Organization: MCAA

Check out the very latest Smart Solutions which spotlights mechanical contractors who found their win-win. By partnering with members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council, these companies found innovative ways to meet their contractor clients’ needs by improving productivity, cutting costs and saving time on the job.

This section of our website also features tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

If you’re looking for a fabricator that will make consistent repeatable pipe cuts for a fraction of the cost of commercial cutters, check out the award-winning innovation created by Air Masters Corporation of Fenton, MO and described in a recently-released MCAA Management Methods Bulletin.

The idea for the fabricator was sown when Air Masters started looking around for fabrication equipment that would reduce shop time, enhance the services it offers to its customers and increase its competitiveness in the marketplace. However, Air Masters discovered that pipe fabricators that would meet its needs could cost as much as $250,000, a substantial investment for a small company.

Air Masters invented a solution to this challenge—the CNC Pipe Fabricator. It was created with already existing components and custom-designed software. The fabricator was designed for 2 ½” to 12” pipe, mounts on the end of any pipe roller bed and can make straight, inside bevel, outside bevel, saddle cuts or hole selected. Its total cost came to less than $30,000. And, in recognition of its innovation, Air Masters was presented with the E. Robert Kent Award for Management Innovation.

So, if future plans for your company include a pipe fabrication operation, the CNC Pipe Fabricator may be a good option.  Find out more about this impressive innovation.

Several of OSHA’s recently released safety and health regulations have provisions that become enforceable sometime this year.  The three that apply to the mechanical industry are silica, recordkeeping, and crane operator certification. Each of these regulations is currently under scrutiny by the new administration and various employer groups. It is conceivable that one or more of the compliance deadlines could be extended or rescinded. However, MCAA recommends that you get your company into compliance with all rules that apply to it prior to the established enforcement deadlines. MCAA will let you know immediately if substantive changes are made to any of the regulations. The compliance deadlines are shown below along with notes describing the current status of each regulation.

Respirable Crystalline Silica 

June 23, 2017 – By June 23 affected employers must be in compliance with OSHA’s new rule on respirable crystalline silica. 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 June 23 enforcement date). 

Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses  

 July 1, 2017  – By July 1 small employers (20 to 249 employees), and large employers (250 or more employees) must electronically submit their OSHA 300A summary information from 2016 to OSHA. The agency will provide a secure website address for submitting the information. MCAA will provide you with that address as soon as it becomes available.  (Note: This regulation is under litigation by several employer groups contesting the anti-retaliation provisions, and the requirement for employers to disclose confidential business information. It is unknown whether the litigation will be resolved prior to the July 1 enforcement date). 

Cranes & Derricks in Construction (Operator Certification)

November 10, 2017 – By November 17 employers with affected crane operators will have to be in compliance with OSHA’s crane operator certification requirements. However, the agency is currently in the process of updating the crane operator certification requirement in its Cranes and Derricks in Construction rule. The agency expects to issue a final rule in time for the November 17 crane operator certification compliance date. (Note: It is unknown whether OSHA will be able to issue a final rule on crane operator certification requirements prior to the November 17 compliance deadline.)

If you’ve hired a college student as an intern or a co-op, apply for a $1,000 Student Internship Grant from the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). Hire another intern and apply for another grant. You can apply for up to two grants through the end of this year.

Student interns or co-ops can greatly benefit your business. They will be eager to put their knowledge and skills to work on an actual project.  They have a fresh perspective on projects and problems, technology capabilities and a desire to learn more about our industry. With the added bonus of the grant, this initiative is a win-win.

If you would like to hire a student intern or a co-op for this spring and summer but haven’t found the right candidate, try MCAAGreatFutures.org.  Almost 240 well-qualified students from colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada–all members of MCAA student chapters–have posted their resumes and are eager to talk with you about internships or full-time employment opportunities.  Check it out today!

On January 23rd, President Trump had a White House meeting with the Building Trades leadership, including UA General President Mark McManus. On January 24th, President Trump signed an Executive Order to advance the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.

On January 20, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing agency heads to roll back implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions that impose burdens on states or added costs, fees, taxes, penalties, and regulatory burdens on individuals and families. Agencies are also directed to roll back provisions of ACA through the notice-and-comment regulatory process.

This Executive Order marked the beginning of the regulatory process at the agencies while parallel legislative reform takes shape in Congress. Details about which mandates and taxes will be rolled back are pending until the Treasury and Health and Human Services Secretaries take office and set departmental policy on the Executive Order. MCAA will monitor how and when the employer mandate is affected as well as when the Cadillac tax and high income and capital gains surcharges are turned back.

Also on January 20, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus issued a memorandum to all federal agency heads and departments entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” which put all proposed regulations on hold for 60 days, pending agency review and possible suspension or revision by the notice-and-comment process.

The memo is not self-executing and will require further agency action.  However, the general regulatory freeze memo, like the Executive Order on the Affordable Care Act, is a substantive beginning to the process at each agency. Each agency will compile a list of affected regulations and explain the process to deal with each going forward.

It is expected that more Executive Orders rescinding Obama Executive Orders will be coming soon. MCAA will monitor regulations that impact MCAA employers directly, including the Federal Sick Leave Executive Order, the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces worker pay and classification notices, the new non-discrimination and affirmative action regulations for registered apprenticeship programs, and the new overtime pay requirements that are currently under a court injunction.

Pension Reform Push and Saving Davis-Bacon Top MCAA’s Legislative Agenda

Additionally, MCAA has been meeting with key Congressional offices this week, in advance of the Democratic and Republican policy retreats, seeking favorable discussion of multiemployer pension reform and enactment of new plan designs.

Also among MCAA’s legislative concerns are potential proposals to remove Davis Bacon protections from any new infrastructure spending. The fight in the House and Senate to preserve Davis Bacon on federal and federally-assisted projects, as well as new funding mechanisms such as tax credit and public-private partnership measures, will be an ongoing battle throughout the First Session of the 115th Congress.