 |
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Association & Industry News
On behalf of the entire NRMCA team, we’d like welcome and recognize our new and rejoining Producer and Associate members for the month of March. We appreciate your continued support to our members and the ready mix industry and look forward to serving you through all of 2024. Producer members: Associate members: For more information on how to get more from your NRMCA membership, contact Senior Director, Membership Engagement, Amanda Muller at 703-706-4838 or amuller@nrmca.org. 
Buildings
Earlier this month Build With Strength Director, Building Innovations, Justin McCain met with engineers, architects and commercial property owners throughout Houston to promote concrete. The emphasis of the trip was how firms can achieve their sustainability goals through consistent specifications and partnering with ready mixed producers early in the design process. Meetings were held with the following organizations:
McCain said he aimed to send a clear message: materials cannot be considered sustainable if they are not also resilient. Concrete is the material of choice because of its long-term durability and unique capability to accomplish the sustainability goals of projects. He also introduced the available services the BWS team offers the design-build community, including specification reviews, life cycle assessments and concrete design assistance. The meetings provided valuable insight into the organizations along with guidance on how adopting performance-based specifications will maximize the ready mixed industry’s ability to deliver achievable concrete results. For more information, contact Justin McCain at jmccain@nrmca.org. NRMCA’s Member2Member (M2M) benefit program continues to grow and provide better services and more value to all members by adding another Associate member to the expanding list of M2M providers. Lawson Products has been helping to make customers' jobs easier by improving efficiency, productivity and overall performance. Optimize your business and help employees – new and experienced – get on the same page with these no-cost courses. There’s always an opportunity to expand knowledge and skill sets for novices and seasoned professionals. NRMCA members can select from one of four workshop programs exclusive to NRMCA’s membership. Neither membership in NRMCA nor participation in the M2M benefits program can in any way be construed as an endorsement, explicit or implicit, of any company, product or service by the Association. NRMCA does not accept responsibility in any dispute between supplier and customer. The M2M Benefits Program is intended solely as an informational service. Participating companies are responsible for insuring all M2M Benefit information is correct and up-to-date. Click here to view all NRMCA dedicated services. For more information, contact Jacques Jenkins at jjenkins@nrmca.org or Heather Houck at hhouck@nrmca.org.
Last week NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk and NUDURA Senior Technical Sales Representative Ken Lynch presented on the benefits of ICF construction in passive house and energy efficient construction at a dinner meeting (seen here) of the Construction Specification Institute's Hartford Chapter in Rocky Hill, CT. CSI Hartford President President David Newman introduced the event to the room full of specifiers, architects and representatives of the Hartford Housing Authority. Founded in 1948, CSI is a national non-profit association of more than 6,000 members dedicated to improving the communication of construction information throughout continuous development and transformation of standards and formats, education and certification of professionals to improve project delivery processes. CSI strives to to advance building information management and education of project teams to improve facility performance. The Build With Strength program is a leader in supporting specifiers and the specification of high performance concrete. For more information, contact Frank Mruk at fmruk@nrmca.org. 
The U.S. Green Building Council’s Los Angeles chapter recently held a roundtable event in which low carbon concrete was the focal point of discussion, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Brandon Wray. Attendees and organizers acknowledged the important role concrete has played and will continue to play in shaping the built environment. In keeping with the architecture, engineering and contractor industry’s gravitation toward sustainable and environmentally-focused design decisions, low carbon concrete is continually highlighted as a present-day solution. Roundtable participants (seen here) explored pathways, strategies and hurdles to incorporating low carbon concrete into local supply chains. Build With Strength sponsored the event and kicked things off with opening remarks from Wray who highlighted the importance of transitioning toward performance-based specifications while offering NRMCA’s expert guidance in navigating designers toward efficient, sustainable and resilient concrete. Panelists for the event included leaders from NRMCA member companies CalPortland, National Ready Mixed Concrete Company and Holliday Rock along with industry affiliate the California Nevada Cement Association. For more information regarding the event, please contact Brandon Wray at bwray@nrmca.org.
