Masonry Magazine August 1995 Page. 26
OSHA Lowers Penalties
OSHA has announced that it's lowering its minimum penalties for willful serious violations by small businesses (those with 50 or less employees). The proposed penalty for a serious willful violation for those employers will be no less than the statutory minimum of $5,000. The move is designed to ease the financial burden on small employers.
Lehigh Portland Goes Metric
AFTER TWO years of planning, the Lehigh Portland Cement Company converted to the metric system on January 1, 1995. The effort, according to Lehigh, anticipates the metrication of federal highway construction in October 1996. Lehigh has emphasized that bag sizes will not be changed this year, stating that bag sizes will be soft converted until the industry becomes more familiar with metric measures. The case didn't simply involve a late payment. Rather, the contractor refused to make full payment to the U.S. subcontractor for work that was accepted by the owner, and was using a variety of excuses to justify the refusal to pay. Lehigh sees itself as a leader in the cement industry and predicts that other major cement suppliers will convert to the metric system within a year or so.
Brick A Hazard
A BRICK manufacturer's failure to label shipments of brick and to provide material safety data sheets were violations of federal hazard communications standards, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has ruled (Secretary of Labor v Holly Springs Brick and Tile, OSHRC, Docket No. 90-3312, 6/16/94).
Laborers Apprenticeable
THE U.S. Department of Labor has formally recognized the laborer as an apprenticeable occupation. The recognition should mean a better trained, more productive work force. This now puts the Laborers Union and its 675,000 members on a par with the other 14 craft unions in the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. According to filings with the Bureau of Apprenticeship, union craft laborers will master 4,000 hours of general skills and specific training on building and highway construction.
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26 MASONRY-JULY/AUGUST, 1995