives by a jobsite with an open trench, they are required to stop and take a look).
6. OSHA Alliance Meetings
Committee Co-chair Miles Hester, Progressive Pipeline, reported on an OSHA Alliance meeting that he attended in September and on the APCA Mid-Year Meeting in October. The next OSHA Alliance event is April 4, 2019, in Washington, D.C., and an APCA-OSHA Alliance teleconference is scheduled for April 17, 2019.
7. Common New-Hire Orientation for APCA Members
The group discussed the possibility of creating a common new-hire orientation for APCA members. Ron Oakley said he envisioned something that takes less than an hour, explains APCA's safety philosophy, and covers the basics. The group discussed what their companies do (most companies use one day for orientation, though at least one uses four days), the various companies that can handle orientation training (SafeLand USA, Safe Construction Consulting, PEC Safety, Cat), and what owners require (most require their orientation video). Question: is there a need among members? They discussed costs (one company said $2,000/minute of used video) and asked PCCA staff to look into how much a video would cost.
8. Lessons-Learned Repository
The committee discussed creating a repository of safety-related lessons learned on the Safety Zone section of the APCA website, similar to what the INGAA Foundation does on its website. The submissions would be anonymous and reviewed by the Safety Committee (or a smaller subcommittee) before being posted. APCA members would receive an email alert when new lessons learned become available. Question: would APCA members use it? The group discussed the INGAA Foundation effort, how often they use it (not a lot), and whether APCA could piggyback on their efforts (probably not). It was noted that contractors' clients would like it and that people like photos and diagrams, so uploading capability is a must. APCA staff said the website part of the repository could be handled inexpensively.
9. Merit-Shop Safety Message
APCA needs to develop a safety message to "advertise the good work that we do." We need to develop the message and then deliver that message at places like Client Safety Summits. It was noted that the speakers at such summits tend to be mostly from union contractors. The committee reviewed a draft form, created by Miles Hester, for collecting the safety data from members that we would use to craft the safety message. The survey would be annual, and the group discussed the various ways the data could be collected (fax, email, by hand). The data needed could be garnered from OSHA Form 300A, but once the data are online, they are dated. It was noted that the APCA Board would have to approve any survey that goes out. It was suggested to add a questions about the type of work the company performs, training data (count all "safety encounters"), and motor vehicle incident rate. The group discussed Client Safety Summits and how to get invited to present. APCA could provide members with the information they need to present themselves or could send someone to present.
10. MediCamp-type Facilities
Ron Oakley asked the committee if they used companies like Construction MediCamp for temporary mobile medical facilities. When something goes wrong, where do you get help? Only one hand was raised when it was asked how many companies use these services. It was noted that many companies find them cost-prohibitive but use remote medicals for some large projects. Committee members said it is a growing industry, and some use Fishbone Safety Solutions. It was noted that when working out West, medical facilities are few and far between.
11. Guest Speakers for Future Quarterly Meetings
Ron Oakley said that we want to add value to the quarterly safety meetings by bringing in speakers on relevant topics. He said that Jim Shelton will present at all the meetings – "He's not a compliance officer, and he has a lot of knowledge." The group discussed possible topics and offered specific speakers that their companies use. Topics discussed: border patrol, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Shelton could arrange), firearm rules and safety (good for companies working in multiple states), active shooter strategy, DOT compliance (former compliance officer Ricky Thigpen was suggested), and accident investigation/root cause.
12. APCA Safety Email
Committee members were encouraged to use
13. Best Practices Review and Update Assignment
As most items in the APCA Best Practices Library haven't been updated in several years, the committee will undertake a complete review and update. Committee members will select specific best practices to review, and then the committee will review, discuss, and approve, before sending them to OSHA for approval. These best practices are short and designed to be very general. Committee members will have two weeks to review their sections and were asked to use the "track changes" function in Word so everyone can see the changes being suggested. The goal is to get the suggested changes back by November 30, the revisions to the committee by January 1, and start getting the new best practices to OSHA on January 31. Committee members volunteered for all the best practices (see separate document for assignments). The group discussed new areas for possible best practices and agreed to tackle Jobsite Safety Analysis/Field-Level Hazard Assessment, Pipe Stringing, Fatigued Driving, and Welding & Grinding (in the field and in the shop).
