By Mark S. Kuhar As vehicle travel returns to pre-pandemic levels and federal transportation funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) begins to reach states, it will be critical that states make additional investments to improve the efficiency and condition of the nation’s freight network to minimize supply chain disruptions, according to a new report released by TRIP,…
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Drugs, MSHA Enforcement and Maslow’s Hammer
The Agency Often Neglects Or Undervalues Its Other Tools In Favor Of Enforcement. Why? By Brian Hendrix Without a doubt, MSHA is an enforcement agency. It walks, talks, thinks and acts like an enforcement agency. It sees itself as an enforcement agency. Enforcement is its favorite tool, and the tool that it uses most frequently. The trouble is that, after…
Read MoreThe Communication Gap
The Learning Curve For New Technology Can Take Decades, But Human Will Is The Ultimate Determinate Of Change. By Thomas J. Roach The 20th century ended with vast expansion of the global communication network. Now, as we near the quarter century mark of the 21st century, it seems that network is closing. Most notably, China is imposing restrictions on what…
Read MoreDivisive Politics In The Workplace
What Should A Leader Do To Keep Political Friction Off The Job? By Steve Schumacher You would have to be in a cave 24/7 to not notice the dramatic political divisions in our country currently. It is major fodder for all of the media outlets, radio stations, newspapers and electronic media. Since our country began, there have been differences of…
Read MoreOn-Target Outreach
Vulcan Materials Co. Focuses On The Intersection Of Community And Employee Priorities To Achieve Strong Engagement. By Therese Dunphy Part of what makes an aggregate operation a good neighbor is understanding the needs of the local community surrounding your operation and helping it address those concerns. “Given the focus on environmental justice, sustainability, carbon footprint, and other things that are…
Read MoreCalCIMA Announces Excellence in Safety Awards Winners
The California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA) announced its 2021 Excellence in Safety Awards winners. These awards acknowledge the exceptional work and contributions to safety in regard to leadership, innovation, commitment, and impact beyond the plant. “Safety has to be JOB #1 in our industry. We’re proud to prioritize the safety of our workers from training and tools, to…
Read MoreCEMEX, Heidelberg, Holcim Make Climate ‘A List’
Three of the top five global cement, aggregate and concrete producers have made the 2021 Climate Disclosure Project A List, reflecting transparency in environmental impact, greenhouse gas emissions management and water resource metrics. CEMEX, HeidelbergCement and Holcim are among 200 A List/Climate category performers from a pool of 10,000-plus companies that London-based CDP observes. “We commit to continue leading the…
Read MoreReports From Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Ontario
A company planning to mine for sand and gravel in New Beaver, Pa., is taking court action after the borough denied its application in September, according to the Beaver County Times. New Beaver Council denied New Galilee-based Three Rivers Aggregates’ conditional use request in a 6-1 vote following public opposition and lingering questions. Developers filed the appeal in Lawrence County…
Read MoreTotal Construction Falls Sharply in November
Total construction starts fell 14% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $867.8 billion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonbuilding and nonresidential building starts bore the brunt of the decline, falling 30% and 21%, respectively, after seeing sharp increases in October as three large projects broke ground. Residential starts gained a modest 3%. Without October’s large projects, total…
Read MoreThe End of the Beginning
The year 2021 was truly a momentous one. The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was a long-time coming, but it means we are going to see long-overdue improvements to the nation’s roads and bridges, and that is going to require a lot of aggregate. As we enter 2022, producers do so with high anticipation. However, the…
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