Power & Communication Contractor
May, 2003

Contents

Spears Builds PCCA's Future From The Foundation Of Its Past

PCCA News

Industry Roundup

Safety Watch

Member News

Advertiser Index

Spears Builds PCCA's Future From The Foundation Of Its Past

When Steve Spears took the stage for the first time as PCCA’s new President at the association’s recent convention in Orlando, Fla., he prefaced his plans for the coming year by telling the audience how past PCCA leaders have helped him reach this point in his career. “In PCCA, different people have influenced me in very different ways,” he said. “Mr. Ken Atkinson taught me that networking is an art form. Mr. Ted Koenigs and Mr. Max Clark taught me to address problems head on. Major influences in PCCA leadership by word and by deed have been Mr. John Spalj, Mr. Jimmy Brooks, and Mr. Gene Klaasmeyer.

Spears, President of Bonneville Construction, S.E., Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, brings vast experience in construction, engineering, and associations to his presidency, and he truly understands and values the contributions of his predecessors. But at the same time, he is eager to pilot PCCA into the future and is helping groom future association leaders.

“I come to the PCCA presidency at a moment of unparalled change,” he said. “In two short years, our industry has gone from unprecedented heights to an agonizing low. We have seen friends and colleagues fall by the wayside because they reached too high or because they were unprepared for the dramatic downturn. I hope to be a facilitator in the process of rebuilding, regrouping, and redirecting our association.”

To help PCCA adapt to a rapidly changing industry, Steve has sought to invigorate the association’s leadership with fresh blood. “I have Spearheaded (his pun) an effort to get younger members on the PCCA Board,” he said. “Guys like Luke Spalj, Greg Schroeder, T.C. Trawick, Steve Sellenriek, and Russ Fowles will keep us connected and forward-thinking.”

Hooked At An Early Age
Steve got his start in the construction business at age 19 as a Central Office Equipment Installer for the Western Electric Company in Indianapolis, Ind. “I realized I was in the business for good several years later when I left Ma Bell and hired on with Page Engineers as a field employee,” he recalled. “I got to travel to exotic places like Minnesota and Wisconsin and make what I thought was lots of money. I loved it!”

The aspects of the industry that Steve likes most are the people he and his wife Flori have gotten to know and the lifelong friendships they have made, including folks from PCCA. “Special friends Flori and I never would have met had it not been for PCCA are Ken and Katie Trawick, Steve and Carol Pauk, Gary and Edie Akins, Jim and Reeda Woolf, C.J. and Jeannie Phillips, J.R. and Jane Spalj,Charlie and Janet Duff, and many others too numerous to mention,” he said. The Pauks, the Trawicks, and the Bauchmans all showed me that you can mix PCCA business with lots of fun, and have we ever!”

Steve has also been the beneficiary of much guidance throughout his career. “My mentors have been many,” he said. “Most of them are former co-workers or bosses who helped me learn what I needed to know to advance my career. Guys most people who read this won’t know like Jim Unbehend, Al Sass, Bennie Edens, Bob Melvin, and Alberto Cardona. In learning the business of the business, my most memorable mentors were George W. White and Robert W. Bauchman. Both of these gentlemen, with vastly different styles, taught me lessons in management that I still use every day.”

Steve also carries with him many of the lessons he learned as a child growing up in Indiana. “I am the youngest of six kids from a Hoosier family,” he said. “The religious and cultural values of my midwestern upbringing are very deeply imbedded in me. Those values are directly responsible for the person I am and the limited success I have enjoyed in this lifetime. I am very deeply in debt to the family that raised me and to the teachers at all levels who worked very hard to teach me.”

Bonneville Construction, S.E.
Bonneville Construction Co., Inc. started in Bonneville County, Idaho, by Robert Bauchman in the late 1940s, Steve said. The company followed the REA Loan Program from rural electrical work into the telephone program, and in 1984, the company went to Puerto Rico for telephone projects.

