FREE: Green Building Seminar Summary: This seminar is organized for students, builders, architects, engineers, realtors, building code officials, and homeowners. The seminar will cover the science and technology of high performance building. Building code officials will receive 3 hours of Green/Technical credit for PA 54. All attendees are encouraged to sign up for both sessions. Certificates: The seminar will award two certificates: Green Building and Sustainability, and the Builder’s Continued Competency Certificate required for Residential Builder’s licensing renewal. Click here for more information: ~~~~~~~~~~ Fall Protection Regulation Enforcement Begins Saturday, March 16, 2013 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will begin enforcing its new, more stringent fall protection regulations Saturday, March 16. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) is required by law to begin enforcing these regulations on that date as well. Enforcement of the new fall protection standards was originally to begin June 16, 2011. However efforts by the Home Builders Association of Michigan and the National Association of Home Builders were able to postpone enforcement for nearly two years to allow the residential construction industry more time to learn about the new requirement and to receive compliance assistance aimed at education, not enforcement. In partnership with the HBA of Michigan, MIOSHA held over 40 separate residential fall protection training seminars around the state in the three-month period between April of 2011 and June of 2011. These seminars were designed to provide members with the tools needed to eliminate workplace hazards, boost worker safety and avoid costly fines. In March of 2012 the HBA of Michigan and MIOSHA launched a Residential Fall Protection Solutions Forum designed to create realistic solutions and best practices to protect employees from falls. A webcast utilizing the results of this forum may be found at http://miosha.mihealth.org/. Links to other materials, including a sample fall protection plan for residential construction, created through the partnership may be found at the end of this alert. Under the new standards: Roofing contractors must use guardrails, personal fall arrest systems (harnesses and lanyards), or safety nets on all roofs with slopes exceeding 4-in-12 when working six feet or more above a lower level. All other trade contractors must use guardrails or personal fall arrest systems (harnesses and lanyards), or safety nets when the height from one elevation to another is greater than six feet, unless employers can demonstrate that it isn’t feasible to use those fall protection systems or using the systems creates a greater hazard. In those cases, contractors must develop a fall protection plan that utilizes alternative fall protection measures. All fall protection plans must be in writing and be site specific. However, the written plan developed for repeated use for a particular style/model home will be considered site specific. The use of fall protection plans is limited to residential construction, and the home must be constructed using traditional wood frame construction materials and methods -- although the limited use of structural steel in a predominantly wood-framed home, such as a steel I-beam to help support wood framing, does not disqualify a structure from being considered residential construction. At the federal level, the NAHB strongly believes that the current fall protection standard can be improved and should be amended to acknowledge the unique nature of residential construction. Changes to the federal standard would automatically be adopted in Michigan. In a Dec. 7, 2012 letter and petition to OSHA officials, NAHB asked the agency to reopen the rulemaking and try again to create a rule that applies to home building, rather than continuing to impose a one-size-fits-all approach that is better suited to commercial contracting. | For a list of area home shows: http://www.buildingmichigan.org/?page=Menu/Parades+__+Home+Shows ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |