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VOICEThe

AMER ICAN SOCIETY OF CONCRETE CONTRACTORS

of the Concrete Contractor

AUGUST 2009

August 20 – 21, 2009NRMCA/ASCC Parking Lot Training CourseOrlando, FL

September 17 – 20, 2009Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA

October 22 – 24, 2009MIX Group Orientation Meeting Long Island, NY

November 8 – 12, 2009ACI Fall Convention, New Orleans, LA

February 1 – 5, 2010WOC 2010, Las Vegas, NV

March 21 – 24, 2010ACI Spring Convention, Chicago, IL

July 29 – August 1, 2010CEO Forum, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai, CA

September 16 – 19, 2010Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, UT

January 17 – 21, 2011WOC 2010, Las Vegas, NV

Industry Calendar

GOAL: MORE CONCRETE PARKING LOTS SWEDERSKI CONCRETE & PAVING, LLC

One of Len Swederski’s life goals has to be to convert as many asphalt parking lots to concrete as is humanly possible. I don’t know this for a fact but I would bet a lot that I’m right. Len’s North Carolina branch, Swederski Concrete & Paving, LLC, recently completed a 127,000 SF parking lot for Hilco Transport Inc. in Concord, NC that was originally designed for asphalt pavement.

Fortunately, says Len, Hilco’s project coordinator was very

familiar with the benefits and life-cycle maintenance costs of concrete vs. asphalt. When he saw that Swederski would be using the latest 3-D robotic laser screed and understood the company’s commitment to ACI-330 placement techniques, he was willing to consider a proposal for concrete, which Hilco ultimately accepted.

The placement was done at night in June. A crew of 11 placed 3,500 c.y. in four pours. Joints were cut using early-entry saws. The joint pattern was spaced more closely than the 330 joint table calls for so the parking stall lines would fall along the saw cuts.

All areas except the front car parking are 8" thick. This is 1.5" thicker than the 330 design table per the owner’s prefer-ence. Car parking areas are 6". The entire area is unre-inforced.

A N N U A L C O N F E R E N C E

September 17 – 20, 2009

E v e r g r e e n M a r r i o t t C o n f e r e n c e R e s o r tA t l a n t a , G e o r g i a

R E G I S T E R N O W !I n f o r m a t i o n o n l i n ew w w . a s c c o n l i n e . o r g

All placement was done at night.

127,000 SF that could have been asphalt.

CONCRETE HOTLINE800-331-0668

SAFETY HOTLINE866-788-2722

Members Only

A S C C H E L P S !

2 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CONCRETE CONTRACTORS

Paul AlbanelliPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Bev GarnantDIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

Set Your Annual Conference Goals

Last month I argued that you should attend the Annual Conference because it’s good for your company. The seminars, roundtables, network-ing, demos, etc. are opportunities to absorb information and meet people that could change your business for the better.

What I’m suggesting now is that to really make the most of the Conference you set goals to accomplish while you’re in Atlanta.

These could be items such as:

Find an answer to a technical problem – seek out another contractor or an associate member who can help.

Seek out a joint venture project. Looking at a project that’s beyond your capabilities? Who’s a possible partner?

Bring up a topic at a roundtable. What problem could use some feed-back?

Look into a MIX Group. Still waffling on whether or not to join a group? Talk to MIX members and commit to the fall orientation meet-ing.

Find a mentor. Ask someone you admire if they would be willing to visit with you periodically for support and direction.

If you come to Atlanta and participate in the conference you’ll definitely go home having learned something. But if you can go back to work hav-ing accomplished a few important tasks, specific to your company needs, you’ll have made the trip even more worthwhile.

Welcome to our newest members.

AmQuip Crane Rental LLC, Trevose, PAElbrecht Concrete, Noblesville, INLJ Crane & Rigging, Warwick, RITITAN Formwork Systems, Tempe, AZ

NEW MEMBERS

Do you know someone who would benefit from ASCC membership? Lend a hand and tell them about what we offer!

