The National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau (NCPWB) has released a new Technical Bulletin that explains what welders are allowed to weld in production based on the test conditions.
Many employees are more comfortable using their own mobile devices on the job. MCAA’s Bring Your Own Device – Is It Right for Your Company? explores the advantages and disadvantages of a bring your own device (BYOD) policy to help mechanical contractors decide whether to adopt such a policy. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.
Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.
The MCA of Chicago elected Jim Jacobsen, Jr., of DePue Mechanical, Inc.as its president during the association’s June 16, 2022, annual meeting. Jim is taking over from past president Charlie Usher of Ideal Heating Company.
Jim has been an active participant and Board Member at the MCA of Chicago since 2013. He grew up in Marseilles, IL, and graduated from Ottawa Township High School in Ottawa, IL. After high school, he attended The University of Chicago. He is a proud United States Navy Veteran and has worked in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, The Pentagon (Washington, D.C.) in the United States Navy Command Center.
MCAA’s Safety Statistics & Awards program recognized 90 MCAA members’ safety performance in 2021. All applicants received a valuable benchmarking report that will allow them to compare their own 2021 incidence rates with the aggregate rates of the other participating MCAA companies overall, those in the same size category, and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics incidence rates. Those who qualified also received a certificate of commendation. Congratulations to all!
The program provides six awards categories including awards for zero recordable cases, zero lost workday cases, recordable cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average, lost workday cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average, and two that are a mix of these items.
MCAA is pleased to give the following contractors special recognition for their safety performance.
Congratulations to all recipients, and thank you to everyone who applied. Your support of this and MCAA’s other safety programs underscores your company’s commitment to safety.
3M has notified the industry of a potential manufacturing issue that could result in some lanyards not performing properly in the event of a fall. This could result in severe injury or death. Select 3M™ DBI-SALA® ShockWave™2 Arc Flash Shock Absorbing Lanyards are impacted and should be removed from service. See the recall notice for details and information about replacements.
More workers are killed or injured in and around excavations than in any other phase of construction work. MCAA and safety partner CNA offer resources that reinforce the importance of trench protective systems to keep your team safe during Trench Safety Stand-Down Week June 20 – 24, 2022 and every day.
Excavation Safety for Mechanical Construction Training Materials:
MCAA also offers a Model Excavation Safety Program that guides you through establishing a program that minimizes risk to your employees and ensures your compliance with OSHA requirements. It makes development and implementation of such a program as easy and cost-effective as possible.
Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.
The full-featured digital version of MCAA’s Membership Directory & Buyer’s Guide enhances the look and feel of our printed directory. Download your copy for digital-only benefits that help you stay connected throughout the year. Printed copies will mail in the next few weeks.
The digital version of the directory helps you:
Have updates? Please share! Contact Jan Grillo for assistance updating your member record at any time.
A&R Mechanical Contractors, Inc. credits PypeServer software with dramatically improving efficiency in its fabrication shop; pipe cutting tasks that used to take hours can now be done in 10 minutes or less. Justin Powers, A&R’s virtual design and construction (VDC) and fabrication business unit manager, oversees work across the spectrum from contract award to field installation. He described his company’s typical workflow and tools and the impact of integrating PypeServer software.
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
When a customer files bankruptcy, mechanical contractors face legal and other pitfalls that may affect their business relationship with that customer. MCAA’s Doing Business with a Customer in Bankruptcy reviews each of these to help contractors preserve relationships and protect their bottom line. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
Topics covered include:
For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.
Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.
Ongoing supply chain and project timeline issues continue to be challenges for many companies. This makes it more important than ever for contractors to find ways to improve efficiency and make up for lost time on projects. Get tips to improve productivity and save time on projects from Miller Electric Mfg. Co.
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.
The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) has released its 2022 Union Craft Labor Supply Report. The industry’s only union-specific report focused on construction and maintenance shows great confidence in the industry’s growth prospects.
