Flashings

ICC and Mexico partner to develop energy-efficiency code

The International Code Council (ICC) and Calidad and Sustentabilidad en la Edificación A.C. (CASEDI) have announced the publication of Mexico's first energy-efficiency code, the Mexico Conservation Code for Buildings. ICC, CASEDI, Mexico's National Commission for Energy Efficiency (CONUEE) and the Secretaría de Energía (SENER) compiled the code based on ICC's International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

The code contains the requirements for nonresidential buildings (including mixed occupancies), as well as residential buildings with fewer than three stories. The comprehensive code establishes minimum requirements for energy-efficient buildings for the entire country and allows the use of prescriptive and performance provisions. The code also permits the use of new energy-efficiency designs and materials.

CONUEE is working closely with local authorities in select municipalities to ensure the Mexico Conservation Code for Buildings is adapted, adopted and implemented. The outreach efforts significantly will be expanded in the months ahead.

"Mexico and the U.S. are long-standing allies with deep economic, cultural and building construction ties," says Mark Johnson, ICC's executive vice president and director of business development. "ICC welcomes the opportunity to continue to build on its successful collaboration with CASEDI, CONUEE, SENER and others committed to energy efficiency."

"Achieving the development of the IECC Mexico has been possible with the guidance and expertise of the ICC, and the greatest challenge will be to promote its adoption and adaptation to local needs, and thus truly contribute to energy efficiency in the build environment," says Evangelina Hirata, CASEDI's president.

The Mexico Conservation Code for Buildings is printed in Spanish and can be viewed at codes.iccsafe.org/Mexico.html.

OSHA issues Affordable Care Act final rule

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a final rule that establishes procedures and timeframes for handling whistleblower complaints under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The ACA protects employees from retaliation for receiving marketplace financial assistance when purchasing health insurance through an exchange. It also protects employees from retaliation for raising concerns regarding conduct they believe violates the consumer protections and health insurance reforms found in Title I of the ACA.

In addition, the rule establishes procedures and timeframes for hearings before Department of Labor (DOL) administrative law judges in ACA retaliation cases; review of those decisions by the DOL Administrative Review Board; and judicial review of final decisions.

"This rule reinforces OSHA's commitment to protect workers who raise concerns about potential violations of the consumer protections established by the Affordable Care Act or who purchase health insurance through an exchange," says David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA.

In 2013, OSHA published an interim final rule and requested public comments. The final rule responds to the comments and updates the rule to clarify the protections for workers who receive financial assistance when they purchase health insurance through an exchange.

For more information about OSHA's final rule, visit www.osha.gov.

Roofing contractor fined for repeated safety violations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Home Live Roofing LLC, Marietta, Ga., after investigators observed employees working without adequate fall protection at a height of 18 feet, according to www.osha.gov.

On Sept. 29, OSHA issued one willful citation, two repeated citations and one serious safety citation as a result of the company's failure to provide adequate fall protection; failure to enforce the use of protective eyewear among workers using pneumatic nail guns; improper setup of an extension ladder where the side rails did not extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing surface; and not equipping fuel storage with a fire extinguisher. Home Live Roofing previously was cited for similar hazards in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Proposed penalties for the company's most recent safety violations total $101,121.

"Over the past two and a half years, this employer was cited five times by OSHA offices in Georgia and Missouri for violations related to fall protection hazards. This includes citations received just four weeks previously that resulted in nearly $30,000 in penalties," says Jean Kulp, OSHA's area director for Allentown, Pa. "Fall protection is a basic yet critical employer-provided safeguard that protects workers from being injured or killed on the job, especially in the construction industry where falls are the leading cause of death."

Home Live Roofing has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Home Live Roofing is not an NRCA member.

PIMA president retires

Blum

The Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA) has announced Jared Blum, PIMA's president, will step down at the end of this year. Blum has served as PIMA's president for 26 years; he assumed leadership of the organization three years after it was founded in 1987 to represent manufacturers of polyisocyanurate insulation.

During Blum's presidency, PIMA advanced the profile of roof system energy performance as a critical part of the U.S.' energy-security strategy; received two awards from the Environmental Protection Agency for environmental leadership; developed governmental affairs and technical educational programs; and became a leader for issues such as construction fire safety, building resilience and energy efficiency.

"As a result of Jared's leadership, PIMA has developed an enviable and comprehensive approach to member and marketplace needs—legislative, regulatory, technical and communications—that adds value to member companies' bottom lines and benefits the public interest in national energy-efficiency efforts," says Helene Hardy-Pierce, chairman of PIMA's board of directors and vice president of technical services, codes and industry relations for GAF, Parsippany, N.J.

Blum will continue to serve as chairman of the board of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and will be involved in other projects advancing resilience and energy efficiency in building standards throughout the world.