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Power and Communication Contractors Association

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Power & Communication Contractor
February, 2002


Contents

American-Made Highway Bore

2002 Exhibitor Showcase

PCCA News

Safety Watch

Watch IT

Industry Roundup

Advertiser Index


An American-Made Highway Bore
By D.J. Miller, Product Support & Training Manager, American Augers, Inc.

Cale Gillett and Ron Musial of RC Directional recently faced a challenge when they needed to successfully complete a particularly tough bore to be considered for additional work on a project. The bore path was 950-feet long and 20- to 25-feet deep along Old Highway 29 crossing under State Route 10 in Clare, Mich. Soil conditions at the site were mostly coarse sand to a sandy clay mixture, and the product pipe to be pulled was eight pieces of 4-inch HDPE for Ameritech phone lines.

After two weeks of unsuccessful attempts to complete the bore, RC Directional contacted American Augers for assistance. The American team brought in a DD-8 directional drill and an MCM-4000 mud system to complete the job. In the beginning, Gillett and Musial were unsure about the need for a recycling system like the MCM-4000, but it proved to be a great asset.

Drilling the pilot hole commenced around 10:30 am on Tuesday, October 2, and continued for 585 feet. The bore was going well, with very little pressure needed to turn the drill string. The decision was made to stop for the day and finish the pilot hole the next day. On Wednesday morning, even after leaving the drill string set in the borehole overnight, very little pressure was needed to turn the drill string. The pilot hole drilling continued until the cutter head came out right at the spot mandated by RC Directional. After removing the cutter head, the crew installed an 18-inch blade reamer with a 16-inch barrel reamer behind it. The blade reamer did a nice job of cutting and mixing the sand with the bentonite and the barrel reamer helped form the hole and ensure that flow was maintained at the exit pit.

The pre-reaming operation began at 7:00 Thursday morning. Pumping 80 gpm and pulling every drill pipe the same speed (approximately 8 minutes per pipe) ensured a high-quality borehole with an even flow at the exit side during the entire operation. This is where the MCM-4000 really started paying dividends. The crew pumped approximately 40,000 gallons of bentonite during the pre-reaming operation, and without the MCM-4000 that would have been quite a few bags of bentonite to mix.

Once the recycling portion of the operation began, it was observed that the 50-mesh screens on the scalping shaker were not removing enough of the sand, which caused the hydra cyclones to be overloaded. The decision was made to switch to 70-mesh screens, which began removing much more sand, allowing the cones to work efficiently. The pre-reaming operation was completed by 7:00 pm.

With a successful pre-ream of the hole, the crew pushed the 62 pieces of drill pipe back through the hole, hooked up the 24-inch barrel reamer, and pulled the product. The final pull began at 12:30 pm on Friday. Pumping 90 gpm and pulling each 15-foot pipe in about 6 to 8 minutes, the pullback went along smoothly. Not having to stop and mix mud was again a great asset to the job.

One small hitch during the pullback occurred when a piece of 4-inch HDPE left from one of the previous attempts got wrapped around the drill pipe with 255 feet left to pull. This brought the drill’s rotary speed to a dead stop. Switching the rotary speed to the high-torque mode, the DD-8 used all 13,500 ft.lbs. of rotary torque to break free from the plastic. When the last three-drill pipe came out of the ground, the HDPE was wrapped around it like a 40-foot snake and had to be cut off the drill pipe with a chain saw.

When it was all said and done, there was 950 feet of 4-inch HDPE installed in the ground in a matter of four days. Everyone at RD Directional was impressed by the professionalism and knowledge of the American Augers team and the high-quality, cost-effective, timesaving equipment they brought to the job.


PCCA News

The Great Land Awaits PCCA In Alaska
Towering glacial peaks, mighty rivers, amazing wildlife, and infinite landscapes await PCCA members at this year’s Mid-Year Meeting, July 25-27, at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. Nature’s grandeur combined with industry-specific education, important association business, and unbeatable networking opportunities make this Mid-Year a truly special event.

“The Alyeska Resort provides the perfect setting for our contractor and associate members to meet, make contacts, and figure out what we must do to jump-start our industry,” said incoming PCCA President Charley Duff. “The PCCA Mid-Year is a great place to learn more about where our industry is headed, gain knowledge to improve your company’s operations, and allow you to have a voice in improving our industry.”

Girdwood is on Alaska’s south-central coast, just 40 miles south of Anchorage, which is accessible via an average 170 in-bound flights daily. In July, the average temperature is around 65 degrees, and there is nearly 23 hours of daylight each day. (Who’s thinking 9 p.m. tee times?)