This is the eighth year that TAUC has commissioned the Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) to conduct this comprehensive analysis.
The report, based on a survey of nearly 700 industry respondents, reveals great confidence in the growth prospects for the construction and maintenance industry. In fact, 80% projected growth and a strong 30% projected “Very Strong Growth” for 2022. The improved growth projections were nearly universal across all the demographic data cuts. In other words, nearly every role, region, industry, organization size, and age group were bullish on growth for 2022 (but there were a few exceptions).
MCAA is pleased to welcome Carlos Arias to the MCAA staff. Carlos, who is originally from Guatemala, will be the new voice answering the phones at MCAA starting May 2, 2022. Carlos began his service career in the hospitality industry with many years at several major Washington, DC hotels. He has spent the past 16 years working in property management in Gaithersburg, MD, a suburb near the MCAA office. On weekends Carlos spends time with family and friends at cookouts, enjoying music and dancing, and traveling to the beach. Join us in welcoming Carlos and his family to the MCAA staff family.
To survive and grow in today’s marketplace, mechanical contractors must become better managers and business professionals. MCAA’s The Management Audit: Peer Group Guidelines explains how informally organized groups of non-competing contractors can assist each other through idea exchange to run their respective businesses more professionally and more profitably. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
The bulletin:
For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.
Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.
MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:
Morris Group International
Specification is a complex task. With the NEW Morris Group International Kwik Ship® Brands, you have a go-to selection of products designed to work together. Learn about our new program online!
Nu Flow Technologies
Becoming a NuFlow Certified Contractor is more than buying our equipment. We prepare our contractors with everything they need to develop new expertise, product offerings, and revenue streams. Grow your business with NuFlow!
Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!
Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.
This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!
A company’s employee manual sets expectations and delivers information. MCAA’s Guide to Human Resources Policies provides guidance on human resources policies to help MCAA members design their own employee manuals. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
The guide includes information to help your company:
For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.
Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joined Vice President Kamala Harris April 12, 2022 to announce a first-ever Occupational Safety and and Health Administration (OSHA) National Emphasis Program (NEP) to protect workers from indoor and outdoor heat hazards. The NEP lists construction among the industries expected to have high exposures to heat-related hazards resulting in illnesses. MCAA is representing our members’ interests with OSHA because we know there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our workers, and you’re invited to join us.
MCAA will be participating in OSHA’s stakeholder meeting on May 3, 2022. You are invited to participate in the virtual meeting by registering here.
MCAA has already submitted feedback to OSHA on the proposed rule and commented through the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group.
As temperatures begin to rise and it starts to get hot in parts of the United States, now is a good time to remind your employees about how to prevent heat illnesses. In particular, they should be on the lookout for:
If you have any questions, please contact MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management, Raffi Elchemmas.
The National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau (NCPWB) has released a new Technical Bulletin that explains how to determine the number of test coupons required to meet the minimum weld length for radiographic examination under ASME Section IX.
Thanks to MCAA member contributions, an additional $5,750 has been donated to The MCAA Charitable Fund for Ukrainian relief. These donations will be added to $46,250 in member contributions and $25,000 from MCAA previously donated to support the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is actively saving and protecting the lives of victims of armed conflict and violence in Ukraine. MCAA will continue to forward additional donations to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Please consider making a donation using the link on the MCAA website.
MCAA extends a warm welcome to Noreen Cournoyer, who will be joining the staff as MCAA’s new Associate Director, Conference Services starting April 4. Noreen previously planned events for the New Jersey Association for Justice and the National Association of Attorneys General. She graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and has since earned the Digital Event Strategist (DES) and Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credentials. She holds leadership roles with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Capital Chapter and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Research Foundation. MCAA is pleased to welcome Noreen to the staff and to the MCAA family.
MCAA’s The Next Generation of Data Security provides guidance and insight on current tools and techniques to protect your data and operations. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.
The bulletin includes product recommendations and addresses the following topics that are critical to defending your company’s data:
For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.
Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.
