Masonry Magazine May 2009 Page. 49
Cranes are used worldwide in the construction, manufacturing and transportation industries wherever the safe lifting and moving of loads is required. The progressive introduction of new International Standards and the regular review of existing ones will have a direct and positive effect on general safety by reducing potential hazards, as well as helping to remove technical barriers to the international trade in cranes.
Actively involved in the elaboration of these standards are multi-national and national manufacturers, users, inspection bodies, institutions for higher education, insurance companies and government health and safety organizations from all five continents.
For more information, visit www.iso.org.
ISO 9927-1:2005
ISO 9927-1:2005, Cranes Inspections-Part 1: General specifies the regular inspections to be carried out on cranes, excluding inspections carried out prior to first use. It covers: Inspection, Methods of inspection, Inspection personnel, Precautions for inspection, Results of inspection.
ISO 9927-3:2005
ISO 9927-3:2005, Cranes Inspec- tions-Part 3: Tower cranes specifies the regular inspections to be carried out on tower cranes: Daily inspections, Frequent inspections, Periodic inspections, Thorough inspections.
Wilhelms Elected as Chairman, NCMA
Mark Wilhelms, director of sales for Kirchner Block & Brick, was confirmed as the chairman of the board-elect for 2009 at the Annual Meeting for the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA). The Annual Meeting and election took place in Indianapolis in February.
Wilhelms, a 24-year veteran of the industry, has served on a number of local, regional and national industry associations. He is the past-president of the St. Louis Chapter of the Constructions Specification Institute, and the past-chairman of the Missouri Concrete Masonry Council. He is also an associate member of the MCAA. With this election, Wilhelms will assume the role of chairman of the NCMA in 2010.
Bobcat Co. Helps Defend Fargo Moorhead Community from Record Flooding
Residents of North Dakota, home of Bobcat Co, prepared for major flooding in the eastern part of the state and battled flood conditions in the west and central areas in late-March. The Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., areas, home to the company's world headquarters, worked 24 hours a day through the week of March 23 to fill more than 3.5 million sandbags and build extensive flood walls to protect the communities in anticipation of a record flooding of the Red River.
Early on March 28, the Red River hit a record stage of 40.82 feet, slowly descending afterward. Efforts then switched from fighting the flood to monitoring the river and returning the communities to normal.
In response to the flood threat in the Fargo area, more than 100 Bobcat employees volunteered around the clock to help fill and place sandbags, build flood walls along the water's edges, provide meals and answer phones at the volunteer center. Bobcat's donation of more than 40 machines and 40 volunteer operators helped accelerate National Guard efforts to efficiently fill a portable floodwall system throughout the city. Management at Bobcat recognized the need for volunteers, especially operators, and encouraged all employees to leave their positions last week to help with the protection efforts.
Bismarck and Gwinner, and their neighboring communities, both homes to Bobcat factories, were impacted by over- land flooding, washed out roads and near blizzard conditions as well. Gwinner employees ramped up volunteer efforts to support neighboring communities, while other employees volunteered around Gwinner and in the Red River Valley, operating equipment, participating in sandbagging, and providing food and support to community members. In Bismarck, where
MCAA Certification Calendar
The following is the MCAA's education calendar for certification:
May 5
Course: Proper Installation of Masonry Flashings
Location: Charleston, S.C.
Discipline: Masonry Products
Credits: 1
May 20
Course: MISL Structural Design Aid: RAM Masonry Module
Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Discipline: General
Credits: 1
May 27
Course: MISL Thomas F. Walsh Memorial Lecture: Theodore Link, Architect
Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Discipline: General
Credits: 1
June 9
Course: General Requirements for Masonry Wall Construction
Location: Greenville, S.C.
Discipline: Masonry Products
Credits: 1
June 26
Course: Mastering the Details of Masonry Construction (NCMCA Mod 5)
Location: Greensboro, N.C.
Discipline: Masonry Products
Credits: 4
August 20
Course: Blueprint Reading and Estimating Basics (NCMCA Mod 6)
Location: Greensboro, N.C.
Discipline: General
Credits: 4
Note: Online classes available at www.masoncontractors.org.
For more information or to register for any of these programs, please go to http://certification.masoncontractors. org/education/index.php
May 2009 MASONRY 47