The Aleuts call the area “Alyeska, the Great Land,” and the resort and the PCCA program offer opportunities to fully explore its splendor. The resort is tucked amid the Chugach Mountains, and among its many charms is an aerial tram that runs 2,300 feet above the valley floor.

PCCA has booked the Klondike Express, a high-speed catamaran, for a 26-glacier cruise of Prince William Sound, where members will view glittering icebergs, green fjords, and all sorts of wildlife. A full range of optional tours are available, including tours of Mt. McKinley and Denali National Park, flight-seeing, berry-picking, white-water rafting, hiking, biking, and fishing.

For more information about the 2002 PCCA Mid-Year Meeting, call (703) 212-7734. For registration, click here.


2002 Exhibitor Showcase

General Machine Products Co.
General Machine Products Co. will unveil its new cable-blowing machine and other key products, demonstrating its continuing contribution to the cable placing industry. The cable-blowing machine can move fiber optic cable of 0.23- to 1.25-in. diameter at speeds to 300 ft./min. through inner ducts ranging from 1 to 2.48 in. GMP cable lashing machines meet virtually every lashing/over-lashing application, including broadband and hybrid fiber/coaxial cable; cable blocks to cover any field assignment; cable slitters and strippers, crimpers, plug pressers, and other specialty hand tools; and ratcheting cable cutters.

RWF Industries
The new BRON 150 Series II custom crawler features a CAT D4 style 112-in. track with 30-in. pad width for maximum draw bar pull producing a low 4.76-psi ground pressure. The 150 has a 2-speed hydrostatic track drive, separate hydrostatic loops, manual lock-in-low feature, and variable speed drive. The crawler is powered by a CAT 3116 turbo-charged power unit producing 210 hp, an 80-gal. fuel capacity, and 65-gal. hydraulic capacity. The 150 is available with a V75-3 vibratory utility plow, 8,000-lb. reel carrier, a 6-way clean-up blade, and a wide range of performance and safety features.

WennSoft
WennSoft develops business solutions and Internet applications for field service, construction contractors, and project-oriented industries. Service Management Series is a comprehensive dispatch, scheduling, invoicing, and maintenance contract solution available for traditional client/server or Internet-based platforms integrated with several financial systems. Multiple wireless solutions, including interactive paging, PDAs, handheld computer, and MobileTEC, extend service operations to field technicians. Job Cost is a build-to-order, detailed project tracking system including change orders, subcontractor management, and detailed cost tracking. Internet offerings range from a complete Service Management system to multiple customer and employee-facing web portals, including eCustomer Portal, a web-based customer service tool that allows a user’s customer to place service calls, access call statuses, equipment histories, contract details, project updates, and even drawings and manuals—all online. eProject Manager’s Advisor allows on-site project managers to access important job information, submit change orders, and update forecasts.

TT Technologies
TT Technologies has developed several pipe ramming techniques to help prevent and salvage failed directional drilling bores. Properly configured Grundoram pipe rammers can be used to salvage product pipe after a failed bore, remove stuck drill stems, and assist drills during product pullback, preventing hydrolock. The Grundoram can also be used to install a conductor barrel casing to provide a favorable starting point and friction-free pullback section for directional drilling in difficult soil conditions. TT Technologies offers ten models of the Grundoram pipe ramming tools for trenchless installation of casings from 4- to 80-in. diameter and larger. The Grundoram provides accurate installation in a wide range of soil without surface slump and is proven effective for horizontal, vertical, and angled applications.

Ripley Tools
Ripley manufactures high-quality wire and cable preparation tools for the CATV, utility, electrical, and telecom industries. Tools are available for the smallest fiber optic wire to the largest 235 KV transmission cable. All tools are designed to promote safety and productivity on the job and are sold through a worldwide distributor network.

Roland Machinery Company
Roland Machinery Company has been involved in providing cable plows to contractors for more than 40 years. Over time, Roland has added rocksaws, figure-8 trailers, and blowing or pulling equipment. Roland represents quality manufacturers, and the company aims to consistently be a top dealer for Tesmec, RWF Bron, and Stewart & Stevenson figure-8 trailers and Condux International, which has allowed Roland to become the major source of parts and service for these machines. Roland Machinery has equipment and experience contractors can use.

Clifford of Vermont
Clifford of Vermont, a TVC company, is a national distributor of wire, cable, and related supplies and equipment. The company offers a full complement of outside plant products, including small and large count copper cables for aerial, duct, and buried applications, fiber optic cable, CATV and broadband cables, pole line hardware, termination and protection supplies, underbridge and underground supplies, tools, and safety products. MaxCell, a flexible fabric inner duct, uses up to 80 percent of conduit space by taking the shape of the cable placed into the conduit.

