MCAA National Update for February 2 2015

This replaces the version that was sent previously.

This Week

Search for Interns, Future Full-Time Professionals on MCAAGreatFutures.org

MCAA's 12th Annual Safety Directors Conference was an Over-the-Top Success

Registration is Now Open for NCPWB's 2015 Technical Committee Meeting

Your Company's Safety Achievements Count...Tell Us About Them

Are Your Employees Safety Savvy About Working Around Electricity?

If You Hesitate, You Lose...a Space in ALI Course 15

Make a Difference for Your Industry...Register for the National Issues Conference

CFI Mechanical Contributes to MCERF

Search for Interns, Future Full-Time Professionals on MCAAGreatFutures.org

The website that is powering MCAA's year-long drive to draw well-educated young people into our industry is now open for business! MCAAGreatFutures.org (www.mcaagreatfutures.org ) allows members of MCAA student chapters to post their profiles and resumes. They can list where they want to work and their particular skills, upload a pdf of a more polished "official" resume if they have one, and include their contact information. Students are encouraged to share where they are in their professional journey and to let MCAA members help them take the next step. Contractors can then search the resume database by intern or full-time, by university, by keyword, or by any word that comes to mind (California? Chicago? BIM? Freshman? Senior?). The search engine underlying the site is powerful and can help MCAA members narrow their search quickly from any of their devices. Plans are underway to feature the site at the MCAA 2015 convention in Maui, and MCAA will be promoting internships that week as well. The site, which will be expanded throughout the year, also includes career development news, career search tips and resources. Students and contractors alike are encouraged to follow the companion Twitter feed - @mcaagr8futures - for the latest information. And, if you find and hire a great intern prospect on the website, go to www.mcerf.org/initiatives/education-careers/internships to receive your $1,500 2015 Student Internship Grant for this year.

MCAA's 12th Annual Safety Directors Conference was an Over-the-Top Success

MCAA's Annual Safety Directors Conference drew a record 185 safety professionals from across the country to San Antonio, TX last week for an information-rich forum

on the latest workplace safety and health issues, practices and regulatory developments. The conference's attendees included 34 UA Training Coordinators, made possible by grants from the International Training Fund. Dr. Kevin Elko, a well-known consultant to NFL teams on leadership, goal-setting and other motivational issues, opened the conference with a presentation on How to Achieve Greatness at Work and in Life. An impressive array of speakers followed who led sessions on: safety products management (George Stallings of Sales Solutions, Inc.); health and wellness for mechanical construction workers (Dr. Rebecca Blessing and Ralph Blessing of Southern Polytechnic State University); radiation exposure and prevention techniques for service workers (Richard Burnheimer of RF CHECK Inc.); power tool safety technology developments (John Rouse of Milwaukee Tools); minimizing jobsite motion to enhance worker safety and reduce project costs (Brian Roberts of CNA and Matt Pierce of EMCOR); management communications skills (Regina McMichael of The Learning Factory, Inc.); the physiological effects of fall arrest and effective rescue planning (Jim Hutter of Capital Safety); changes to NFPA 70E (Nate McGarrh of The Hilgeman Group); and the latest OSHA regulatory developments (Adele Abrams of the Law Office of Adele L. Abrams P.C.). The pre-conference courses on CPR and First Aid training were also well-attended and well-received. MCAA thanks CNA for its generous co-sponsorship of the conference.

Registration is Now Open for NCPWB's 2015 Technical Committee Meeting

Registration is Now Open for the NCPWB 2015 Technical Committee Meeting

This don't-miss event is for those interested in learning and sharing information about welding, brazing and welder qualification as well as networking with friends, colleagues and new acquaintances. This year's annual meeting will take place at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ, April 19-21, 2015. Featured speakers will include Brendan Conway, National Sales Manager for Sumner Manufacturing. Co., who will discuss process Improvements on Short-Length Pipe Fit-Up. An increasing number of pipe fabrication jobs are being fabricated in-house and shipped to the installation site. More and more of these jobs are under very tight timelines to complete. The investment of labor related to these jobs involves far more than just the cost. Quality of fit-ups leads to properly welded joints. When the job is rushed, what is the effect on the quality of the final weld on all the welded joints? For more information and to register online, go to www.mcaa.org/education/ncpwb.