“I started with Bonneville as their Project Manager on the Puerto Rico projects,” Steve said. “In the late 1980s Stephen Bauchman bought out his father, and in 1992 Stephen and I became full partners in Bonneville Construction, S.E.”

Bonneville, S.E. works mainly in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “We have dedicated ourselves to staying at the forefront of fiber optics,” Steve said. “Fiber has lead us into CATV, CCTV, airport security work, intelligent highway, intelligent building, overhead ground wire (OPGW), shore ends of submarine cable landings, as well as metro networks and standard bread-and-butter long-haul fiber optic telephony applications. We started as ditch diggers, and while we still do that, we have evolved into a technology company.”

According to Steve, the company’s goals are fairly simple. “First is to do be the best in our region at what we do,” he said. “Second is to do a proper job for our customers, win or lose. Third is to survive by staying in front of the technology curve.”

A key ingredient to Bonneville’s success has been the special relationship between Steve Spears and Steve Bauchman. “Steve and I have a partnership of complementary skills,” Spears said. “Steve’s background is finance and business; mine is engineering and construction. Ours has been a good match—we both work hard, we respect each other, and we have fun together. We were both taught by fathers who put honesty, integrity, frugality, and hard work as primary values for success.”

The relationship between the two Steves also includes plenty of good-natured ribbing. “I call him my not-so-silent partner,” Spears said. “I also refer to him as ‘the world’s leading authority on the subject of your choice.’ Those who know him know why.”

Spears speaks proudly of Bonneville’s accomplishments, including several “first” projects. The company landed the first submarine fiber optic cables on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Puerto Rico and also did the first fiber loops in the Virgin Islands. Bonneville did the first turnkey design/ build metro loop project in Puerto Rico, which connected the Governor’s mansion in Old San Juan with the world via fiber optics. The company also did the substation and fiber splicing for Henkels & McCoy on the first OPGW project in Puerto Rico.

“We have also distinguished ourselves on multiple occasions in hurricane rebuilds,” Spears said. “On these projects, both in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, our people have shown their ability to rise to the challenge and to work above and beyond the call of duty.”

Bonneville built Puerto Rico’s first Intelligent Highway System to control traffic and parking for the “Regatta 2000” tall ships sailing event in San Juan. “We are also the only contractor in Puerto Rico doing integrated intelligent building systems,” Spears said. “These systems combine all the elements of a building’s systems around a host computer to administer all building functions: security, fire, access control, CCTV, lighting, standby power, air conditioning, etc.”

Pillars In The Community
Obviously running a business and working with PCCA eat up much of Steve’s schedule, but he also makes time for kicking back and enjoying life and for working in his community. “Flori and I are active supporters of the Boy Scouts, little league baseball, the YMCA, and other charities,” he said. “We have both been very fortunate. We both come from modest backgrounds, and our good fortune has allowed us the opportunity and the obligation to give back to our community.”

That involvement extends to the local construction community as well. Steve is active in the local AGC chapter and is Past President of its Telecom Committee. He is also a past Communications Chapter Chair for the IEEE, Region 9. “One of my most cherished accomplishments is being a two-time President of the Puerto Rico Electrical Contractors Association,” he said. “As an immigrant to Puerto Rico, I consider it an honor to have been selected as a leader of a Hispanic contractors association.”

On the relaxation front, Steve’s main pastimes are boating and fishing, and both he and Flori love to travel. “Spain and California are our favorite destinations,” he said. “We also love visits to the Great American West, and at least once a year we visit a new destination out there. There’s so much to see and so little time to see it all.”

Steve also maintains a healthy perspective on one of the world’s most frustrating sports. “I am the world’s worst golfer, but I love to play,” he said. “My favorite saying is, ‘Don’t let your recreation become your stress.’ When I work, I am a workaholic, and when I play, I play hard. I am trying to get better at mixing the two. I have been a coin collector since I was a kid, and that provides a good escape. When we travel, I visit coin shops while Flori does her Olympic shopping routine.”