Compass Equipment Leasing
Compass rents, leases, and sells utility equipment throughout the United States and Canada. Compass has 12 distributors with 45 locations. Compass rents personnel bucket trucks from 29 to 170 ft., material handling bucket trucks from 37 to 120 ft., digger derricks with sheave heights from 45 to 60 ft., and tracked equipment (digger derricks, material handlers, and personnel buckets). Compass also rents tension, stringing, and cable placing equipment.

Vermeer Manufacturing
Designed for gas, electric, and other utility installations, the new Vermeer RT700/850 TerraFire fully hydrostatic utility trencher is a contractor’s answer to midsize trenching needs. The RT700/850 features either a 70 hp or 85 hp John Deere engine, an operator console that rotates 90 degrees, standard rear-steering axles, and tilt steering wheel. The standard rear-steering axles (auto-center control optional) include coordinated steering to handle a variety of worksite conditions. All tractor and attachment controls are located within easy reach in an ergonomically designed operator station. A single, multi-functional joystick controls the backfill blade, trencher, or plow attachments. With a tiltable operator’s platform that allows easy access to internal components, all diagnostic ports can be accessed in minutes. A fiberglass hood improves visibility and tilts to allow quick and convenient servicing of the engine. Six backhoe remote controls-including throttle, creep, backfill blade lift, engine start and stop, and park brake-offer increased user productivity and dependable electric-over-hydraulic operation. A load sense implement pump, operating at 18.5 gpm, provides greater flow, dual function power, and speed to the backhoe.

McLaughlin Manufacturing Company
McLaughlin offers a state-of-the-art tracking system that includes “yaw” target steering to reduce left-right oversteering, “Quick Spot” single locate point display, System Interference Measurement Module that notifies operator of pre-bore interference, and built-in multiple-channel remote transmitter with a range of more than 2,500 ft. The extended-range probe relays depth, steering, and drill information to more than 80 ft. A left-right arrow guidance system enables highly accurate target steering for road and creek crossings and multiple out-front locate points in walkover applications. A menu-driven backlit LCD is user-friendly and doesn’t require remembering hidden codes or symbols.

Dexter + Chaney
Dexter + Chaney has launched mobile computing technology for its Forefront Construction Management Software. The initial Forefront Mobile Computing application, Forefront Job Cost/Payroll, enables project managers and other field personnel to conveniently record information onto a handheld organizer at the jobsite and synchronize with the main office at the touch of a button. With Forefront Mobile Computing, employee hours, equipment usage, and daily production quantities are recorded directly to jobs and phases, eliminating the need for handwritten time cards and duplicate data entry.

ARNCO Corporation
ARNCO Corporation’s Maxx-Trak MT-800 is a system designed to push a variety of URD cables and coilable HDPE conduit products into existing HDPE or PVC conduit. The unit’s powerful hydraulic motors deliver up to 800 lbs. of push force at speeds up to 200 ft. per min. The Maxx-Trak’s specialized belt design enables single conductor URD cables up to 1.75-in. diameter to be pushed up to 900 ft. and secondary URD cable bundles up to 1.5 in. to be pushed up to 300 ft. in HDPE conduit. An optional patented winder attachment is available to assist with pushing cable bundles in long, difficult routes or placing distances greater than 300 ft. The Maxx-Trak reduces installation costs substantially by requiring fewer placement steps, eliminates the need for a pull line, and provides a faster placement speed for distribution cables when compared to conventional winching methods. The system’s modular construction allows for a faster, easier setup. The Maxx-Trak can also be used in conjunction with standard cable and duct pulling methods to assist in long or difficult applications such as bridge and water crossings. The system can be freestanding or mounted on a utility vehicle or trailer platform, such as ARNCO’s UT 1000 Utility Trailer or MT 8000 Cable Placing Trailer. Standard accessories include split clamp adapters, a variable-speed control, and a footage/speed electronic display. The split clamp adapters are provided to attach a section of 2-in. HDPE conduit as a feeder tube for guiding the cable from the Maxx-Trak to standard 2-in. HDPE or PVC underground conduit. The variable-speed control allows both the speed and push force to be precisely controlled by the operator.

Underground Construction
Underground Construction contains the most comprehensive editorial package available for the underground construction and rehabilitation industry. It has a proven track record as the leader in recognizing and covering changing market developments in the telecom, water, sewer, and gas industries. The veteran, skilled staff of professional journalists provide unequaled insight and skill in producing top quality and highly respected editorial coverage. With a detailed, audited circulation of almost 35,000, it is the market’s largest trade magazine. From cutting edge trenchless to conventional construction, Underground Construction has you covered.

