Rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis for new green roofs on existing buildings of any size and new construction projects that add a green roof to go above and beyond their requirements for a stormwater management permit.

For more information or to register your planned green roof project, click here.

3/16/2012

The paper is intended to address concerns in the commercial roofing industry regarding the use of waterborne adhesives with single-ply roof systems. It provides general information, installation guidelines and common limitations associated with the use of waterborne adhesives. The information is complementary to each manufacturer’s specific requirements; it is not a replacement.

To view the waterborne adhesives advisory document, click here.

2/16/2012

NRCA previously had voiced its opposition to OSHA’s regulatory directive, believing it will hinder rather than improve workplace safety and make it more difficult for roofing contractors to operate their businesses. NRCA also had urged OSHA officials to delay enforcement of the directive indefinitely while it works with the roofing industry to resolve roofing contractors’ many concerns. To view a Special Report regarding NRCA’s opposition to the directive, click here.

During the past year, OSHA has conducted more than 1,000 outreach sessions across the U.S. to help employers comply with the new directive, which can be viewed by clicking here. OSHA will continue to work with employers to ensure a clear understanding of the new policy and facilitate compliance.

To view OSHA’s temporary enforcement measures, click here. To view fact sheets, PowerPoint and slide presentations, and other educational materials,click here.

A variety of educational and training materials to help employers with compliance can be found at www.osha.gov.

2/16/2012

“For construction starts, 2012 started off slowly with activity retreating further into the lower half of its recent range,” says Robert A. Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. “This is consistent with the view that construction still is struggling to achieve upward momentum, even with the recent improvement shown by the U.S. economy. There were some positive signs for construction during 2011, such as a stronger volume for multifamily housing, record high for new electric utility starts and even gains for a few commercial structure types (hotels and warehouses). However, these positives were offset by declines for single-family housing, public works and institutional building.

“For 2012, public works and institutional building will continue to be affected by diminished federal funding, as well as tight state and local budgets,” he continues. “Single-family housing may draw some benefit from the recent federal-state agreement with major banks to rework troubled mortgages, but homebuyer demand still will be restrained by more stringent bank lending standards, which limits any construction upturn. Although multifamily housing appears on the upswing and commercial building seems to be turning the corner, both will require more available bank financing. There were some signs this was taking place during the first half of 2011, before concerns about the debt crisis in Europe during the second half of 2011 caused banks to adopt a more wait-and-see approach.”

Nonresidential building construction basically fell 1 percent in January. In the commercial category, office construction climbed 20 percent; store construction rose 12 percent; warehouse construction fell 11 percent; hotel construction slipped 16 percent; and manufacturing plant construction plunged 39 percent. In the institutional category, health care facility construction surged 105 percent; educational buildings dropped 3 percent; churches decreased 6 percent; amusement-related construction declined 6 percent; public buildings fell 23 percent; and transportation terminals plunged 36 percent.

Residential building construction fell 8 percent in January. Single-family housing decreased 1 percent, and multifamily construction fell 26 percent.

Nonbuilding construction increased 3 percent in January.

During the 12 months ending in January, nonresidential building decreased 16 percent compared with the 12 months ending January 2011. Residential building was up 17 percent, and nonbuilding construction decreased 30 percent. By geographic region, the Midwest rose 16 percent; South Atlantic grew 1 percent; West fell 11 percent; Northeast dropped 28 percent; and South Central plunged 32 percent.

2/23/2012

J.D. MILES & SONS

by Renee Olmo

Available from January 1^st through December 31^st of 2012, active military, veterans, and retirees who use a GAF Factory-Certified Contractor can receive a $300 rebate from the manufacturer when they purchase a new GAF Lifetime Roofing System and provide proof of purchase for GAF Lifetime Shingles and at least three qualifying GAF accessories. Details can be found through visiting www.military.com/discounts orwww.gaf.com/military.  GAF Factory-Certified Contractors can be located easily through the home page of the GAF website at www.gaf.com.

“GAF is honored to be able to give back to the brave men and women who have risked their lives to keep our country safe,” stated Paul Bromfield, senior vice president of marketing at GAF.

Timberline American Harvest Lifetime Shingles are designed with an optimized construction and an advanced color-application technique that results in an extra-dimensional look for the home. The seven unique colors were created to complement the most popular home exterior color schemes. Custom colors include Golden Harvest, Nantucket Morning, Appalachian Sky, Brandywine Dusk, Saddlewood Ranch, Adobe Sunset and Cedar Falls.