For a member benefits list call 866-788-2722.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I would like to provide further support for the article in your most recent newsletter “Overview of Coatings…”. In addition to the online posting evidence from such companies as Webcor noting sensible practice of the information contained in this position statement and the research support-ing it, there is industry standard for this issue. ACI Committee 332, in its 2008 edition of “Requirements for Residential Concrete Construction” adopted the following provision:

3.2.4 Surface conditions of reinforcement — At the time concrete is placed, deformed bar and welded wire reinforcement shall be free of materials deleterious to development of bond strength between the reinforcement and the concrete.

R3.2.4 Surface contaminants such as concrete spatter, form oil, or other release agents will not prevent the reinforcing bars from achieving design values cited in the code requirements.

This does not apply to any commercial work, however, it is an indicator that sound research and empirical evidence can come together to produce sensible requirements and construction practices. Thank you for printing this article from an MTSU student to keep the discussion moving forward.

James R. Baty IITechnical DirectorConcrete Foundations Association

Intern in the “D”; before I even had a chance to meet him, friends of our office manager, who graciously offered to house this guy over the summer, gave him the nickname that would last all summer. Intern in the “D” came to us through the CIM program at MTSU. Many ASCC mem-bers have provided internships and jobs for CIM graduates and I can’t tell you how much the CIM program relies on us to offer these opportunities to young people as they begin their careers in the concrete industry. An internship is a requirement for graduation. Without us providing these positions they will have a hard time completing their requirements. The opportunities for these students were understandably way down this year. In contrast, the number of students needing an internship was way up. With over 500 students now enrolled in the CIM program this need is going to continue to grow. If we don’t step up to the plate and offer internships who will? Looking back, our work load was pretty bad this year and we could have gotten by without an intern. But when all was said and done it really didn’t cost that much and I truly believe we made a positive difference in this young man’s life. So, as you look to 2010, please consider a CIM intern so we have young people ready to step in and help our companies grow once we get out of this economic mess.

I recently received an e-mail from Michael Warning that informed us that he was resigning from the ASCC Safety Council after 15 years of dedicated service, to pursue oth-ers interests. Michael served as chairman of the committee many of those years and was instrumental in turning the committee into the Safety and Risk Management Council. I want to thank you Mike for all that you have done for ASCC and wish you many years of health and happiness as you move on to other things.

I also want to welcome our new director of member servic-es, Mark Clervi. Mark begins work on August 17th so feel free to call the office and welcome him to the group. His job is to help you get the most out of your membership. We all look forward to meeting you Mark at the Annual Conference in Atlanta.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CONCRETE CONTRACTORS 3

CURING PAPER

ASTM C171-07, “Standard Specification for Sheet Materials for Curing Concrete,” is an active standard, last revised in 2007 (the -07 after the standard number indicates the most current revi-sion).

You can check the status of any ASTM standard (active or histori-cal) and purchase an electronic copy at www.astm.org. Just enter the code—in this case C171—in the search box.

We also located one source for a product that meets ASTM C171. The product is Orange Label Sisalkraft 280, and is manufactured by the Fortifiber Building Systems Group in Fernley, NV. It is manufactured in 3-, 4-, 6-, and 8-ft widths, all in 300-ft-length rolls. The Fortifiber web site is www.fortiber.com and by calling the toll free number (800)-773-4777 you can find the closest distributor.

There may be other sources for a product meeting ASTM C171, but we could locate only this one on the internet.

RESPONSE TO JULY 2009 HOTLINE QUESTION

In the answer to “Can I Meet this Flatness Requirement” I cited ACI 302.1-04 typical forming and strikeoff requirements for an FL 20 floor (overall: Minimum local value of FL 15). The document recommended using block placements and wet screed strikeoff techniques to estab-lish initial grade, then checking the grade after strikeoff and repeating strikeoff as necessary.

ASCC member Tommy Ruttura disagreed with those recommenda-tions as follows:

“We measure all of our floor placements, and though I hear about great overall FLs on hand work, we aren’t the people who can do it. We have tried and tried again and found it almost impossible to get overall FL 17s with wet screeds. And we’ve tried many techniques. We’ve been at this a long time and when it comes to FL specifications for wet screed placements, unless you’re willing to spend a lot of time and money on the floor, stay away.”

What are the experiences of our readers? Can you achieve overall FL numbers of 20 or more using wet screeds? And if so, how do you do it? Send your responses to wmalisch@ascconline.org.

