The National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) are organizing the first North American Workshop on Hail and Hailstorms, to be held August 14-16, 2018, in Boulder, CO. Across North America, hailstorms are responsible for over $10 billion in annual property damage. … [Read more...]
ASTM Issues Standard Guide for the Development of a Waste Management Plan for Construction, Deconstruction, or Demolition Projects
By Director of Technical Services Walt Rossiter ASTM International Technical Committee E60 on Sustainability held its fall meeting this past October. Among its accomplishments was the completion of a new standard, E3073, titled “Guide for Development of a Waste Management Plan for Construction, Deconstruction, or Demolition Projects.” This standard was developed under the … [Read more...]
Air Intrusion Impacts in Seam-Fastened, Mechanically Attached Roofing Systems
By Suda Molleti, PEng; Bas Baskaran, PEng; and Pascal Beaulieu Editor’s Note: This article presents the summary of a research study. A peer-reviewed paper on the study was published at the 15th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology in November 2017. Background Air intrusion is termed as “when conditioned indoor air enters into a building envelope assembly … [Read more...]
New Tax Rules Affect Expensing of Roofs
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has expanded the definition of Section 179 expensing to effectively include improvements to nonresidential roofs, while raising the amount a taxpayer may expense on qualifying real property. Section 179 allows taxpayers to immediately expense costs of qualifying property rather than recovering such costs over multiple years through … [Read more...]
RCI’s Code Expert Named to NIBS Coordinating Council and IBC-S Committee
Wanda Edwards, RCI’s Senior Director of Technical Services, has been appointed to an international building committee and a national building coordinating council that will give RCI a vital voice at the table concerning building envelope issues. Edwards is now a member of the International Code Council’s Structural Code Development Committee (IBC-S). The Structural Committee … [Read more...]
OSHA Fines Raised for Inflation
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has raised civil penalties for violations of its standards and regulations to adjust for inflation. The rates are part of overall penalty increases by the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA penalties for other-than-serious, serious, and failure-to-abate violations increased by $319 from $12,615 per violation to $12,934 per … [Read more...]
Denver Green Roof Initiative Passes
Voters in Denver gave the thumbs up to a new sustainability initiative for the city that requires new buildings exceeding 25,000 sq. ft. and residential buildings over four stories high and greater than 25,000 sq. ft. to have a portion of their roofs covered by a “green, vegetative space.” Existing buildings would have to add “green” features upon reroofing. Denver joins … [Read more...]
RCI Joining Roofing Coalition in Roofing Day in D.C. 2018
This March, the roofing industry will come together as never before to make our collective voices heard in our nation’s capital during the inaugural Roofing Day in D.C. 2018. RCI is partnering with NRCA, organizers of the event, and multiple roofing industry associations and organizations in a coalition of voices. Together we can make a difference on critical issues facing … [Read more...]
American Wood Council Notes NDS Changes to Nail Withdrawal Testing
The National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS®), published by the American Wood Council, has made changes with respect to the withdrawal (pullout) values of nails in wood and wood products. The International Staple, Nail, and Tool Association (ISANTA) has published an advisory on the changes. In the 2018 edition, there were five areas of change with regards to … [Read more...]
Workplace and Construction Fatalities Rise
Fatal accidents on construction jobs rose 5% in 2016, to 991, from 937 in 2015. This was the largest number in recent years, exceeding the 2008 level of 975. Specialty trade contractors recorded 631 fatalities, the “buildings” sector had 182, and heavy civil engineering construction had 159, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). U.S. workplace fatalities overall … [Read more...]