APCA Journal - 4th Quarter 2017 Edition Available

The latest edition of the Pipeline Contractors Journal is in the mail but you can avoid the wait by reading it online.

This issue discusses change at APCA , features APCA's Year-End Product Showcase, takes an in-depth look Inside Washington and more.

Take it with you

The APCA Journal is portable and optimized for reading on your phone or tablet.

 

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OSHA Interim Enforcement Guidance

Interim Enforcement Guidance for the Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard

Last month OSHA shared a memorandum announcing that for the first 30 days of enforcement of the Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard, employers making a good faith effort to comply with the standard were offered compliance assistance in lieu of enforcement.  As the 30 days come to a close, OSHA has issued a memorandum with interim enforcement guidance while a compliance directive is under review.  The memorandum provides inspection and citation guidance for Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs), and it includes flow charts to assist compliance officers with evaluating employers’ control methods.

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FMI Economic & Industry Overview

APCA 2017 Mid-Year Meeting Presentation:

Economic and Industry Overview

W. Chris Daum
President and Chief Executive Officer - FMI Corporation

As the president and chief executive officer of FMI Corporation, Chris oversees the management of all FMI businesses and services and leads the firm’s strategic growth efforts.

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APCA Safety Meeting Minutes - February 28, 2019

APCA Safety Committee Meeting

February 28, 2019

Sheraton North Houston at George Bush Intercontinental

Houston, Texas

1. Welcome

Committee Chair Ron Oakley, Sunland Construction, welcomed attendees and shared information on the location of the room's emergency exits and where everyone should meet in case of an emergency.

The following representatives from APCA-member companies were in attendance:

2. APCA Executive's Opening Comments

APCA Board member Ricky Dyess thanked attendees for coming to the Safety Committee meeting and for their involvement. He said that the APCA Board strongly supports the committee's efforts. He feels that the open-shop side of the pipeline industry has been lagging behind in promoting itself and that safety provides a great opportunity to get our message out. He said that the Best Practices put together by this committee are used industry-wide, including by INGAA in many of their safety materials. He also reported that the APCA Board is looking at developing an operator-assessment program and will be meeting with a company at the upcoming APCA Convention to discuss the program.

3. Safety Moments

Being a foggy day in Houston, the group discussed driving safety and the importance of focusing on driving rather than holding conversations or messing with one's phone. One attendee compared driving to aviation, saying that drivers should use checklists to get into the mindset of a pilot. Another attendee had a recommendation for alleviating tripping hazards around the house at night or early morning: little LED lights.

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 Alliance Meetings

Ron Oakley reported that 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. Oakley will attend the April 4 meeting.

6. Best Practices Review and Update on Assignments

Ron Oakley updated the committee on the Best Practices review process that was begun at the last meeting. In November, committee members volunteered for specific Best Practices to review and update. Oakley said that most people had returned their sections and that some were combined. There are still a few outstanding. The completed Best Practices will be posted for committee members to review before the May 9 Safety Committee meeting. If anyone sees an issue in one of the documents, alert the committee and it will be discussed in May. Oakley said that one topic was added to the list, Heat-related Illness, and since he was already reviewing the Cold Weather document, he took on the new topic. After the committee approves the Best Practices in May, they will be sent to OSHA for their review.

7. Develop New Best Practices

It was suggested that the committee develop Best Practices for vacuum excavation because most everyone is doing it. Jim Roberts from Pumpco volunteered to create a draft on vacuum excavation. It was noted that fatigued driving is a big deal in the pipeline industry and a major problem across all industries. Mark Beisecker of Cobbs Allen agreed to create draft Best Practices for Fatigued Driving. The committee discussed adding the topic of General Vehicle Safety, maybe taking the Distracted Driving Best Practices and adding Fatigued Driving and General Vehicle Safety. It was noted that it might make the document too long. Miles Hester, Progressive Pipeline, will draft Driver Best Practices, and Ron Oakley will look at them to see if it works better as one document or two. Oakley will also create draft Best Practices for Job Safety Analysis. Once the committee approves the Best Practices, Jose Ruiz of Sunland Construction will translate them into Spanish.

8. Common New-Hire Orientation for APCA Members

The group continued its discussion on the possibility of creating a common new-hire orientation for APCA members. Staff had been tasked with researching the cost of a video and learned that we need much more information to get a useful estimate, including length of video, number of days of shooting, how audio would be handled, and where the video would be shot. Committee members had a variety of ideas and opinions on those subjects. It was asked if Caterpillar's safety orientation video might be publically available. This is a subject to be taken up at the APCA Board level to determine if there is actually a need among contractor members and if there is a budget for it.

9. Lessons Learned Repository on APCA Safety Zone Site

The committee continued its discussion about 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 subcommittee of the Safety Committee before being posted. APCA members would receive an email alert when new lessons learned become available. It was asked if APCA lawyers should be consulted. This is another subject to be taken up at the APCA Board level to determine if there is actually a need among contractor members and if there is a budget for it.

10. Creating a Merit-Shop Safety Message

Moving along its goal of creating a safety message to promote the safety accomplishments of the merit-shop pipeline industry, the committee tabbed John Lohman of Sterling to lead the effort to plan the message, create a draft message, and explore best methods for delivering the message. Cobbs Allen's Mark Beisecker will work with him. They were also tasked with creating the form/survey that will go out to APCA contractor members to collect safety data. The message will ultimately be delivered at client meetings, safety seminars, etc.

11. Guest Speakers for Future Quarterly Meetings

Looking to add value to APCA's quarterly safety meetings, the committee further discussed possible guest speakers and topics. The committee was interested in hearing from a speaker from U.S. Industrial Certifications who does strength testing for chains, slings, etc., and Clint Wilson, WHC Energy Services, said he will look into getting him for the May 9 meeting. Attendees were also interested in a speaker on cognitive behavior, which we will try to schedule for the August 15 meeting. Jose Ruiz, Sunland, said he would look into a speaker from VeriForce on operator qualification, and Todd Johnson, Strike LLC, said he would look into a speaker on DOT trucking regulations.

12. Next APCA Safety Committee Meeting - May 9

The committee will meet next on May 9, 2019, at the Sheraton North Houston at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, Texas. The Q3 meeting is on August 15, and Q4 is on November 7 at the same hotel. Ron Oakley said that next year's dates will closely mirror this year's, still on Thursdays and at the same hotel.

APCA Safety Meeting Minutes - November 8

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:

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for communicating with the Safety Committee chairs. The emails go to Ron Oakley, Miles Hester, and Tim Wagner in the APCA office.

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.