Focused On PCCA
Steve first became involved in PCCA when he went to work for Bonneville Construction. “Flori and I were invited to the convention at the Maui Hawaii Grand Hyatt in 1987 and from then on we were hooked on PCCA,” he said. “I was encouraged to take on a leadership role in the association by my partner, Steve Bauchman. I have always gravitated toward leadership roles, starting with the Cub Scouts, so wanting to participate and lead was a natural for me.”

When asked how he hopes his PCCA presidency will someday be remembered, Steve stressed that he wants to be proactive in support of PCCA members. “It is my sincerest hope that I can assist our membership by adding items of value to what we offer—things like strengthening existing programs like insurance and safety while adding new services,” he said. “Our immediate initiative is to use our website as a bulletin board and a clearinghouse for industry initiatives. We can also use our association to present a unified front to address the ongoing hard market legal and technical issues.”

“While that is what I hope to be remembered as,” he continued, “I am positive I will be remembered as the PCCA President who took the association to Carmel for an awesome Mid-Year Meeting and to Puerto Rico for an incredible Convention.”

PCCA thanks the following members for contributing to their association’s fundraising efforts:

PCCA News

Schedule Coming Together For Carmel Mid-Year
PCCA recently announced the preliminary schedule for its 2003 Mid-Year Meeting, September 28-October 1 at the renowned Wyndham Carmel Valley Ranch, Carmel, Calif. As always, the itinerary includes valuable educational and networking opportunities as well as plenty of time to relax around the 400-acre countryside estate and explore the magnificent Carmel Valley area.
The Mid-Year program kicks off on Sunday evening with President Steve Spear's Welcome Reception on the ranch's garden terrace, which offers spectacular views of the mountains, oak forests, wildlife, and the beautiful Carmel River. The schedule for Monday (September 29) includes meetings in the morning followed by an afternoon of optional tours around the picturesque and historical Carmel Valley and Monterey Peninsula.

The Construction Industry Roundtable, the Mid-Year Golf Tournament, and a Western-style barbecue are slated for Tuesday, September 30. PCCA golfers will be delighted and challenged by the ranch's championship golf course, which was designed by the legendary Pete Dye. Wednesday morning's General Session features Chris Daum's always insightful industry update and analysis, followed by another educational/business management speaker (to be announced).

The Carmel Valley Ranch is nestled in the lush forests of the Santa Lucia Mountains and is an ideal destination for escaping the rigors of everyday life, focusing on the business at hand, and then relaxing with your peers. Rooms at the resort are spacious suites full of delightful touches such as fireplaces, panoramic mountain views, and Jacuzzis.

Carmel Valley is home to many wineries, farms, ranches, and the beautiful Garland Ranch Regional Park. The weather in September is ideal, with the average high temperatures in the low 70s and low amounts of rainfall.

For more information, call (800) 542-7222 or go to www.pccaweb.org.

Industry Roundup

FCC Begins Inquiry Regarding Broadband Over Power Line
In April, the FCC issued a Notice of Inquiry seeking public comment on using existing electrical power lines to provide Internet and broadband services to homes and offices. The commission said the inquiry is part of its ongoing effort to promote spectrum flexibility and access to broadband services for all Americans and to encourage multiple platforms for broadband, especially new facilities-based platforms.

Broadband over power line (BPL) can provide consumers with the freedom to access broadband services from any room in the house without adding or paying for additional connections by simply plugging a BPL device into an existing electrical outlet. BPL may be able to provide an additional means for last-mile delivery of broadband services and may offer a competitive alternative to DSL and cable modem services. This will also enable access to communications services in rural and remote areas of the country. In addition, BPL systems can be used by electric utility companies to more effectively manage their electric power networks.

The FCC’s inquiry addresses the two types of BPL: Access and In-House. Access BPL uses medium voltage (1,000 to 40,000 volts) power lines to bring Internet and other broadband applications to homes and offices. In-House BPL uses existing electric utility wiring to network computers and printers, as well as smart appliances, within a building.

