MSCA Connect DATELINE May 2017
Click and CONNECT with DATELINE, MSCA’s monthly newsletter! What you need to know to catch up on the latest news and information and all things – MSCA.
Click and CONNECT with DATELINE, MSCA’s monthly newsletter! What you need to know to catch up on the latest news and information and all things – MSCA.
If your professional recruiting efforts could use a boost, then plan to show off your company and its attributes during Future Fest, the kick-off event for MCAA’s 2017 GreatFutures Forum in Indianapolis, IN, September 28-30.
Future Fest (September 28) brings MCAA members—the champions of the construction industry—together with students from across the U.S. and Canada majoring in construction management, engineering, architectural engineering and other disciplines related to our industry to explore potential full-time employment or internship opportunities. There’s no fee to exhibit, and each company’s booth will be equipped with a draped table, chairs and electrical power, if needed.
That’s not all! For every student hired, MCAA members may apply for a $1,000 Student Internship Grant from the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF); the two-grants-per company limit for 2017 will be waived. And, MCAA members who hire students for either a full-time position or an internship during the Forum will receive a $500 gift card.
Students get a hiring bonus too! Once they land either an internship or a full-time position at the Forum, they will receive a $500 gift card.
To further support members’ and students’ career development efforts, an interviewing area will be available throughout the Forum for more private employment discussions.
Plan now to take part in this excellent recruiting opportunity. More details are coming soon, but get a head-start by asking Harlee Gallo to add your company’s name to the list of exhibitors.
Since they started using the Miller® PipeWorx 400 welding system, Team Industries has reduced rework—saving time and money—because of the system’s ease of use and consistent arc quality. “We have seen a decrease in X-ray failure. The consistency of the arc definitely plays a role in that,” said Jim VanZeeland, shop superintendent. “It’s just been a great machine for us.”
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
This section of our website also features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
MCAA’s model safety programs make it quick and easy to create customized safety programs. Whether you need to develop a sound, industry-specific basic safety and health program for construction or service, or enhance an existing program, MCAA’s got you covered. A variety of topic-specific model programs complement the basic programs and ensure your compliance with OSHA requirements.
Here’s what we have:
Safety and Loss Prevention for Construction
Safety and Loss Prevention for Service
Accident Investigation
Bloodborne Pathogens
Confined Spaces (Construction)
Confined Spaces (General Industry) – Applies to Mechanical Service Work
Cranes and Derricks
Electrical Safety (Service) NFPA 70E – 2015
Excavation Safety
Fall Protection
Hazard Communication (GHS)
Hearing Conservation
Hexavalent Chromium Compliance
Job Safety Analysis
Lead
Lockout/Tagout
Mold Prevention
Respiratory Protection
Silica Exposure Control Plan
MCAA’s Resource Center provides all of our valuable resources for safety and health, management methods, construction technology and running your business — available free to members with one click!
Congratulations to the MCA of Western Pennsylvania and Robert Morris University for organizing and establishing MCAA’s 53rd student chapter! Chapter representatives of the Robert Morris Student Chapter will receive their charter at MCAA’s 2018 convention in San Antonio, TX.
The seeds for the new chapter were sown when MCA of Western PA members decided to approach a Pittsburgh-area university about creating a resource for well-educated future professionals for their businesses. The faculty at Robert Morris University not only liked the idea of an organization that prepares students for a great career, but took the extra step of creating additional classes in its mechanical engineering department to ensure students are well-qualified for professional positions in the mechanical contracting industry. Currently, 18 to 20 students have applied for internships with MCAA members in the Pittsburgh area.
For more information about creating an MCAA student chapter in your area, contact Harlee Gallo.
MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:
Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.® a Member of Morris Group International
Fine-Line® Linear Shower Drains by Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. Sing in the shower again with drains that add beauty and artful design to shower stalls.