SEO
Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) finalized a controversial new rule which OSHA states is for “clarifying the rights of employees to authorize a representative to accompany an Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance officer during an inspection of their workplace.” While it has been the right of employers and employees for some time to authorize a current employee to accompany an OSHA inspector during an inspection, this new rule now allows for a company representative to be a non-employee/third-party, potentially including union representatives and/or safety advocates. Specifically, the final rule states, “that a non-employee representative may be reasonably necessary to the conduct of an effective and thorough inspection based upon skills, knowledge, or experience such as knowledge or experience with hazards or conditions in the workplace or similar workplaces, or language or communication skills.” NRMCA worked with industry partners to oppose the rule, including the Coalition for Workplace Safety (CWS) and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW). Following the rule’s release, the CWS and CDW issued the following statements, respectively: CWS: These are serious flaws that will do a disservice to OSHA and its mission of ensuring workplace safety and health. CWS strongly urges Congress or the courts to nullify this rule.” CDW: The rule provides no clarity for how OSHA safety and health officers are supposed to determine if a chosen representative should be allowed to participate in the inspection. Moreover, there’s no limit to the number of representatives that can participate, meaning multiple unions trying to organize a workplace could be permitted access. OSHA inspectors will be forced into a position to police these representatives’ behavior, which could include intentionally disrupting the workplace and instigating dysfunction. The rule puts OSHA safety and health officers in the middle of labor disputes and organizing drives, which they simply are not prepared for. OSHA was misguided in pursuing this rulemaking, and the courts will most assuredly have an opportunity to strike it down.” The final rule becomes effective May 31; click here to review the final rule, OSHA FAQ and OSHA press release. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
Calendar
Please note that e-mail and direct registration links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's website. April 9 - 12, Omaha, NE *Sold Out April 16 - 18, Nashville, TN April 22 - 23, Los Angeles April 23 - 25, Orlando, FL *Sold Out April 23, Greenwood Village, CO April 23, Jacksonville, FL April 30 - May 2, Mendota Heights, MN *Sold Out April 30 - May 2, Waldorf, MD May 8 - 10, Milwaukee September 9 - 13, Baltimore September 10 - 12, Sacramento, CA October 10 - 14, Aurora, CO October 15 - 18, Denver December 3 - 5, Orlando, FL December 10 - 13, Charleston, SC December 10 - 12, Denver 
Last Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its “Phase 3” rule aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from heavy-duty trucks, including concrete mixer trucks, dump trucks and tankers, to name a few. The new standard begins with model year (MY) 2027 vehicles through MY 2032. According to EPA, the “standards are technology-neutral and performance-based, allowing each manufacturer to choose what set of emissions control technologies is best suited for them and the needs of their customers.” While the initial Phase 3 proposal focused heavily on electrification of heavy-duty vehicles as means for reducing GHGs, NRMCA and its industry partners strongly countered EPA’s assumptions about the capability of such technologies and their effectiveness with heavy-duty truck configurations, functions and power demands. In light of these realities and those posed by numerous other heavy-duty truck stakeholders, EPA softened its stance in favor of allowing more combinations of different technologies to reach their GHG reduction goals. Click here to review the final Phase 3 rule. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.  NRMCA’s Think First monthly safety initiatives feature different industry-specific safety items relevant to seasons, current topics or industry concerns. The initiatives are meant to be shared, used as a training tool, printed, posted or distributed; all of which are encouraged. This month’s issue (seen here) is PPE and the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry. Click here to view this month’s and all previous Think First issues. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org. 
