Welcome to the 2022 edition of the “Aggregates Almanac: The Ultimate Information Resource for Quarry Operators.” Published now for the sixth year in a row, feedback from our readers indicates that this publication is widely used and valued; and retained as a go-to information source. Rock Products’ Benchmark 2022 survey indicated that aggregates operators are highly interested in: Equipment upgrades.…
Read MoreCategory: Editorial
Refuting the Flawed MSU Silicosis Study
Rock Products to the rescue. A controversial study by a Michigan State University (MSU) research assistant – “Evaluation of Silicosis, Asthma and COPD Among Sand and Gravel and Stone Surface Mine Workers” – that suggests an increase in doctor visits for shortness of breath among long-term sand and gravel mine workers in the state compared to the rate for production…
Read MoreJust …. No!
If I had any hair to tear out, this month I would be tearing my hair out while yelling, “Just … No!” First, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has launched a new enforcement initiative to “better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards resulting from repeated overexposure to respirable crystalline silica.” MSHA said that…
Read MoreThe Labor Shortage
The aggregates industry had a labor problem before the rest of the country had one. Finding people to get their hands dirty has always been a challenge for producers, whether it is heavy equipment operators, truck drivers, diesel mechanics or laborers. The labor problems that the rest of the country is experiencing has its roots in a number of factors.…
Read MoreAGG1 Hit It Out of the Park
AGG1 was held March 29-31 in Nashville, and the show hit it out of the park. More than 11,000 aggregates and asphalt-paving professionals filled the sold-out Music City Center exhibition floor. It was good to see everyone in person again. Congratulations to the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association for a great convention that preceded the show; and for its…
Read MoreThe Wrong Thing
There isn’t a book of sage advice that exists for operations to refer to when running their aggregates business. But if there was, I am quite sure there would be a line in there somewhere that reads, “When MSHA inspectors come to your site to do their job, don’t use a loader filled with rocks and dirt to force the…
Read MoreCelebrating 125 Years
Rock Products recently achieved an important milestone. We have now been serving the aggregates and cement industries for more than 125 years. We trace our beginnings to the launch of Cement and Engineering News, which was formed in 1896, and in 1924 merged with Rock Products, which itself had been founded in 1902. I like to think I was handed…
Read MoreFully Fund the IIJA
The American Public Works Association (APWA) urged Congress to fully appropriate funds for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which President Biden signed into law.
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…
Read MoreThe IIJA Is An Historic Achievement
Fire up the plant and start putting product on the ground. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed Nov. 5, is the most important piece of transportation legislation since the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. Yes, it is big and that consequential. Michele Stanley, the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) vice president of government and regulatory…
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