American Augers
American Augers, Inc., an Astec company, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of horizontal earth boring machines, horizontal directional drills, and drilling fluid systems for the growing trenchless construction market. The company’s innovative products are used in the installation of a wide variety of public utility infrastructures, including fiber optic and TV cable, underground telephone and power lines, sewers, and water and gas lines, without digging an open trench.

Ditch Witch
The Ditch Witch JT4020 Mach 1 horizontal directional drilling system with exclusive All Terrain option offers extraordinary rock-drilling capabilities. The JT4020 All Terrain unit permits effective drilling and steering in extreme conditions such as solid and broken rock, cobble, and solid and rock mixtures. It can effectively and economically make installations to distances up to 1000 ft. The All Terrain mechanical, dual-drive drilling system employs an inner rod to drive a rock bit during the bore. An outer pipe thrusts the bit forward while drilling and provides rotary torque for the hole opener during backreaming. The mechanical drilling system delivers maximum downhole horsepower and operates on low volumes of drilling fluid. In addition to standard, all-terrain drill pipe, Ditch Witch also offers drill pipe specifically designed for use in cobble and glacial till conditions. The small footprint of the compact drilling unit permits set up in small areas. The All Terrain unit is productive in almost all types of soils. Without the All Terrain option, the model JT4020 model is an excellent general-purpose drilling system and offers Ditch Witch Mach 1 technology that provides enhanced features and benefits.

Scott Powerline & Utility Equipment
Scott Powerline & Utility Equipment, headquartered in Monroe, La., is an authorized dealer for such product lines as Bron, Case, Cetco, Delta, DigiTrak, Kobelco, Link Belt, Mantis, National, Railhead, Stewart & Stevenson, Straightline, and VacStar. Scott offers leasing, rental, sales, and product support services throughout the U.S.

Cable Placing Equipment Ltd.
CPE handles Condux cable placing equipment, tooling, and accessories, Vac-Tron vacuum excavation units, Butler and Kiefer trailers, CETCO drilling muds, LTA HDD tooling and drill pipe, Surface-to-Surface mud systems, Tesmec trenchers, Bron cable plows, Stewart & Stevenson figure-eight units, and DCO locating/tracking systems.

Lozon
Lozon manufactures couplers, plugs, and accessories for duct and innerduct. Products include Snaption, a revolutionary construction method for trenched duct that eliminates duct reels and saves construction time and money.

Baker Equipment Engineering
Baker Equipment and Posi-Plus USA are proud to introduce the new Posi 700 series aerial plant placer. This unit was designed to ISO-9000 standards and mounts on a 17,500-gvw chassis. The unit has ground-to-bottom platform of 34 ft. and side reach of 29 ft. 3 in. The unit features a state-of-the-art hydraulic system, less mandatory maintenance requirements, and lower maintenance cost. Stop by our display at the PCCA show for more details on this new product.

The Hughes Group
The Hughes Group offers Internet, multi-media, television, exhibit, print, collateral, and outdoor communications. Several elements go into developing a successful marketing mix—great ideas, well-envisioned strategy, experience, and achieving goals. THG, an affinity service of PCCA, has the ability to conceive and achieve bringing success to PCCA members.

NESCO, Inc.
NESCO sells and rents a wide range of new and used equipment for the utility industry. The company’s extensive fleet includes bucket trucks, digger derricks, pressure diggers, cranes, cable pullers, cable blowers, rodders, scrappers, tensioners, pole trailers, reel carriers, fiber optic splicing trailers, figure-8 machines, cable plows, vacuum equipment, augers and tooling, and parts for all makes and models. NESCO offers flexible rental, leasing, and purchase options through OBL Financial Services. NESCO is an authorized dealer for Elliott Equipment, Manitowoc, OK Champion, TSE International, Reedrill, RWF-BRON, Condux, S.D.P., Hogg & Davis, Wood/Chuck Chippers, and Carlton Stump Grinders.

Pelsue
Pelsue is a certified ISO 9001 manufacturer of utility tents from 4 to 14 ft. for use over manholes and remote cabinets or on aerial lift buckets. No assembly is required, so they can be put up in minutes. The fabric is fire-, water-, and mildew-resistant treated polyester. Pelsue’s manhole safety products include worker-retrieval hoists, portable gas monitors, safety guards and rings, lid lifters, and ventilators with propane heater appliances, all having third-party certification for airflow and CSA-certified electrical and propane code compliance. Pelsue also manufactures splicing vehicles in the form of all-aluminum trailers, vans, and hi-cube, aerial lift, and walk-in trucks.