14. 2019 Safety Committee Meeting Dates
The group agreed on the following meeting dates for 2019 (all at the Sheraton North Houston at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, Texas): Q1 - February 28, Q2 - May 9, Q3 - August 15, and Q4 - November 7.
The American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA) issued the following statement on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s markup of the Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act of 2023 (H.R. 6494), which reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) pipeline safety programs for the next four years and provides a framework to advance the safety of energy infrastructure across the United States.
APCA and other construction & business associations sent a letter to Rep. Lloyd Smucker on October 27 supporting his resolution to repeal the U.S. Department of Labor final rule, Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations. The new rule and ongoing use of this flawed policy will increase the burden to contractors and taxpayers with anti-competitive red tape and inflated construction costs.
APCA strongly opposes OSHA's revisions to the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule. Under OSHA’s new rule, companies in construction and certain other designated industries will be required to electronically submit OSHA form 300 and 301 information annually if they have more than 100 employees and form 300A information if they have 20 or more employees.
May 30, 2023 -- Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.) introduced sweeping legislation last week, the Dignity Act (H.R. 3599), that addresses our nation’s broken immigration system. The American Pipeline Contractors Association supports this bill as a workable compromise that tackles the critical worker shortage significantly impeding the pipeline construction industry and the entire American economy.
A new EPA rule on Waters of the U.S. is "burdensome and unnecessary" and impedes America’s efforts to realize our full energy potential, according to the American Pipeline Contractors Association.
"APCA strongly opposes the recent EPA announcement of a final rule on Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and repeal of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR)," the association said in a statement. "This ill-advised and poorly timed announcement only adds burdensome and unnecessary regulations to the process. Permitting reform and similar regulatory updates are necessary to unlock America’s full energy potential, and this decision moves us in the wrong direction. With a case affecting WOTUS regulations pending before the Supreme Court, this decision injects confusion into what should be a busy year of construction. APCA urges the Biden Administration to roll back this regulation as soon as possible and asks Congress to undertake meaningful action to reform the pipeline permitting process as a top priority."
In comments to the Biden administration on October 18, the American Pipeline Contractors Association strongly objected to the proposed use of government-mandated Project Labor Agreements on federal construction contracts of $35 million or more.
"The proposed PLA rule on federal contracts over $35 million will reduce competition and drive up costs for the American taxpayer, resulting in a far slower rate of pipeline buildouts and upgrades needed to serve American families and businesses. For these reasons, the hard-working men and women who build America's vital energy pipelines strongly oppose the proposed PLA rule," APCA stated.
APCA is proud to inform you of today's release of a new, comprehensive study of the nation's 811 system, which found that failures in the system are costing the U.S. some $61 billion a year in waste and excess costs and creating unnecessary hazards for public safety.
The study, unprecedented in scope and scale in the damage prevention space, was conducted by Continuum Capital for the Infrastructure Protection Coalition (IPC), a coalition of industry groups who represent regular users and stakeholders in the 811 system and want to see it run safely and efficiently.
You can view the study at the coalition website: www.ipcweb.org.
As Congress nears an agreement on budget reconciliation legislation, APCA President Taylor Dacus sent a letter to congressional leaders on October 28 that offers our industry’s perspective on the consideration of a methane emission fee and of several harmful labor policies.
"APCA strongly objects to including a methane emissions fee/tax in reconciliation legislation," Dacus stated. "This proposal could lead to double taxation of critical members of the energy supply chain that are at the forefront of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including methane."
The American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA) expressed strong disappointment in President Biden’s revocation of the cross-border permit between the U.S. and Canada for the Keystone XL pipeline as part of his “Day 1” executive actions. The pipeline was being built to carry more than 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The president’s move comes at a time when 300 miles of pipeline included in the 1,200-mile project have already been constructed and when the energy industry cannot afford to lose sacred jobs in midst of a global pandemic.
On September 16, a coalition of 31 associations, including APCA, sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate and House transportation committees opposing four costly and burdensome proposals that are being floated for inclusion the next highway bill.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced on Wednesday that it will hold a hearing on the confirmation of John Ring to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on February 14.
Page 9 of 11