“Property owners are very cognizant of color today, and it plays a big role in what shingle they choose for their home. Often, this decision is driven by their overall exterior color scheme and what shingle color matches their paint, siding or trim,” said Emily Cavanagh, director of shingles and product development at GAF. “The American Harvest blends were designed to incorporate the most popular color palettes used on homes today, to better match the roof to the overall style of the home. Ultimately, this will help homeowners increase their curb appeal and the sophistication of their home.”

JANUARY 26, 2012

The fourth quarter figure is an improvement compared with the third quarter, when GDP increased 1.8 percent. However, government spending cuts held back growth during the October-December quarter and 2011 as a whole; the economy grew 1.7 percent in 2011, which is about half the growth in 2010 and the worst since the recession.

Consumer spending increased 2 percent during the fourth quarter, which is slightly better than the third quarter. Much of the growth was spurred by a 14.8 percent increase in sales of autos and other long-lasting manufactured goods.

Government purchases fell at a 4.6 percent annual rate during the fourth quarter and 2.1 percent for the year; this was the biggest decline since 1971.

However, other data show the economy ended strongly in 2011 as companies invested more in equipment and machinery; the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent; consumer confidence is rising; and economists predict the housing market is beginning to turn around.

The Federal Reserve forecasts the economy will grow 2.7 percent this year.

1/30/2012

Although the online courses are voluntary and not required by OSHA, they provide training that can help protect workers’ safety and health and help employers reduce the high costs of worker injuries and illnesses.

The organizations OSHA selected to offer the online courses will provide a variety of 10- and 30-hour classes designed for construction, general industry and maritime. The selections are the result of a national competition announced in March 2011.

Following are the newly selected OSHA-authorized Outreach Training Program online training providers:

• Construction 10-Hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, CareerSafe, ClickSafety, Compliance Solutions, PureSafety, Safety Unlimited, Texas Engineering Extension Service
• Construction 10-Hour Spanish: ClickSafety and PureSafety
• Construction 30-Hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, ClickSafety, PureSafety, Texas Engineering Extension Service, Turner Knowledge Network
• General Industry 10-Hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, CareerSafe, ClickSafety, North Carolina State University, PureSafety, Safety Unlimited, Texas Engineering Extension Service
• General Industry 30-Hour: AdvanceOnline Solutions, ClickSafety, PureSafety
• Maritime 10-Hour: Moxie Media

Workers must receive additional training on hazards specific to their job. OSHA provides no funding to authorized Outreach Training Program training providers.

For access to courses and more information about the Outreach Training Program, click here.

1/27/2012

“The pace of new construction starts continues to fluctuate within a set range, showing stability in a broad sense but not yet making the transition to renewed expansion,” says Robert A. Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. “Gains for a few project types are being offset by continued weakness for other project types, with the result that total construction is experiencing an extended bottom.

“During 2011, stronger activity was reported for multifamily housing, manufacturing plants, electric utilities and even some commercial property types (hotels and warehouses),” he continues. “These gains were countered by further declines for the publicly financed parts of the construction industry, institutional building and public works, as well as by more weakness for single-family housing. For 2012, it’s expected there also will be a mixed pattern by project type. The pluses may be able to outweigh the minuses should the recent pickup in employment growth be accompanied by greater real estate lending by the banking industry, but this year also will see the constraint of diminished federal and state funding support for construction programs.”

Nonresidential building construction basically was unchanged in December 2011. In the commercial category, hotel construction increased 65 percent; warehouse construction climbed 42 percent; store construction rose 4 percent; manufacturing plant construction dropped 3 percent; and office construction fell 26 percent. In the institutional category, public buildings surged 118 percent; transportation terminals climbed 98 percent; educational buildings grew 9 percent; churche construction was unchanged; amusement-related construction decreased 12 percent; and health care facility construction plunged 55 percent.

Residential building construction rose 2 percent in December 2011. Single-family housing increased 2 percent, and multifamily construction held steady.

Nonbuilding construction decreased 10 percent in December 2011.

During 2011, nonresidential building decreased 4 percent compared with 2010. Residential building was up 2 percent, and nonbuilding construction decreased 3 percent. By geographic region, the West and South Atlantic grew 6 percent; South Central decreased 4 percent; Midwest dropped 9 percent; and Northeast fell 12 percent.

1/23/2012