Reed Manufacturing Company
Reed Oilers effectively deliver threading oil to piping work. The gun-and-trigger approach makes it easy to pump oil directly on the work. The hook allows hanging near work for quick draw pickup. The rugged, completely portable Reed OLBUCKT1 comes with both a metal bucket and a metal drip pan/chip tray. The system double filters and recirculates oil as the chip tray catches the big waste pieces and the filter strains out any small particles. OLBUCKT1 features a sturdy nozzle made from solid aluminum (not thin tubing). This system ships with one gallon of Reed Threadguard dark cutting oil.

American Polywater Corporation
American Polywater is a manufacturer of special cable-pulling lubricants. The company also provides the Pull Planner 2000 software program for predicting cable pulling tensions as well as Hole Shot B directional drilling fluid additives and unique cleaners for cable splicing and general degreasing.

Pittsburgh Pipe
Pittsburgh Pipe provides HDPE duct for CATV, electrical, and telecommunication use, fiber optic casing, black and galvanized steel (plain end or threaded and coupled), PVC conduit, fiberglass conduit, HDPE innerduct, sweeps and couplings, split casing, expansion joints, and pull rope and tape.

Equipment Technology, Inc.
Equipment Technology, Inc. (ETI) is a full-service solution provider for the electrical utility and telecommunications markets. ETI manufactures a high-quality line of aerial devices up to 45-ft. working height, including telescopic, articulating, and combination products in both the worker-lift and material-handling sectors, as well as its own equipment matched bodies that are customized to meet any customer specification. ETI’s products are backed by an array of financial and leasing programs, nationwide service, and inspection teams with a customer-service commitment unsurpassed the industry. ETI’s sister operation, Horizon Fleet Services, Inc. operates a fleet of rental equipment from coast to coast.

Altec Industries, Inc.
Altec Industries is the world’s leading manufacturer of aerial lifts, digger derricks, and specialty equipment for the electric utility, telecommunications, tree care, and light and sign maintenance industries. Altec has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities located throughout North America and sells and services equipment in more than 120 countries.

Condux International
Condux manufactures cable installation equipment and tools for telephone, CATV, power utility, and electrical construction. The company designs and manufactures underground fiber optic installation products, such as break-away swivels, innerduct pulling eyes, duct rodders, fiber optic blowing and pulling equipment, and electric and cable TV installation equipment.

Earth Tool Company LLC
Earth Tool Company is a leading manufacturer of pneumatic piercing tools, pipe bursting and ramming systems, and directional drilling accessories. Distributed exclusively through Vermeer Manufacturing Company, HammerHead products can be purchased and supported locally from a worldwide network of Vermeer dealers. And the Vermeer dealer is close by to provide technical support and training.

Sherman & Reilly, Inc.
Sherman & Reilly manufactures tools and equipment for installing overhead, underground, and fiber optic cables. Products featured are CableJet Systems, HASB Systems for installing cables stress-free with air, and a full line of accessories. Also included are puller-tensioners, UD-series underground pullers, reel trailers, cable storage devices, and stringing blocks for power, ADSS, and OPTGW cables.

Tesmec USA
Tesmec manufactures rock trenchers in chainsaw and rocksaw versions from 260 to 1,000 hp with digging depths to 20 ft. and digging widths to 60 in. Tesmec has introduced the first “All New Bucket Machine” in the last 30 years.

PCCA Insurance Program
The PCCA Insurance Program provides contractors and suppliers a broad array of insurance, bonding, and employee benefit services through a national group of leading insurance agencies. Members of the Contractors National Insurance Network, these 14 agencies are located in major cities throughout the United States, and each brings a high level of knowledge and professionalism to construction insurance and benefits.


Safety Watch

OSHA Announces Initiatives To Protect Hispanic Workers
In early March, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao announced a series of initiatives to improve the safety and promote the prosperity of Hispanics in the workplace.

“The Labor Department is committed to protecting the well-being of the over 14.5 million Hispanic workers in our country,” Chao said. “Further, we want to help Hispanic workers climb the ladder of success and be an integral part of the American workforce.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fatality rate for Hispanic employees climbed by more than 11 percent in 2000, while deaths for all other groups declined. Hispanics also have a 14 percent fatality rate in the workplace, yet they comprise 11 percent of the workforce. Noting this last statistic, Chao directed OSHA to form a task force to reach out and educate Hispanic workers and their families about health and safety on the job. She has also called on other department agencies to make unprecedented efforts to increase workplace safety for Hispanics.

