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Welcome to the Operations, Environmental & Safety home page!

Committee members are encouraged to submit any items of interest for

distribution in future e-updates. General comments are also welcome.

• 2009 Driver of the Year Contest – The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has named Johnney Hilliard from Redi-Mix Concrete, a US Concrete Company, as the NRMCA Mixer Truck Driver of the Year for 2010. A panel of judges from the ready mixed concrete industry selected Mr. Hilliard as the top driver from a large group of outstanding applicants from all across the United States. Mr. Hilliard who hails from Denton, Texas was honored for his career achievements, safety record, professionalism, driving competency and customer service skills. He has driven a truck mixer for more than 42 years. “Johnney’s knowledge and understanding of concrete is unmatched among delivery professionals”, writes Redi-Mix’s Operations Manager, Alex Moody, “He is a role model and his enthusiasm and professional demeanor are admired by customers as well as his fellow delivery professionals.” Along with the winner, two finalists were also selected by the judges. They are, in alphabetical order, 32 year veteran mixer driver, Charlie Davis, of Lafarge, from Eufaula, Alabama and 34 year mixer driver veteran, Armando Orantes, of CalPortland, from Tucson, AZ. As the winner of the 2010 award, Mr. Hilliard will receive a $5,000 check from the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. Each Finalist will receive $500. The 2010 Driver of the Year winner and finalists for the award will be honored at the NRMCA Annual Convention, Tuesday, March 16, 2010, in Austin, TX. The Chicago-based trade magazine Concrete Products is a cosponsor of the Driver of the Year program.
   

• ConcreteWorks – The 2010 ConcreteWorks will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. A draft itinerary of the Spring meeting (March 31th – April 1st) has been distributed.
   

• OES - Safety Task Group: Quarterly Webinar - Minutes 7 Jan. 2010
  Click here to view the minutes
   

• OES Committee Meeting: Minutes 17 Oct. 2009
  Click here to view the minutes
   

• Green-Star Working Group Meeting: Minutes 18 Oct. 2009
  Click here to view the minutes
   

• Click here to view minutes from previous meetings/webinars/conference calls
   

• Upcoming Courses & Webinar Opportunities:  
   

  • NRMCA Plant Manager Course I Aug. 17 - 20  
    This course will be held in Silver Spring, MD.
     

  • NRMCA Plant Manager Course I Dec. 2010
    This course will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana; registration link is not yet available
     

• The 2010 Fleet Benchmarking Survey has started.  The survey period will end on April 1, 2010.  Please use calendar year 2009 data for the survey. Click here to download survey form.
   

• The new DOT CSA 2010 flyer along with a few of the more common questions and answers. A must read for anyone involved in safety and training.
   

• Diesel prices hit $3 in nine states

  • Three-dollar fuel is once again a reality in nine states as the national average price for diesel increased 8 cents for the week ending Monday, Jan. 11, 2010.

  • The U.S. Energy Administration reported the national average at just under $2.88 per gallon for the week.
     

• Regulatory Alert - The FMCSA has held five of six listening sessions with the remaining listening session scheduled for March 26th in Louisville, Kentucky. The overall majority  of the speakers  have asked the DOT to leave the HOS regulations as they currently are with the exception of modifying the sleeper berth regulations. Gary Mullings, NRMCA Vice-President of Operations and Compliance, spoke at the Arlington, Virginia meeting and asked the DOT to leave the HOS regulations intact and asked for a modification to the logbook requirements for short haul truckers  to be raised from 12 to 14 hours. If accepted, this will greatly reduce the logbook burdens on concrete producers.

• Regulatory Alert - The EPA has held five of six public of the listening sessions and has announced its plans to initiate national rulemaking to establish a comprehensive program to  reduce stormwater discharges from new development and redevelopment and to make other regulatory improvements to strengthen its stormwater program. The sixth public listening     session will take place on March 11th at EPA Region I Headquarters in Boston, MA. Robert Garbini, NRMCA President, explained the benefits of pervious concrete for stormwater control      at new and redeveloped sites. Mr. Garbini also asked the EPA to assist industries with  compliance assistance and equitable enforcement. Finally, Mr. Garbini, told the panel about      the benefits of Green-Star and how the NRMCA and EPA Headquarters worked in a collaborative effort on this project.
   

• Upcoming Courses & Webinar Opportunities:
   

  • WEBINAR:  Green-Star Auditor Certification | March 24, 2010
    This Webinar is required for auditor accreditation.
     

  • WEBINAR:   Identification of Environmental Aspects and Impacts | April 7, 2010
     

  • WEBINAR:   Establishing & Measuring Environmental Goals | April 8, 2010
     

• New Green-Star plants in the last 2 weeks:

  • Green-Star Plant #76: Hardaway Concrete – Gaffney, South Carolina

  • Green-Star Plant #77: Angelle Materials – Denham Springs, Louisiana; 1st Green-Star plant in the state of Louisiana

  • Green-Star Plant #78: U.S. Concrete – Prosper, Texas

  • Green-Star Plant #79: U.S. Concrete – Dallas, Texas

  • Green-Star Plant #80: U.S. Concrete – Kennedale, Texas

  • Green-Star Plant #81: U.S. Concrete – Frisco, Texas
    
    Congratulations to all of the plants for having a comprehensive environmental management system!
     

• NRMCA attended the recent “OSHA Listens” meeting in Washington, DC. Many industry groups as well safety advocacy groups were there to speak. The speakers brought a mixed message of compliance assistance and enforcement.
   

• Upcoming Courses & Webinar Opportunities:
   

  • WEBINAR:  Safety Metrics | April 21, 2010
     

  • WEBINAR:  Accident Cost Accounting | April 13, 2010
     

• OSHA Recordkeeping Forms
   

• The NRMCA Safety Contest/Benchmarking started on January 5th and will end on April 15, 2010. The Safety Contest is a per-plant contest open to all facilities operated by NRMCA member companies in good standing. Non-NRMCA member companies may also participate for $50/per plant. Companies with more than one division were encouraged to distribute entry blanks to individuals responsible for keeping safety records at each plant location. Concrete Producer magazine cosponsors the NRMCA Safety Contest. Over 800 “Excellence in Safety” certificates were awarded for concrete plant safety performance in 2009. Contact David Ayers for more information.
   

• Safety Course Update:
  The NRMCA Safety Course is now offered in a webinar format. Students receive the General industry 29 CFR 1910 book of OSHA standards. All Classes run from 2 – 4 PM Eastern Time starting on April 20, 2010 and ending on May 20, 2010. Click here for full details.
   

• VA OSHA Regulation on Reverse Signal Operation for Construction
   

• OSHA Letter mandates High-Visibility Garments for road construction workers
   

• 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices – High Visibility Apparel
   

• New Proposed Hazard Communication rule
   

• OSHA 2009 SST Program targets 4,000 Worksites in 3 Industry Sectors