The FCC noted that existing rules for unlicensed carrier current systems, which couple radio frequency (RF) energy to the alternating current (AC) electrical wiring for the purpose of communications, have been successful. However, these carrier current systems have operated with relatively limited communications capability on frequencies below 2 MHz, over a narrow spectrum bandwidth. Now, the availability of faster chip sets and the development of sophisticated modulation techniques have produced new digital power line designs that use multiple carriers, spread over a wide frequency range (e.g., 2 to 80 MHz) and are capable of high data rates.

The FCC further noted that providers of broadband over power line equipment are free to continue to deploy their networks in conformance with existing Part 15 rules, and potential rule changes as a result of this proceeding will address prospective compliance.

The FCC seeks information, comment, and technical data on issues concerning BPL, specifically

• The current state of high speed BPL technology,
• The potential interference effects, if any, on authorized spectrum users,
• Test results from BPL experimental sites,
• The appropriate measurement procedure for testing emission characteristics for all types of carrier current systems, and
• Changes that may be needed in Part 15 technical rules and the equipment approval process to foster the development of BPL and to ensure that interference is not caused to other services as a result of this technology.

FCC Chairman Powell Backs Broadband Over Power Line
Following is the statement issued by FCC Chairman Michael Powell along with the commission’s issuance of its Notice of Inquiry on broadband over power line deployment.

Broadband over power line has the potential to provide consumers with a ubiquitous third broadband pipe to the home. The development of multiple broadband-capable platforms—be it power lines, Wi-Fi, satellite, laser or licensed wireless—will transform the competitive broadband landscape and reap dramatic windfalls for American consumers and the economy. Broadband over power lines is at the cutting edge of this dramatic digital migration that will continue to free applications (e.g., voice, data, and video) from the regulatory and technological shackles that have tied them to specific platforms (e.g., voice to copper and video to coaxial cable). While this migration is well under way, our policies must be dynamic and flexible to further—rather than frustrate—the transition.

Facilitating the development of new facilities-based platforms must be among our core goals. The current wireless industry illustrates the tremendous power of multiple facilities- based providers to foster innovation, promote ubiquity, increase competition, and drive down prices. Wireless achieved these successes because the FCC employed a relatively light regulatory hand and licensed multiple providers in each market who built their own facilities to deliver value to consumers. Power lines and other new platforms can deliver the same value in the broadband market.

As I recently witnessed first hand at a local site visit, the potential of this new technology is immense. Broadband over power lines can offer consumers freedom to access broadband services from any room in their home without need to pay for additional wiring, by simply plugging an adaptor into an existing electrical outlet.

For our nation’s power utilities, broadband over power lines can improve the utilities’ ability to manage their electric grids through applications like remote power outage notification, load management to reduce peak power usage, load balancing, and remote meter reading. Power line technology also provides for useful redundancy and diversity in communications networks that are key aspects of secure homeland communications.

Power line networks are being tested today in a dozen states around the country and are a testament to the incredible innovations taking place in broadband network technologies. Today’s notice explores ways to update our rules to ensure that regulatory uncertainty does not in any way hinder the deployment of these new services. Ultimately it will be for the marketplace to decide how broadband over power lines fits into tomorrow’s competitive telecommunications landscape, but we welcome them to the frontier of the digital migration.

More Support For Broadband Over Power Line
The following is excerpted from a letter to FCC Chairman Michael Powell from Nancy Victory, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Dear Chairman Powell:
I applaud the commission for launching an inquiry into broadband power line communications (PLC). This nascent technology holds great promise as an additional source of innovation and competition in the broadband marketplace. I encourage the commission to move forward expeditiously with its inquiry. I also urge the commission to promptly adopt any subsequent rule changes that may be appropriate to facilitate broadband PLC deployment, while ensuring that those rules prevent harmful radio frequency (RF) interference to other communications mediums.

President Bush has highlighted the increased economic vitality that can result from widespread broadband deployment and has underscored that “broadband technology is going to be incredibly important for us to stay on the cutting edge of innovation here in America.” The President also has emphasized that our nation “must be aggressive about the expansion of broadband.”