OSHA is making more information available to both Spanish- speaking employers and employees through a variety of tools, including publications, partnerships, and training.

New Spanish Website
OSHA head John Henshaw announced that the agency’s new Spanish language website will be unveiled by mid-March. The site will not only serve workers but also Hispanic employers, who represent America’s largest group of minority business owners.

“Job safety and health depends on employees and employers knowing what they must do to ensure workplace protections,” Chao said. “That starts with understanding vital, basic information about preventing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Through our new Spanish page, millions more employers and workers in this country will have access to information they can use to make their workplaces safer.”

The webpage initially focuses on several areas: an overview of OSHA and its mission; how to file complaints electronically in Spanish; worker and employer rights and responsibilities; and a list of resources for employers and workers. The new page features highlights from the agency’s extensive website and offers one-stop service for Spanish-speaking employers and employees. Additional information will be added in months to come. The new Spanish-language page can be found at www.osha.gov.

“One of our top priorities is expanded outreach and education,” Chao said. “More than 10 million Americans speak little or no English, and one in five Americans does not speak English at home. Too many of these workers, especially Spanish-speaking workers, have experienced on-the-job injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.”

Other Departments Take Steps
The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Administration is ensuring immigrant workers are informed of their rights through partnerships with community groups and the Mexican and Dominican Republic Consulates.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has outreach programs for Hispanic workers, especially migrant and seasonal farm workers. ETA is working with the National Council of La Raza and others to provide training for unemployed and unskilled workers.

OSHA Launches Electronic News Mirror
In March, OSHA unveiled the premiere issue of its new electronic communication tool, which will be e-mailed on a regular basis to subscribers. Called QuickTakes, the e-news memo contains a snap shot of OSHA’s activities that support safety and health in the workplace, including news and announcements, background information, and other information of interest to stakeholders.

Within the summaries, OSHA will often include links to the agency’s website, as well as other sites related to safety and health that provide additional information on specific items.

“QuickTakes will deliver short and concise information of the agency’s activities to safety and health stakeholders,” Henshaw said. “The e-mail, which will come directly to your electronic mail box if you subscribe, will cover just the highlights of important OSHA issues. Readers can then get additional information on a subject they would like.”

Readers can receive the news memo by clicking on the QuickTakes icon on OSHA’s homepage and following the subscription instructions. If readers choose not to receive QuickTakes automatically, they may view it on OSHA’s website.

Lockout/Tagout Fact Sheet From OSHA
The OSHA standard for the Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout), Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1910.147, addresses the practices and procedures necessary to disable machinery or equipment, thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while employees perform servicing and maintenance activities. The standard outlines measures for controlling hazardous energies: electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, and other energy sources.
In addition, 29 CFR 1910.333 sets forth requirements to protect employees working on electric circuits and equipment. This section requires workers to use safe work practices, including lockout and tagging procedures. These provisions apply when employees are exposed to electrical hazards while working on, near, or with conductors or systems that use electric energy.

Why Is Controlling Hazardous Energy Sources Important?
Employees servicing or maintaining machines or equipment may be exposed to serious physical harm or death if hazardous energy is not properly controlled. Craft workers, machine operators, and laborers are among the 3 million workers who service equipment and face the greatest risk. Compliance with the lockout/tagout standard prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year. Workers injured on the job from exposure to hazardous energy lose an average of 24 workdays for recuperation.

How Can You Protect Workers?
The lockout/tagout standard establishes the employer’s responsibility to protect employees from hazardous energy sources on machines and equipment during service and maintenance. The standard gives each employer the flexibility to develop an energy control program suited to the needs of the particular workplace and the types of machines and equipment being maintained or serviced. This is generally done by affixing the appropriate lockout or tagout devices to energy-isolating devices and by de-energizing machines and equipment. The standard outlines the steps required to do this.

What Do Employees Need To Know?
Employees must be trained to ensure that they know, understand, and follow the applicable provisions of the hazardous energy control procedures. The training must cover at least three areas: aspects of the employer’s energy control program, elements of the energy control procedure relevant to the employee’s duties or assignment, and the various require- ments of the OSHA standards related to lockout/tagout.

What Must Employers Do To Protect Employees?
The standards establish requirements that employers must follow when employees are exposed to hazardous energy while servicing and maintaining equipment and machinery. Some of the most critical requirements from these standards are outlined below.