Engineering
The American Concrete Institute's Fall Convention was held from Octiober 23 - 27, 2023, in New Orleans. NRMCA Engineering Staff summarized key committee activity below: 122 – Energy Efficiency of Concrete and Masonry Systems – The committee has finalized ACI 122.2 and 122.3 Thermal Properties of Concrete and Masonry for use in determining Code for residential and nonresidential buildings. However, there has been a delay by ACI in publishing and releasing the documents to the public which has delayed committee discussions on whether to let ACI 122R-14 Guide expire. A formal vote will take place at the next committee meeting in early November. ACI has given preliminary approval to 122 for a full session at the next convention in Philadelphia; there are five speakers slated to speak during the 2-hour session. Darryl Dixon maintains representation in ACI 122. 132 – Responsibilities in Concrete Construction – The committee has reviewed its primary document on responsibilities in concrete construction; compiled substantial comments and is completing the revised version. The committee sponsored two sessions on responsibility when sustainable concrete does not meet performance expectations. The sessions discussed the various codes and sustainability initiatives; realistic expectations of demands for low-carbon concrete; designer’s challenges for establishing project goals consistent with Code requirements; potential variability of low carbon materials; challenges for constructability; impact of testing on achieving low carbon concrete; clashes of performance with low-carbon expectations and legal aspects. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 132. 201 – Durability – PRC 201.2R-23 Guide to Durable Concrete - changes to the chapter on freezing and thawing were discussed. Other chapters on mass transport, chemical attack and corrosion are being revised. Subcommittee 222-0A comprising of members of Committees 201 and 222 addressed negatives to a balloted draft report on exposure classes related to chlorides. This document will be balloted by the ACI 222 committee. Karthik Obla maintains representation in ACI 201. 211 – Mixture Proportioning – The committee resolved a ballot responding to TAC comments to the new PRC-211.X: Assessing Combined Aggregate Gradings guide. The committee is responding to TAC comments on a Tech Note on three-point curves for mixture evaluation and is resolving a ballot on a report on aggregate packing models for optimizing mixtures. The committee balloted several changes to the Guide to Troubleshooting Concrete Mixture Issues as Influenced by Constitutive Materials, Jobsite Conditions. The committee also discussed adding a water demand section for Type IL cements and doing a member survey to determine appropriate coarse aggregate proportions (b/bo table) in the ACI PRC-22.1-22 document. Karthik Obla maintains representation in ACI 211. 214 - Evaluation of Results of Tests – The committee assigned individuals to work on different chapters of ACI PRC-214-11 Guide to Evaluation of Strength Test Results of Concrete. The committee assigned individuals to review NRMCA TIP 23 on Establishing Required Averages for Specified Properties for possible development into an ACI document. Karthik Obla will serve as the committee chair. 216 – Fire Resistance and Fire Protection of Structures – The ACI 216 Committee continues to work on the revised version of ACI 216.1, Code Requirements for Determining Fire Resistance of Concrete and Masonry Construction Assemblies, which is nearing completion. The updated edition of the standard will include methodology for performance-based design in addition to prescriptive measures for determining fire resistance. A new chapter on loads in fire addressing strength reduction factors, load factors and load combinations is to be included. A task group of the committee, led by Shamim Rashid-Sumar, is developing a Tech Note regarding the equivalence of Portland Limestone Cement to ordinary cement in terms of fire resistance. Shamim Rashid-Sumar maintains representation on ACI 216. 232 – Fly Ash – The committee discussed the report on use of bottom ash in concrete. There were discussions on needing to include the Fluidized Bed Combustion ash in ASTM C618. Karthik Obla maintains representation on ACI 232. 240 – Natural Pozzolans – The committee is working on a tech note titled What is a Pozzolan and a report on Ground Glass Pozzolan. The committee discussed changes to the natural pozzolan document ACI 232.1-12 and is transferring this to be addressed by this committee. The committee discussed new Tech Notes on Calcined Clay; Manufactured Pozzolans and a new report on How to Evaluate new SCMs. The committee had presentations on new cements – Brimstone, Sublime cement and Terra CO2. Karthik Obla maintains representation on ACI 240. 301 – Specifications for Structural Concrete – The committee continues to resolve comments to finalize proposed changes to several sections of the specification – submittal requirements for sustainability, requirements for alkali aggregate reactions, post tenstioned systems and industrial floor slabs. The committee will update ACI 301 to incorporate approved revisions to ACI 318 that impact the specification; include provisions for use of fibers for various applications; and address sampling and testing at points of delivery or placement. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 301. 