HOLDRITE
The in-line TESTRITE® DWV Testing System is designed with versatility in mind and can be installed in no-hub cast iron, ABS and PVC (2”, 3”, 4” and 6”) systems.
Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!
MCAA’s sold-out Field Leaders Conference in Denver May 10-12, 2017 provided 200 foremen and superintendents with the management and leadership skills they need to effectively manage jobsite labor, other personnel and operations to keep projects on time, on budget and profitable.
The event began with John Koontz, MCAA president Greg Fuller, Mike Shinn and Mark Rogers leading a Discussion on What Keeps You Up at Night. Afterward, attendees had time to get acquainted and share information about their companies, projects and challenges during a networking reception and dinner.
The next day began bright and early with a session on The Foreman’s Impact on Profitability. Mark Rogers discussed how attendees impact their company’s profitability, the importance of accurate costing and strategies for managing actual hours to budget.
Greg Fuller then examined the top 10 attributes of a great foreman, providing attendees with a contractor’s perspective on how to make themselves even more valuable to the company.
After a break for lunch, UA Training Director Chris Haslinger discussed the latest in new equipment and technology that’s changing the way projects at the jobsite are managed and performed.
Kevin Dougherty’s session on Building Relationships: Communication on the Jobsite provided attendees with tricks and tactics to help them improve communication with their crew, other subs, their management and owners.
Attendees had an opportunity to explore the latest tools and construction resources during a reception complete with product demonstrations.
The following morning began with John Koontz on The Impact of Planning – Greatest Challenges to Planning. The session provided attendees with a better understanding of how planning impacts every aspect of a project and the entire company. In addition to exploring “tried and true” methods for planning projects, attendees discussed why planning is so difficult in today’s construction environment.
During his session on Legacy Leadership, Mark Breslin focused on the compelling reasons to promote positive change and the most effective means of achieving it. Attendees learned:
The session provided new ideas, strategies and tools that will help attendees create a professional self-identity and enhance crew performance.
Wrapping up the conference, John Koontz facilitated a discussion of the best practices and takeaways attendees learned during the conference. He also assisted as attendees put the finishing touches on their personal Action Item Lists.
If you missed registering your team for the May conference, you’re in luck! MCAA will be offering the conference again October 11, 2017 – October 13, 2017 in Philadelphia.
With the phase out of R-22 by 2020 driving up pricing, contractors are looking for more options to retrofit R-22 air conditioning (AC) units without having to change the oil. “Generally speaking, you can see system improvements after a retrofit as a result of recommissioning the equipment,” said Ron Vogl, global technical marketing and services manager for Honeywell Refrigerants.
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area! This section of our website features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
Plus, see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
The MCAA/Construction Employers of America (CEA) Legislative Conference brought together a near record crowd of MCAA members and members of other CEA sponsoring groupsm SMACNA, FCA International and TAUC. The conference’s education sessions and lobbying meetings focused on key MCAA/CEA legislative issues and provided an opportunity for members to share their views with Senators, Representatives and key staff.
Member company principals had some 160 Hill lobbying meetings with Senators, Representatives and key staff, pressing for the MCAA/CEA coalition’s top issues:
The conference kicked off on Tuesday, May 10 with a regulatory policy program covering proposed changes to pension, health and welfare and apprenticeship programs. Josh Shapiro from Groom Law Group and Cary Franklin from Horizon Actuarial Services discussed pension reform and alternate plan de-risking measures available under current legal requirements.
They were followed by Aruna Vohra (right) from Horizon and Carolyn Smith from Alston & Bird law firm, who discussed the myriad of health care plan changes pending on Capitol Hill.
After that, Lou Malone (right) from the O’Donoghue law firm and MCAA General Counsel John McNerney discussed the non-discrimination and written affirmative action requirements pending under the new Administration.
The next day, participants ventured to the offices of Hogan Lovells in downtown D.C. Former Congressman Earl Pomeroy of Alston & Bird, a consultant to the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP), moderated a series of presentations from lawmakers, including Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Representative Chris Collins (R-NY-27), and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-8).