ANSWER: QUESTION:

We’re placing concrete that will later be stained. The specifications require us to use curing paper that meets ASTM C171. Is this a current ASTM specification and, if so, where can we purchase the product? We’ve found one paper that comes in 5-ft wide rolls, but that will mean a lot of seams. We were hoping to find some-thing a bit wider.

Ward Malisch, Technical Director

NOTEWORTHY:

Of the companies in the 2009 CC100 (Concrete Construction Magazine’s list of the 100 largest U.S. concrete contractors), 52 are members of the American Society of Concrete Contractors — that number has not changed over the past three years. Of those companies that are members, 32 had positive growth in 2008 (or 62%); among the nonmembers of ASCC only 37% had positive growth in 2008.

Producing Functional Decorative Concrete InstallationsJim Mullins, DCC Advisory Board

Visit the ACI website for information on how to take the certification exams online through the Prometric Testing Center at:

http://www.concrete.org/certification/cert_spon.htm

One of the goals of the DCC is to work with the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program, producing functional decorative concrete installations at CIM campuses while fostering relationships with students and staff. Our first proj-ect is scheduled for Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

Dr. Heather Brown, CIM director at MTSU explains – “The CIM program is planning a facelift to its student union area due to the goodwill of the Decorative Concrete Council.”

The area designated for this activity is a strip of grass and a worn out grassy knoll. 23,500 students will utilize this showcase for decorative concrete. DCC members will be at MTSU October 27-29. The campus is very excited about injecting some color to the red brick façade that has become a mainstay here.

DCC board member Jim Mullins is heading the project which will consist of approximately 1000 sq. ft. of cast-in-place stamped concrete. The first area will be an extension of an existing sidewalk to allow a place for students to sit without disrupting the flow of traffic on the existing sidewalk. The pours will be integral color and color hardener utilizing a release and a stamp pattern. The other proposed area will be atop the knoll, and will also be a cast-in-place pour with a set of decorative concrete steps adjoining the sidewalk below. Patterns and colors are being selected by a campus committee.

We are getting a lot of local interest in this project, from companies such as Concrete Elegance and Artistic Concrete Supplies, both located in Murfreesboro. We will also have DCC members from around the country to assist with the installation alongside the CIM students.

This is a great opportunity to give back to the community and promote the Decorative Concrete Council and ASCC. If you’d like to get involved, please contact the ASCC staff.

ACI Cer t i f i ca t ion Exams Onl ine

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CONCRETE CONTRACTORS 4

For a while it seemed each time I turned on the evening news or picked up a construction trade publication there was another serious crane acci-dent being investigated. Is our industry having more crane related accidents or are the accidents just getting more press coverage?

There’s no question that today’s cranes are expensive marvels of sophistica-tion and applied technology. Onboard computers can tell the operator every-thing from the load on the hook, to percent of capacity, operating radius, boom angle, wind speed, etc. One might think this technology would improve crane safety by providing the operator with accurate information regarding loads and crane capabilities; but the accidents seem to keep coming.

Is it possible the technology advance-ment has outpaced both rule mak-ing and operator training? The current thirty-eight year old federal Crane Standard has not changed since 1971. Will a fresh set of rules provide increased safety for the worker and the general public? We’ll find out shortly, after the new proposed standard winds its way through the final rule making process and implementation begins.

In the mean time, those of us who regularly frequent job sites can make a difference by keeping our eyes open and reporting basic crane safety issues we observe.

Listed below are a few crane safety issues that can be identified and cor-rected even if you are not a crane safety expert.

Basic Crane Safety

Are workers observed under sus-pended loads?

Are tag lines used to control loads when necessary?

Are loads unnecessarily flown over city streets?

Does the crane have an anemome-ter for measuring wind speed?

Are riggers trained and do they

understand basic crane signals? Does the operator know the weight

of heavy picks and can he read the load chart?

Are cranes being inspected daily by competent personnel and is there a preventative maintenance program in place?

Tower Cranes

Has the power cable been properly supported from the crane pedestal?

Is excess power supply cable at the base of the crane rolled up and out of the water?

At the end of the work day is the rig-ging removed, block stowed and crane allowed to weather vane?

If tiebacks are required are they securely bolted to the slabs?