By moving swiftly to establish appropriate rules for broadband PLC, the commission can provide this emerging industry with a solid foundation upon which to build new services and products that will benefit American consumers. At the same time, the commission must provide all communications stakeholders with adequate protections against broadband PLC emissions that may cause harmful RF interference.

Sincerely,
Nancy J. Victory

FCC Finds That Verizon Violated Interconnection Requirements
On April 23, the FCC granted in substantial part a complaint brought by Core Communications, Inc. against Verizon Maryland Inc. alleging that Verizon had violated the Communications Act and FCC rules by failing to interconnect with Core on reasonable terms.

The FCC found that Verizon delayed for four months interconnecting with Core in the Washington Metropolitan area and also failed to provide Core with critical information about the delay and its expected duration. The delay occurred because Verizon allowed the capacity of certain crucial pieces of equipment within its network to exhaust and to remain at exhaust for an extended period.

The commission found, considering all of these circumstances together, that Verizon had not interconnected with Core in a reasonable manner. The commission ruled that Verizon had violated the terms of its interconnection agreement with Core, and thus section 251(c)(2) of the Communications Act, by failing to provide Core with interconnection “on rates, terms, and conditions that are just [and] reasonable...in accordance with the terms and conditions of [its interconnection] agreement.”

Under commission rules, Core may now file a supplemental complaint against Verizon for damages resulting from Verizon’s violation. In the April ruling, the FCC rejected Verizon’s argument that any violation of its interconnection agreement with Core would not constitute a violation of the Communications Act.

Victory Offers Progress Report On Broadband
Following is part of an April 29 speech delivered by Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the U.S. Department of Commerce Nancy Victory on the state of broadband deployment in the U.S.

As Americans desire more sophisticated services, they recognize that they need faster, bigger pipelines to get those services. Analysts have noted that despite the slow economy, consumer demand for broadband was remarkably strong in 2002, when the U.S. market grew by more than six million subscribers.

As one analyst (James Penhune, of the Strategy Analytics Global Broadband Practice) recently stated, “Over the next five years, high-speed access will become the norm for residential Internet users as broadband becomes more widely available, more flexibly priced, and a more powerful vehicle for new kinds of entertainment, content and services.” To quote The New York Times, the difference between a high-speed broadband connection and a regular phone connection is the difference between the movies “Speed” and “Driving Miss Daisy.”

Indeed, once consumers experience that difference, there is no going back. According to Jupiter Research, the number of U.S. households using cable modems, DSL, or other broadband technologies to connect to the Internet will increase by more than 40 percent during 2003, when the projected installed base of residential broadband subscribers in the United States will grow from 17.9 million homes to 25.3 million homes. According to Strategy Analytics, an estimated 27 percent of all U.S. Internet homes presently use broadband connections, with expectations of more than 70 percent by 2008—that’s approximately 64 million subscribers or 59 percent of all U.S. homes. Global sales of broadband modems in 2002 increased by 52 percent to 26.3 million units, and Strategy Analytics predicts annual sales of 60 million units a year by 2008, representing an average growth rate of 15 percent.

The cable modem and DSL horse race for the hearts and pocketbooks of broadband customers is well underway. Industry analysts forecast that 16.1 million homes will use cable modems by the end of 2003, while approximately 7.9 million homes will use DSL connections, and another 1.3 million homes will get broadband through other emerging technologies such as fixed-wireless services, two-way satellite links, and fiber to the home. DSL’s “broadband in a box” and cable’s high speed modems are being aggressively marketed. Verizon, for example, recently noted plans to expand its mass-market broadband capabilities by some 30 percent this year.

Utility companies are also trying to make their way into the race. Trial projects to provide broadband over power lines are taking place now in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. In addition, AOL has just launched its $35 million marketing campaign for its high-speed offerings for the first time.