Congressman Pomeroy also moderated a panel discussion among union representatives and employers on the key issue of pension reform. The union representatives included: Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers General President Joe Sellers, Painters and Allied Trades General President Ken Rigmaiden, Iron Workers General President Eric Dean, and United Association Assistant to the General President Brad Karbowsky, along with Jeff Green, CEO of Harris Rebar Construction and an NCCMP board member.
The panelists allied in strong support of the necessity for enactment of the composite plan design option for trustees to consider for their plans, and the need to avert a Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp insolvency or premium increases that would imperil the sustainability of multiemployer plans.
That afternoon, conference participants set out for the Senate and House lobbying meetings, delivering direct messages from member company principals to key offices from the lawmakers’ home districts. At the debriefing session the following morning, consensus reports were that home district constituents did a good job delivering the coalition’s messages directly to their representatives.
The conference wrapped up with a comprehensive discussion of tax reform by Hogan Lovells tax expert Jamie Wickett. He discussed proposals affecting CEA member companies as taxpayers and businesses, and the impact of corporate tax reforms on corporate capital budgets and projects as market expansion incentives for CEA member companies.
Mark your calendar and plan to join us for the next conference, which is scheduled for May 8-10, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
Whether you’re planning to attend the Fabrication Conference or looking for tips to help you build or fine-tune your fab shop, MCAA has a resource to assist. These resources were written by contractors who have been in your shoes and want to share their knowledge.
Why start building your documentation from scratch? Save time when you begin with this model piping specification. It can be used to document the materials, fabrication, installation, examination, testing and quality control for hydronic piping and similar steam, and hot and chilled water applications.
Safety is job one in the fab shop and these resources provide fabrication shop workers with critical safety information on everything from working safely with overhead and gantry cranes to preventing overexposure to manganese while performing hot work. General fabrication shop safety, personal protection, respiratory hazards, material handling, welding/cutting/brazing, fire prevention and protection, power tools and specialized equipment used in fabrication shops are among the other topics covered in these training tools.
Companies are embracing BIM technologies in their fabrication shops to stay competitive, especially on large projects. Where do you begin? Right here, with these resources:
MCAA offers many more BIM resources…take a look.
MCAA’s Resource Center provides all of our valuable resources for management methods, safety and health, construction technology and running your business — available free to members with one click!
MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:
FotoIN Mobile Corporation
FotoIN’s patent-pending mobile first, end-to-end, photo documentation system enables companies with fleets of field workers to save 75% of the time on field photo documentation and reporting.
Milwaukee Valve Company, Inc.
INSULATOR/MS® from Milwaukee Valve is the only insulating ball valve handle that does it all – controls condensation, has reliable memory stop, and saves time since there’s no need to disassemble for adjustments.
There are many more smart solutions for you to explore in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
This section of our website also features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
This third webinar in the MSCA original series, Plumbing Service 101, Finding and Developing Great Plumbing Service Technicians, will provide an overview of where and how to find talented individuals and how best to train them. During this webinar you will learn about the important traits to look for in your recruiting efforts and the skills needed for success.
It’s our pleasure to announce that for this webinar, Tom Bigley, UA Director of Plumbing Services, will be sharing relevant information on UA Plumbing Service Training Programs.
The webinar is scheduled for June 13 at 1:00 pm EDT, sign up today!
West Chester Mechanical Contractors, Inc. (Aston, PA), with its recent $2,500 contribution to MCERF, has now contributed a total $30,000 to the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). Mark Rogers, COO of West Chester Mechanical says, “It is our job to find the next generation of leaders for our companies, our association and our industry. We need to find and train our own replacements. MCERF is playing a vital role in that process.”
For more information on MCERF, contact Dennis Langley (dlangley@mcaa.org).