  • Develop, implement, and enforce an energy-control program.
  • Use lockout devices for equipment that can be locked out. Tagout devices may be used in lieu of lockout devices only if the tagout program provides employee protection equivalent to that provided through a lockout program.
  • Ensure that new or overhauled equipment is capable of being locked out.
  • Develop, implement, and enforce an effective tagout program if machines or equipment are not capable of being locked out.
  • Develop, document, implement, and enforce energy control procedures. [See the note to 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(4)(i) for an exception to the documentation requirements.]
  • Use only lockout/tagout devices authorized for the particular equipment or machinery and ensure that they are durable, standardized, and substantial.
  • Ensure that lockout/tagout devices identify the individual users.
  • Establish a policy that permits only the employee who applied a lockout/tagout device to remove it. [See 29 CFR 1910.147(e)(3) for exception.]
  • Inspect energy-control procedures at least annually.
  • Provide effective training as mandated for all employees covered by the standard.
  • Comply with the additional energy-control provisions in OSHA standards when machines or equipment must be tested or repositioned, when outside contractors work at the site, in group lockout situations, and during shift or personnel changes.

How Can You Get More Information?
OSHA has various publications, standards, technical assistance, and compliance tools to help you, and the agency offers extensive assistance through its many safety and health programs: workplace consultation, voluntary protection programs, grants, strategic partnerships, state plans, training, and education. Guidance such as OSHA’s Safety and Health Management Program Guidelines identify elements that are critical to the development of a successful safety and health management system. This and other information are available on OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.

For a free copy of OSHA publications, send a self-addressed mailing label to OSHA Publications Office, P.O. Box 37535, Washington, DC 20013-7535; fax a request to (202) 693-2498; or call (202) 693-1888.


WatchIT

A Closer Look At Hot-Topic Technologies
It is always easy for us armchair quarterbacks to call the plays after the fact. (And speaking of football, this former New Englander never thought he’d be calling the Patriots Super Bowl champs!) So with 20-20, crystal-clear hindsight in tact, let’s focus on the various technologies that everyone was talking about last year and how they may affect you this year.

802.11 Wireless LANS
Also referred to as “Wi-Fi” (short for Wireless Fidelity), Wireless has actually been around for a while. What makes this technology hot is that standards are finally being developed that allow interoperability between manufacturers. However, the Wi-Fi craze is being tempered by some serious security concerns that have been published in such mainstream newspapers as the Wall Street Journal.

The upshot of these security briefs is that you should take a hard look at your security infrastructure before you even think about implementing 802.11 on your network.

This isn’t to say wireless isn’t the way to go. It is portable, relatively inexpensive (now) and easy to deploy. But it is easy to compromise if not set up properly.

64-bit Computers
Remember the old 8-bit computers from the 80s and how we never thought we’d need a 16-bit, then 32-bit processor? What could anyone do with all that power? Well, they could run Microsoft Windows, CAD, video, or a host of other applications that require major horsepower under the hood.

As chipmaker Intel looks to keep its market share alive, the (quite expensive) 64-bit chips have yet to capture the fancy of the average technophile. Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm relates to the general slowing down of the economy, or perhaps people are getting tired of the upgrade merry-go-round. In any event, for the new chips to become important to the general public they will need to come down in price.

Businesses seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach. The killer app has yet to arrive that justifies the expense of upgrading...again.

XML
The extensible markup language is/was supposed to herald a new era in Internet-based e-commerce applications, b2b (business-to-business) partnerships, and web services (see below). In simple terms, XML is for structuring data.

Structured data includes things like spreadsheets, address books, configuration parameters, financial transactions, and technical drawings. XML is a set of rules (you may also think of them as guidelines or conventions) for designing text formats that let you structure your data.

Well, Microsoft’s .NET initiative looks to take some of the wind out of the XML sails as the Redmond software giant offers its version of a completely configurable web. The .NET initiative is (obviously) Microsoft-centric while XML is the choice of those who favor the traditional “open” Internet.

Peer-To-Peer
Simply put, peer-to-peer (P2P) is the idea of hearing data between individuals rather than central services like servers. P2P file sharing is a direct connection between two users’ computers over the Internet. Using file-swapping software, a user shares selected contents of his or her hard drive with other users. The future? Look at Napster or Gnutella or Morpheus. Now look at your network guy shuddering because of the security issues involved. (Note: We’ll be discussing some of those security issues at the PCCA Annual Convention next month.)

Web Services
I still have faith in this one because this is the area that we’ve seen the most growth despite the dot-com bust. While everyone is tired of the ooohhhh-factor (those slick websites that look really cool but do nothing) businesses are looking at web services as a great, inexpensive, behind-the scenes use of the World Wide Web.

