MSHA Calls on Industry to ‘Stand Down to Save Lives’

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will hold its first “Stand Down to Save Lives” on May 17 as part of a national campaign to encourage the nation’s mining community to take steps to prevent injuries and illnesses and stop an alarming rise in the number of miners killed on the job in 2023. So…

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Heidelberg Materials Revenues Rise in First Quarter

Heidelberg Materials reported that In the first quarter, sales volumes declined as a result of the economic downturn linked to lower construction activity, especially in residential construction, due to inflation and increased financing costs, however revenue rose significantly by 10.6% in comparison with the previous year.   Excluding scope of consolidation and exchange rate effects, the growth amounted to 13.4%.…

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Justin Bateman, Pebble Artist

By Mark S. Kuhar British artist Justin Bateman creates impermanent artwork from found pebbles and stones. The artist, who now lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, leaves detailed pebble portraits on beaches, in forests, by railways, and up mountains. Each natural-colored stone acts as an individual paint stroke or mark that’s integral to the overall image.  There are portraits of renowned…

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Is MSHA Prepared to Enforce a New Silica Rule?

For A Host Of Different Reasons, It’s Not, But That Doesn’t Mean They Won’t Put It Out. By Brian Hendrix Any day now, MSHA will release its new proposed respirable silica rule. If the proposed rule makes it through the rulemaking gauntlet, is finalized and survives a legal challenge(s), MSHA’s approach to silica enforcement will change.  It will almost certainly…

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Kerr County Goes Big on BMPs

Operators, Community Activists And The Local Government Are Working Together To Create A More Collaborative Environment Through A Focus On Voluntary Best Management Practices. By Therese Dunphy In Texas Hill Country, where there had been an acrimonious relationship between aggregate producers and local residents, the two groups came together – along with local government officials and business people – to…

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Construction Spending Up Year-Over-Year

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, construction spending during February 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,844.1 billion, 0.1% (±0.7%) below the revised January estimate of $1,845.4 billion.  The February figure is 5.2% (±1.2%) above the February 2022 estimate of $1,753.1 billion. During the first two months of this year, construction spending amounted to $260.8 billion,…

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