OSHA recently delayed enforcement of its 2016 rule on respirable crystalline silica. The enforcement date has been changed from June 23, 2017 to September 23, 2017. Affected employers can comply by either following Table 1 of the rule, or by implementing the alternative exposure control methods that are established by the rule. (Note: This rule is under litigation by the Construction Industry Safety Coalition and other groups. The groups that are in opposition to the rule believe that OSHA did not meet its burden of prove with regard to the rule being technologically and economically feasible. It is unknown whether the litigation will be resolved prior to the newly established September 23 enforcement date.
MCAA has several silica safety resources to help your company comply with the rule. They are available to you for free as a benefit of membership. The resources, which can be accessed here, are listed below.
MCAA urges all affected members to participate in the 4th annual nationwide OSHA Safety Stand Down to help prevent workers from falling from elevations, and protect those workers who do fall. Falls from elevations are the third leading cause of injury in the mechanical construction and service injury, and the injuries from the impact of falling are often extremely severe. The stand down takes place May 8-12, 2017. To participate, take time out during that week to refresh your workers memories about the industry’s fall hazards and accompanying fall prevention and protection measures. MCAA’s educational fall prevention and protection safety resources, which are provided for you as a benefit of membership, are listed below. You can access them here.
MCAA Educational Safety Resources:
Fall Restraint and Arrest Systems – Video – Pocket Guide – Training Documentation Sheet – 20-Question Multiple Choice Test – Test Answer Key
Ladder Safety – Video – Pocket Guide – Training Documentation Sheet – 20-Question Multiple Choice Test – Test Answer Key
Aerial Lift Safety – Video – Pocket Guide – Training Documentation Sheet – 20-Question Multiple Choice Test – Test Answer Key
Scaffold Safety – Video – Pocket Guide – Training Documentation Sheet – 20-Question Multiple Choice Test – Test Answer Key
MCAA Toolbox Safety Talk – Volume I – Talk #s (1 – 11)
MCAA Toolbox Safety Talk – Volume II – Talk #s (1 – 6)
MCAA Toolbox Safety Talk – Volume IV – Talk #s (1 – 5)
Emerson conducted a survey in 2015 of more than 450 HVAC professionals and found that only 11 percent are aware of upcoming commercial HVAC regulations and many don’t understand how those regulations will impact their business. Here are 10 things you need to know about the changes affecting the commercial air conditioning (AC) market.
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area! This section of our website features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
Plus, see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:
T-Drill Industries, Inc.
The T-65’s ability to form code-approved outlets in stainless steel and copper while remaining portable for ease-of-use; makes it very popular along with its labor and material savings of up to 92%!
FabPro1
Track. Manage. Share. FabPro1 is the fabrication industry’s first cloud-based software created by mechanical contractors and proven to meet the needs of the fast-paced, ever-changing construction environment.
No worries! There are many more smart solutions for you to explore in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
This section of our website also features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
While refrigerant recovery is accepted as a fact of life for today’s air conditioning and refrigeration (AC/R) technicians, it remains one of the most time-consuming steps in servicing an AC/R system. This can make it tempting for a technician on a tight schedule to skip the recovery process. However, with the proper understanding of equipment and methods, refrigerant recovery can be faster and easier than venting. Just like tires can affect a car’s performance, the hoses, fittings, manifold, and recovery cylinder all play a role in how quickly and efficiently the recovery process is completed.
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area! This section of our website features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
Plus, see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions partnered with KEY2ACT to create See, software that allows contractors to use smart glasses on job sites to capture photos and videos of their work. The new technology helped MacDonald-Miller speed up customer payment and dramatically cut down the time spent explaining work that was done to customers disputing charges. It also increases customer engagement, building trust and leading to new work.
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
This section of our website also features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
Click and CONNECT with DATELINE, MSCA’s monthly newsletter! What you need to know to catch up on the latest news and information and all things – MSCA.