318 – Building Code for Structural Concrete – The committee is in the final phases of completing Code changes for this cycle. This meeting was dedicated to resolving responses to comments from ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC). There were no changes to Chapter 19 and 26 that cover concrete materials. The revised Code will include new content in Appendices for performance-based wind design and sustainability. The committee addressed development length provisions in 318-19 that were resulting in constructability problems. Separate codes for precast structural concrete (ACI 319) and post-tensioned structural concrete (ACI 320) will be published with cross-reference to provisions in ACI 318. ACI 318 will be available for public comment in summer. The committee will complete responses to public comments and any associated revisions to finalize ACI 318 at the ACI convention in November and publish ACI 318-25 early in 2025. This will permit ACI 318-25 to be referenced by the International Building Code. 323-Low Carbon Concrete Code – The mission of the ACI 323 Committee is to develop and maintain code requirements for low-carbon concrete. The scope of ACI 323 is limited to cast-in-place concrete structures and its purpose is to provide requirements for the maximum global warming potential of concrete. The draft standard is being processed through ACI’s consensus-based standardization procedure and is currently open for public discussion from March 31 through May 15. Tiffany Reed-Villarreal maintains representation on ACI 323. 325 – Concrete Pavements – The committee currently has four documents under development or revision. The committee is rewriting ACI 325.12R-02 (Reapproved 2019): Guide for Design of Jointed Concrete Pavements for Streets and Local Roads led by Brian Killingsworth. Revisions to this document have been completed and TAC has returned comments to which the committee is responding. The updated guide should be published in 2024. The committee is developing ACI 325.YR Report on Precast Concrete Pavements - State of the Practice which is based upon work completed by Tayabji for the FHWA. Work is also underway to update ACI 325.ZR: Design and Construction of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements. This work will continue over the next year and will be re-balloted. ACI 325.13R-06: Concrete Overlays for Pavement Rehabilitation has also been updated, balloted and submitted to staff for TAC review. Brian Killingsworth maintains representation on ACI 325 on concrete pavements. 327 – Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements – The committee continues to work on ACI SPEC-327.Y – Construction of Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements – Specification. The subcommittee working on the specification document has received some new help which should aid in having something to send to the ACI specification committee later in 2024. The main committee is also rewriting ACI PRC-327-14 – Guide to Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements led by Greg Halsted. The guide document is currently being balloted in four sections, with three of the sections passing overwhelmingly and the fourth section out to ballot now. The goal is to have all four sections (with all comments resolved) to TAC before the end of April with completion hopefully before the end of 2024. A mini session titled Revolutionizing RCC Pavements: Design Parameters, Construction Techniques, and Sustainable Advantages was organized during the committee meeting and scheduled for presentation during the ACI Fall 2024 Concrete Convention in Philadelphia. Halsted will ensure that considerations for sustainable streets and local roads will be included in all documents. He maintains representation on ACI 327 as chair. 329 – Performance Criteria for Ready Mixed Concrete – ACI 329 is working on developing a guide to writing a performance specification. Using the most recent version of MasterSpec section 033000, the committee balloted recommended specification language and commentary for Section 1 of the guide performance specification. The committee has completed a significant chapter briefly discussing several performance-based test methods and specification criteria using these methods. Section 2 (Products) of the specification that will outline and discuss permitted materials and performance-based requirements for various structural members is being developed. Karthik Obla and Colin Lobo maintain representation on ACI 329. 330 – Parking Lots – The ACI 330.1 specification is available for public comment and will close on April 4. The committee will address public comments through web meetings. At this time, the committee has agreed to adopt the tolerances from ACI 117. Changes made to ACI 117 on tolerances will be reviewed and considered in the 330 documents as necessary. A Task Group is developing guidance on the potential for concrete expansion in parking lots. Recommendations will be presented in Philadelphia. Amanda Hult maintains representation in ACI 330. 332 – Residential Concrete – The ACI 332 Committee’s work on updating ACI 332-20: Code Requirements for Residential Concrete and Commentary to include a new chapter on Above Grade Walls is ongoing. A proposed Tech Note for short retaining walls four feet or less on foundations, by Subcommittee D, is in the pre-developmental stages. Subcommittee E has started to incorporate the newly approved NRMCA 100, Prescriptive Design of Exterior Concrete Walls for One and Two-Family Dwellings into the revised code. Upon completion, the committee will immediately pursue referencing the revised edition of ACI 332 into the 2027 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC). To fill in knowledge gaps, the Subcommittee F on slabs is currently considering critical topics for its upcoming Technical Note publication. The 332-G Subcommitee is earmarking a number of mini sessions and technical presentations to raise awareness about the Guide to Residential Concrete Construction at future ACI events. Julian Mills-Beale maintains membership on ACI 332. 