Masonry Magazine January 2007 Page. 56
TECHNOLOGY
Committee C12 on Mortars and Grouts for Unit Masonry and Committee C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units. The cost to become a member of ASTM is $75 annually, and with that fee you receive a free volume of ASTM standards for masonry materials.
Also, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has many committees that are open to contractors. Members of the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) Safety Committee populate many of these committees. Again, there is no cost to be a part of these committees.
Did you know that if it were not for contractor intervention, OSHA would require:
* bracing of masonry walls for up to 90-110 mph wind speeds?
* you to remove all materials from scaffolding at the end of each shift?
* you not to use Non-Stop or Morgen Scaffold?
* you to tie off when laying brick or block?
* every mason to wear a respirator (dry or wet cutting)?
* every contractor to provide a lunchroom and locker room facilities at every job site?
* two masons to lift every concrete block?
* no use of man baskets on forklifts?
In every code, standard and regulatory committee, as a mason contractor, your voice will be heard. Far too often, contractors take for granted that other facets of the masonry industry will carry this torch. The time has come to stop relying on manufacturers to carry this burden for the contractor. The time has come to have a direct influence on the development of the building codes, standards and regulations for which you are responsible for implementing directly. If you do not influence these codes, standards and regulations, someone else will.
Rashod R. Johnson, P.E., is the director of engineering for the Mason Contractors Association of America. He can be reached at rjohnson@masoncontractors.org.
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