OSHA

BIASC.org--Nov 9 and 10, 2016--Riverside,CA--The Building Industry Show (BIS), which was on Wednesday, November 9 and Thursday November 10 at the Riverside Convention Center by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc. (BIASC), “Started the Conversation” by turning its focus towards education.

More than 1,500 attendees came to this year’s show not just to mingle with builders, catch up with professionals in the building industry, and discuss new job prospects, but to also participate in the show’s new format that sought to engage attendees with informative discussions.

This year the show evolved to do more than provide a place for building industry professionals to catch up with colleagues and discuss new job prospects. BIS included insightful Pop-Up Education presentations that covered a range of topics from discussions of how mobile apps are transforming home building; what you need to know about solar: code requirements to future trends; advanced framing techniques; minimizing costs & increasing efficiency; CEU workshops; to design trends for 2017 among other topics.

The goal was to get BIASC members potential answers to these issues such as the skilled labor shortage that BIS addressed during its first ever Skilled Labor Brain Trust, which connected the employers with the educators of potential employees. The Skilled Labor Brain Trust panel discussion was one of the many rich programs that were included in the price of the show floor pass.

Program organizers, the instructors that train the future skilled labor workforce, and the Building Industry Panelist made up of Thomas Steele, HCI; Tanner Schamber, Schamber Electric; and Bruce Wick, OSHA, were all a part of the education-driven discussion panel.

The topics discussed by the dynamic panel during the event included the current and future needs of employers in the industry, the current training programs, and how to connect graduates with employment.

The Building Industry Show Floor culminated Thursday evening with an award ceremony to honor and recognize BIASC’s hard working leadership and dedicated members.

BIASC wishes to extend another congratulation to the following winners which were announced at the 2016 Installation and Award Ceremony Thursday evening after the Building Industry Show Floor closed.

Volunteer of the Year, Greater Sales and Marketing Council: Melissa Auten, Fisher & Paykel

Volunteer of the Year, Union Contractors Council: Rick Parker, Conco Cement

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC LA Ventura Chapter: Taleen Mason, Geocon West, Inc.

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC Orange County Chapter: Alan Boudreau, Boudreau Pipeline

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC Baldy View Chapter: Ryan Combe, Lennar Homes

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC Riverside Chapter: Charles Hunt, Primera

Volunteer of the Year, BILD Foundation: Mary Lynn Coffee, Nossaman LLP

Volunteer of the Year, 55+ Housing Council: Linda Howard, Linda Howard Interior Designs

Individual Achievement Award, Local Government Affairs: Scott Ouellette, Williams Homes

Individual Achievement Award, Community Involvement: John Lavendar, Lennar Homes

Lifetime Service Award: Jonathan Weldy, Meridian Land Development Company

2016 Builder of the Year: Tom Grable, TRI Pointe Homes

President’s Award: Norm Witt, Cook Hill Properties and Valerie Hardman, Outdoor Dimensions

BIASC would also like to congratulate the newly installed 2017 BIASC Governing Board who were also announced during the 2016 Installation and Award Ceremony Thursday evening after the Building Industry Show Floor closed.

BIASC President: Peter Vanek, Meritage Homes

BIASC Vice President: Tom Grable, TRI Pointe Homes

BIASC Vice President: Mike Gartlan, KB Home

BIASC Secretary/Treasurer: Alan Boudreau, Boudreau Pipeline Corp.

Immediate Past President: Michael Battaglia, CalAtlantic Homes

Builders at Large:

Greg McWilliams, FivePoint

Howard Press, Watt Communities

Bob Yoder, Shea Homes

Erren O’Leary, Lewis Management Corp.

Mark Torres, Lennar

Paul Hernandez, Irvine Company

Jonathan Weldy, Meridian Land Development

Dave Bartlett, Brookfield Homes

Associates at Large:                                                                                

Charles Gale, Metropolitan Water District

Harry Crowell, AmTrust Surety

Randy Richards, Reliable Wholesale Lumber

Chapter Immediate Past Presidents:                                                      

Ali Sahabi, Optimum Group (Baldy View Chapter)                                  

Glen Longarini, KB Home (Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter)                      

Jim Yates, Rancho Mission Viejo (Orange County Chapter)                    

Leonard Miller, Richmond American Homes (Riverside Chapter)

Representative to Councils: Valerie Hardman, Outdoor Dimensions

Representative to CBIA: Wes Keusder, Keusder Homes

BIASC CEO: Mike Balsamo

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About the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc.:

BIASC is a cohesive nonprofit trade association organized into chapters and councils that represents the building industry throughout the counties of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino.  Members of BIASC are active in all aspects of the building, including land development; homebuilding, multi-family and commercial development as well as infrastructure; our membership includes architects, engineers, planners, contractors, suppliers, property owners, subcontractors and associated professionals throughout Southern California.

BIASC is a full-service organization providing legislative advocacy, educational programming, labor relations, networking and community relations. The association objective is to promote a positive business environment for the building industry. http://www.biasc.org/

The Labor Department announced last week that, as a result of Congressional action last year, it will raise the maximum penalties it can impose for violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules by 78%.

The changes affect penalties assessed after Aug. 1 for violations that occurred after Nov. 2, 2015. They are contained in an interim final rule that will be published soon in the Federal Register.

The 78% hike implements changes required by Congress' passage last November of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act. As reported by Remodeling in February, that law required agencies to publish "catch up" rules regarding the penalties they impose so that the penalties no longer lose their financial sting because of inflation. For instance, OSHA's maximum penalties haven't changed since 1990.

To read more about the penalties hike adjustment for inflations click here.

According to the EPA, a total of more than 9,000 Americans, that have been reported, suffered heat-related deaths between 1979 and 2013. The EPA climate change indicator shows a peak in heat-related deaths in 2006, a year that was associated with widespread heat waves and was the second-hottest year on record in the adjoining 48 states.

As predicted temperatures continue to rise, organization such as the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) (Cal/OSHA) and the Building Industry Association of Southern California’s (BIASC) Southern California Builders Safety Alliance Committee (SCBSA) are attempting to prevent some of the one in ten deaths, according to OSHA and the Bureau of labor Statistics,  of workers who become sick from exposure to heat and die by providing information to employers to prevent heat exposure illness and death and making them responsible for providing workplaces that are safe from excessive heat.

Summer is just around the corner and in preparation for the upcoming skyrocketing temperatures SCBSA wants to make local builders and building industry employers knowledgeable about current OSHA requirements.

The committee has invited John Ford, Senior Safety Engineer Cal/OSHA and Moe Davis, of Alliant Insurance, to speak at a free informational event for BIASC members taking place April 21, 2016 from 11:00am to 1:00pm at the Pavilion Park Community Center.