Your Company's Safety Achievements Count...Tell Us About Them
Your company's employees achieved an exceptional safety record in 2014 and deserve to be commended. Send your company's 2014 safety data to MCAA and we'll send you a safety benchmarking report and if your company qualifies, an MCAA Safety Certificate of Commendation. If your company achieved a Lost Workday Cases Incidence Rate of zero or one that is 25% or more below the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average for mechanical construction in 2014, MCAA will send you the Certificate of Commendation that is suitable for framing. Regardless of your 2014 safety record, MCAA will send you a benchmarking report that allows you to confidentially compare your company's incidence rates with the aggregates of others in your size category and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for the mechanical industry. To make the request, please visit www.mcaa.org/safetycommendation and complete a short, simple form using your company's 2014 OSHA 300A form as a guide. The completed forms are due to MCAA by the close of business on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. The certificates will be delivered in April 2015.

Are Your Employees Safety Savvy About Working Around Electricity?

If you aren't sure, then be sure they sign up for the next NFPA 70E Qualified-Level Arc Flash Safety Training Webinars on February 20, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. The webinar was specifically designed for employees who are potentially exposed to live conductors of 50 volts of electricity or more during their workday, and especially mechanical service technicians who work on units that generate up to 480 volts, to learn about safe work practices that will prevent incidents, injuries and worse. The Hilgeman Group leads the session which covers all applicable OSHA and NFPA requirements (including NFPA's recent changes to 70E which took effect on January 1), best practices and provides participants with real-world accident information to reinforce the training. Contact The Hilgeman Group (ahilgeman@frontier.com) to register.

If You Hesitate, You Lose...a Space in ALI Course 15

Available spaces for Course 15 of the Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI) are going quickly. As our industry's top executives consider short and long-term economic and market projections, they know that ALI's leadership education will help them overcome the resulting challenges that affect their businesses. The curriculum focuses on strategic planning and leadership development to help you keep your business on track and growing strong. In addition to the outstanding educational topics customized for our industry, ALI's new module on "Branding" and another on "Customer Partnerships" further enhance the value of this world-class program. The branding module will include WebEx-delivered components during the interim period between Week 1 and Week 2. Dates for ALI's Course 15 are: September 27-October 2, 2015 (Week 1) and November 8-13, 2015 (Week 2). To request an application or learn more about the ALI, please contact Dennis Langley (dlangley@mcaa.org).

Make a Difference for Your Industry...Register for the National Issues Conference

Your participation in the MCAA/Quality Construction Alliance National Issues Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. (April 28-29 at the W Hotel) can help the union-signatory sector of the highly-skilled specialty construction industry lead the legislative agenda with the new Congress. Pension reform "Phase 2" will lead the agenda, along with procurement issues (prime and subcontractor selection criteria), energy efficiency issues (tax incentives for energy efficient buildings and industrial facilities) and workforce standards issues (worker misclassification and prevailing wage standards) will top the program. On Tuesday, the program, which takes place at the Newseum, begins with breakfast followed by issue sessions moderated by former Senator Norm Coleman and others. Members will have the afternoon to meet with their Senators; appointments will be made prior to the conference. On Wednesday, breakfast at the hotel will be followed by MCAA member visits to their House Representatives. For more information and to register, go to www.mcaa.org/education/mcaa/legislative/leg_bro.pdf.

CFI Mechanical Contributes to MCERF

The Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF) recently received another $2,500 contribution from CFI Mechanical, Inc. (Houston, TX), raising its total to $35,000. The MCERF Board of Trustees is very grateful for the support which helps the Foundation continue its education and research programs that help our industry grow and thrive. Find out more about MCERF and how you can help by visiting www.mcerf.org or contact Dennis Langley at dlangley@mcaa.org.

The MCAA National Update is is a weekly publication of the
Mechanical Contractors Association of America
1385 Piccard Drive, Rockville, MD 20850.
Questions? Contact Ann Mattheis, Editor, Phone: 301-869-5800; Fax: 301-990-9690