522 – Pervious Concrete – The committee discussed revisions to its guide document on pervious concrete with suggested editorial revisions to improve the flow of the document. ACI is also considering management of the pervious concrete contractor certification currently managed by NRMCA. The 522 committee expressed willingness to assist ACI with content review and updating material. Dr. John Kevern will be the new chair of the committee. Amanda Hult maintains representation in ACI 522. 551 – Tilt-Up Concrete Construction – The committee addressed negatives from balloting on both ACI 551.1R Guide to Tilt-Up Concrete Construction and ACI 551.2R Design Guide for Tilt-Up Concrete Panels. Many items were discussed and voted upon while others required additional review and reflection. Design examples were discussed briefly before time ended and it was again suggested to hand them over to ACI or create an RFP for proposals from a third-party source. Darryl Dixon maintains representation in ACI 551. 560 – ICF Buildings – The committee’s review and update of ACI PRC-560-22 Insulating Concrete Form Design and Construction is in progress. A virtual meeting planned for September 6 will discuss potential ballot items ahead of the fall convention in Philadelphia. NRMCA 100, Prescriptive Design of Exterior Concrete Walls for One- and Two-Family Dwellings is now an ANSI-approved standard and the publication is readily available to the public via the NRMCA bookstore. The NRMCA and ICFMA joint project on NFPA 285 testing for insulated concrete form exterior wall assemblies has made significant progress and is targeted for completion by end of the 2024. Julian Mills-Beale and Shamim Rashid-Sumar maintain representation on ACI 560. Concrete Research Council (CRC) – The Research Council of the ACI Foundation funds research programs annually. The council reviewed about 25 research proposals and selected eight research projects for funding for 2024. Each project is funded at $50,000. Projects require support from ACI committees so that the research can support their initiatives and documents. Most projects have supplemental funding from other sources. Projects are considered under the general themes of materials, structural design and construction. Projects accepted for funding will be notified in about one month. Reports of previous and ongoing projects are available on the website of the ACI Foundation. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI CRC. Other – ACI organized four sessions and a reception honoring the legacy of Professor Ken C. Hover who recently retired from Cornell University. Dr. Hover is recognized for his considerable contribution to the concrete industry; being an excellent presenter on a wide range of topics on concrete technology and as a past president of ACI. Dr. Hover is also a recipient of the NRMCA Richard D. Gaynor Award. For more information, contact the relevant staff member(s) listed above by using the NRMCA directory. The NRMCA Concrete Durability Course will be held at the Wildwood Lodge Pewaukee in Milwaukee from May 8 - 10. The course is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association and taught by Kevin Folliard, University of Texas at Austin; Anton Schindler, Auburn University and NRMCA Engineering Staff. The course provides a fundamental understanding of the nature of cement and concrete as they relate to durability of concrete in a wide range of exposures. Topics will cover the fundamentals of concrete microstructure, causes for cracking, alkali-aggregate reactions, sulfate attack, corrosion of reinforcing steel, freeze-thaw durability and other durability distress. The general durability mechanism is discussed along with developing mixtures to minimize the problem and associated tests to measure potential durability. The course also covers the durability provisions in the Building Code - ACI 318-19 and how specifications can be structured to address durability. A group exercise will be facilitated to familiarize attendees with the ConcreteWorks software used for mass concrete and service life prediction. Comprehensive reference material is provided as course notes that are an excellent resource to concrete producers and associated technical personnel. Those with the NRMCA Level 3 Certification obtain the NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 4 Certification when passing the exam offered with the course. Attending the NRMCA Technical Short Course (that provides the Level 2 and 3 certification) is not a pre-requisite to attend the Durability Course or to attempt the certification exam. The course provides required learning units for the technical track of the NRMCA STEPS certification program. Click here for more information and to register. Hotel reservations can be made by calling the Wildwood Lodge directly at 262-506-2000; ask for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) discounted rate. Staff contacts are Jeffrey Bowers for assistance with registration or Colin Lobo on course details. 
|
||||||||||||||||
|
