MiTek has just received an Evaluation Code Report for the new Hardy Frame Cold Formed Steel Moment Frame and Cold Formed Steel Picture Frame products.  Evaluation Code Reports enable designers to confidently specify “alternate building materials” not defined in the code, and they are accepted by the vast majority of building departments. 

In December 2018, ANSI published new requirements regarding Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs), formerly called Aerial Work Platforms. Manufacturers and end users of the equipment are required to come into compliance by December 2019.  The new standards are:

• ANSI A92.20: Design, Calculations, Safety Requirements and Test Methods for MEWPs
• ANSI A92.22: Safe Use of MEWPs
• ANSI A92.24: Training Requirements for Operators of MEWPs

The latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017) underscores the ongoing need for consistent fall prevention training throughout the industry:

• Falls are still a leading cause of workplace fatalities.
• The number of fall fatalities increased in 2017.
• The construction industry had the highest number of workplace fatalities.

Want to learn more about E-Verify, but short on time? We’ve got just the answer for you. Mark your calendars and attend a brand new webinar designed for busy employers.

Simpson Strong-Tie launched the Strong-Wall site-built portal frame system (PFS) to provide designers, engineers, and builders in prescriptive markets with an easy way to meet code-defined wood wall-bracing requirements when building narrow wall widths.

A free report from the National Safety Council (NSC) reviews how employers can increase productivity and safety by reducing workplace fatigue.

Falls from heights remain the biggest cause of occupational fatalities in the construction industry. According to a report by the NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program, 42% of deaths between 1982 and 2015 in construction involved falls; 54% of workers killed had no access to a personal fall arrest system; and 20% of fatalities occurred in the victims’ first two months on the job.

This year at the 2019 International Builders’ Show, TYPAR®, the industry leader in weather protection, let its Southern roots come to life. With a rustic bar scene, corn hole games and hatch prints surrounding the booth, there was no doubt that attendees were in for a Nashville experience the moment they stepped into the booth.

Wood Protection Technologies, Inc. offers a suite of robust, factory applied topical wood coatings that protects against surface molds.  No strength degradation, virtually no VOC’s, negligible weight gain from coating and non-corrosive.

Huber Engineered Woods, manufacturer of ZIP System® building enclosure products, announced the expansion of its line of ZIP System® sealing solutions and enhanced flashing tape performance, at the International Builders’ Show this week. 

Simpson Strong-Tie recently created a webpage on its site entitled, “Build with the Best to Prepare for Nature's Worst,” where it provides a variety of resources focused on resilient construction, particularly as it pertains to high winds. 

As framers know, complying with OSHA’s conventional fall protection standard 29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart M can be difficult in certain circumstances. In acknowledgment of this, OSHA added Appendix E to the standard, which allows framers to create a fall protection safety plan specific to a jobsite (a “site-specific” plan) that deviates from conventional approaches to fall protection.

One of the confounding issues for framers when developing a site-specific safety plan is to find fall protection tie-off points that meet OSHA 10’s 5,000-pound capacity requirement.

Ask the Builder founder Tim Carter, recently created the video below on attic trusses and shared it with his many followers on his YouTube channel and newsletter.

To more accurately communicate its commitment to the needs and opportunities within a changing industry, today LP Building Products announced its new name: LP Building Solutions. This strategic decision reflects LP’s goal to be the industry’s leading building solutions company.

The Simpson Strong-Tie 2019–2020 Wood Construction Connectors catalog, a comprehensive guide to the company’s most recent innovations and product line expansions for wood construction applications, is now available in print and online.

Universal Forest Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: UFPI) announced that one of its affiliates has signed an agreement to purchase the operating assets of Wolverine Wood Products, Inc.

Performance Building Solutions, a business of DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, announces the new, patent-pending GREAT STUFF™ SMART DISPENSER™, an innovative solution to make air sealing easier, more precise and with less product waste. The SMART DISPENSER™ is changing the game, with a dispenser that is reusable for up to 30 days, provides no drip, less mess and greater control.

Building a culture of safety awareness takes dedication and the continuous education of your workforce. Mark your calendar for some targeted emphasis and training opportunities throughout the coming months.

National Framers Council President Scott Stevens, president of Modu Tech in Baltimore, Maryland, displayed a banner on the wall behind the presentation podium that included 16 safety posters from FrameSAFE. Modu Tech had the banner created for use on their jobsites as an easy way to reinforce safety without having to print out individual posters.