From customer relationship management to data-mining of existing business models, web services will be with us for a long time. We’ll explain why next time.

Greg Smela is the information systems manager at John J. Kirlin, Inc., a mechanical contracting firm in Rockville, Md. He can be reached at gsmela@johnjkirlin-inc.com.


Industry Roundup

MasTec Names New EVP And CFO
MasTec, Inc. announced in January that it has named Donald Weinstein as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. With 15 years of broad financial and operational experience, Weinstein brings to MasTec a proven ability to create shareholder value.

He was most recently Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AGL Resources, Inc., a publicly traded natural gas company with 1.8 million customers in the southeastern United States, as well as President of the company’s telecommunications subsidiary, AGL Networks. Previously, Weinstein served for 10 years with Citizens Communications Co., a telecommunications and utility company with 2.5 million customers in 24 states, the last two years as Vice President—Planning and Development.

“Donald’s financial skills combined with his extensive industry experience enable him to make an immediate impact as a key member of MasTec’s management team,” MasTec President and CEO Austin Shanfelter said. “Donald has helped organizations successfully navigate through some significant changes, internally and externally, and he brings this knowledge and experience to MasTec.”

OSHA Increasing Enforcement In 2002
OSHA boss John Henshaw announced in January that his agency’s enforcement efforts will increase in fiscal 2002, with more inspections targeting workplaces where injury and illness rates are the highest. OSHA plans to conduct a total of 36,400 inspections in fiscal 2002, up from slightly less than 35,800 inspections in fiscal 2001 and roughly 36,000 inspections in fiscal 2000.

“Our combined activities to protect workers’ safety and health are all built on the foundation of a strong, fair and effective enforcement program,” Henshaw said. “Our safety education programs, innovative compliance assistance and expanded safety and health partnerships all work together with strong enforcement to protect workers’ lives and health. OSHA needs to keep helping the majority of employers who want to do the right thing, but we also must aggressively pursue the bad actors.”

OSHA said its increased commitment to enforcement activities is a critical component of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao’s overall strategy to strengthen worker protections. OSHA will also put more enforcement focus on industries where non-English speaking workers are at greatest risk, such as construction.

OSHA Offers New Publications
To help employers and workers maintain safe and healthful work environments, OSHA has developed new publications on injury and illness recordkeeping, access to medical and exposure records, and asbestos.

  • Recordkeeping: It’s New, It’s Improved, And It’s Easier helps employers determine if they are covered by the OSHA’s new recordkeeping rule that took effect on January 1. The publication explains the importance of injury and illness records, identifies basic recordkeeping requirements, highlights changes in the rule, and includes a resource listing for additional information.
  • Access to Medical and Exposure Records briefly explains OSHA requirements permitting workers to obtain medical and chemical exposure records that employers maintain. Types of records available to employees and their designated representatives, record maintenance requirements, guidance for employers in providing access to records, and sources of further information are included.

These publications are available on OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.

Lite King Announces Expansion Plans
Lite King Corp. announced in December that it has initiated an aggressive expansion plan to begin adding sites to its existing fiber-optic installation and maintenance service locations. The company intends to add locations in Indiana and southern Illinois, where they currently have branch offices, and Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, and Arizona.

The company hopes to aggressively acquire existing local fiber-optic cable plant installation and maintenance companies in those markets or open new branch offices in those locations. In most cases, the acquisitions will be accomplished through asset-purchases using common stock and hiring the acquisition candidate’s employees.

In those markets where acquisitions could not be achieved, the company will open new branch offices and hire local technicians to service its customers.

“We have a very successful track record in our field and know our customers’ markets,” said company President Craig Massner. “Having a local presence will provide us growth in our maintenance services, which are very profitable. The company believes that it can minimize costs if we can acquire existing companies, versus opening new locations.”

Lite King Corp., a New York corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiary, National Cabling Services Inc., provides fiber-optic cable plant design and installation services for Fortune 500 companies nationwide.


Advertiser Index

American Augers, Inc.
American Pipe & Plastics, Inc.
ARNCO Corporation
Bethea Tool & Equipment Co.
Cable Placing Equipment
Compass Equipment Leasing
Craftworktools.com
Environmental Crossings, Inc.
General Machine Products
Georgia Underground & Supply, Inc.
Ground Specialties
Hogg & Davis
Lewis Manufacturing
Melfred Borzall
NESCO
Osburn Associates
Roland Machinery
Sherman & Reilly
Trencor
Utility Equipment Leasing Company
Vac-Tron


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