Has safe access been provided for the operator?

Are tower cranes jumped after hours or on weekends?

Mobile Cranes

Has the crane had an annual inspec-tion?

Has the crane swing radius been properly barricaded?

Is the crane within 1% of level in all directions?

Is the crane operating surface well compacted or is the crane on proper-ly sized mats?

Do boom lattice or chords appear damaged or have cracked or broken welds?

Do blocks have functioning safety latches?

Does the crane have a load chart for current boom/jib configuration?

If the crane has rubber tires, are out-riggers utilized and all tires off the ground when making a pick?

Does the crane have a boom angle indicator?

The next time you visit a jobsite make a point to observe hoisting operations. With a little self policing we can positively impact the human suffering and property damage that can occur when crane opera-tions do not go according to plan.

Kevin Peterson, Regional Safety Director, Ceco Concrete Construction LLCCRANE SAFETY

When a company makes a commitment to change their culture, it takes commitment from every-one from the President down to the entry level laborer. At Citadel Contractors, we started with the basic philosophy that no one would intention-ally break the rules or risk serious injury or death.

Back in 2005, as the new Safety Director, I sat down with the President of the company and proposed a 14 point safety plan that started with assessing the areas of risk/exposure, identifying the training needs, and implementing those needs into a new hire program.

Based on that basic premise, we established our new hire program to educate each and every employee on OSHA rules, company policy and industry best practices. This commitment includes that every new hire will receive OSHA 10 hour training before they begin their first day at work.

When we made this commitment, I put great effort and dogged determination into not compromising this goal.

We noticed an immediate decline in employee turnover and incident rate reduction in new employee injuries. This made us look at our exist-ing workforce and the decision was made to bring every employee in for OSHA 10 hour training. Supervisors returned for OSHA 30 hour training.

The program is tailored to fit Citadel’s risks and needs while empowering every employee to say “I am responsible for safety.” As our program grows, we have added First Aid / CPR during new hire training, making orientation a full two days.

In 2009 Citadel Contractors will launch two new programs to augment this initial training: the roll out of our craft training program, focusing on growing the employee’s skill in each particular trade, and implementing eight hours of annual safety training for all employees.

The most notable result from this training pro-gram is a marked reduction in incidents and inju-ries. At the writing of this article we have gone 1027 days without a lost time injury.

Byproducts of the safety initiative are increased employee retention and employees taking respon-sibility for their own safety and that of their co-workers. This brought us to name our safety program “I am responsible for safety”; giving each employee ownership in the program.

MEMBER SAFETY PRACTICES CITADEL CONTRACTORS, INC.

Networking at the Friday evening reception.

Chris and Suzanne Plue sample the sushi. Speakers addressed timely financial topics.

Ask Harry about his “birdie” some time. The winning foursome.

Coach Todd and the CEO kids. Boats? For Sale.

1. Strategy 3. Pride of Ownership 5. Mayday

2. Construction 4. Launch 6. Winners

Top: Jim Dolente, Jr., Clay Fischer, Todd Ruttura.Bottom: Greg Moore, Don Marks, Jack Cooney, Bob Ferguson

Top: Scott Winkler, Steve Jones, Jeremy Clark and Jason, Allison and Ryan Swagert Bottom: Steve Dolente, Chris Williams, Byron Klemaske II, Howard Hohmann and Bob Dalrymple

Top: Mike Poppoff, Steve Bongiorno, Nigel Parkes, Ben and Sydnie Parkes Bottom: Moorman Scatt, Tom O’Loughlin, Bret Houck, Harry Moats, Mike Simonetti, Andrew Mair, with McLean and Nolan Adams

Top: Zeke Zinchiak, Barry Jackson, Chris Plue, Scott Fisk with Sydnie and Kylie Parkes Bottom: Byron Klemaske II, Bob Dalrymple and Howard Hohmann help the only adults to attempt to float their own boat, Chris Williams and Steve Dolente.

Top: Steve Dolente and Chris Williams hold their “Nothing is Impossible” trophies. Bottom: The winning team: Zeke Zinchiak, Scott Fisk, Chris Plue, Barry Jackson with Sydnie and Kylie Parkes (not shown: Antonio Martins).