Wireless networks and devices are increasingly a part of the future of broadband. According to Jupiter Research, more than half (57 percent) of U.S. companies already support 802.11 networks. In addition, another 22 percent of U.S. companies plan to implement and support this technology over the coming year. Jupiter Research also found that small businesses—those with less than $10 million in annual revenue—are the deployment leaders, with 83 percent stating that they either support 802.11 networks today or plan to in the next 12 months. In contrast, 71 percent of large U.S. businesses (defined as those generating $100 million or more in annual revenue) are supporting 802.11 networks or will do so in the next 12 months.

According to Dataquest, the wireless local area network industry will continue to experience strong growth through 2003, with revenue reaching $2.8 billion--up from $2.1 billion in 2002. Dataquest predicts that global wireless LAN shipments will total 26.5 million units in 2003, up from 15.5 million units in 2002, and that the market will experience healthy growth through 2007. The North American market will remain strong, while demand for mobile computing devices in the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to increase.

The Shifting Internet Population Recasts The Digital Divide Debate
About a quarter of Americans live lives that are quite distant from the Internet—they have never been online and don’t know many others who use the Internet. At the same time, many Americans who do not use the Internet now were either users in the past or they live in homes with Internet connections.

Three new insights regarding patterns of Internet use and non-use emerge from a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

• 20 percent of non-Internet users live in wired homes and yet remain offline.
• 17 percent of the current group of non-users are online dropouts. They once used the Internet but no longer do.
• More than a quarter of current Internet users reported that at one time or another in their online lives they dropped offline for an extended period.

Recent surveys by the Pew Internet Project show that about 80 million American adults (42 percent of the adult population) say they do not use the Internet. But it turns out that the notion that people are either “online” or “offline” is not as simple as it seems.

“The Internet population shows much greater churn than most realize—a lot of people are moving in and out of the online world pretty regularly,” said Amanda Lenhart, the Research Specialist at the Project who authored the new report, The Ever-Shifting Internet Population: A New Look at Internet Use and the Digital Divide.

“It is too simple to talk about a digital divide based exclusively on problems with access when it is now clear that access issues change from month to month for lots of Americans,” she said. “A surprisingly large number don’t want to be connected even though they have tasted what online life is like or live with the Internet literally in the next room.”

FERC Issues White Paper On Bulk Power Market Design
The following is excerpted from a FERC press release issued on April 28.

In a White Paper issued today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission emphasized its strong commitment to customer-based, competitive wholesale power markets, while underscoring an increasingly flexible approach to regional needs and outlining step-by-step elaborations of its key market design proposal.

In its final rule, the White Paper said, the commission will focus on the formation of regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and on ensuring that all independent transmission organizations have sound wholesale market rules. The final rule, the White Paper indicates, will allow implementation schedules to vary depending on local needs and will allow for regional differences.

The White Paper notes that the commission’s proposal has taken into consideration the experiences in this country and abroad in electric market design, including the effects of supply shortages, demand that does not respond to high prices, lack of price transparency in the marketplace, and the importance of market monitoring and market power mitigation.

“I hope the White Paper will prove helpful in the debate on regulation of the bulk power markets,” FERC Chairman Pat Wood, III said. “We will continue to consider carefully the comments of all interested parties as we maintain our comprehensive outreach to the states and other stakeholders. We will also closely monitor any pending legislation in Congress. In the end, when we have the rules right, customers benefit. The core elements of our proposal will combat the type of market flaws that led to the California crisis three years ago.”

The White Paper responds to the numerous comments on FERC’s proposal and provides direction for the final rule expected later this year. It notes that a well-designed market will enhance wholesale competition and remove economic inefficiencies.

The proposal is designed to establish a customer-based wholesale power market platform. Among its customer-focused objectives are

• Reliable service—sufficient power to meet demand,
• • Fairness—transmission and power at just and reasonable rates,
• Stability—service in a marketplace marked by certainty and fairness,
• • Predictability—good price signals to encourage investment in needed generation and transmission infrastructure, and
• Innovative technology—future technological advances will be accommodated.

Safety Watch

OSHA’S New Evacuation Planning Matrix Aims To Help Employers Plan For Emergencies
Knowing how to escape from one’s workplace during an emergency is not just another safety and health issue requiring compliance by employers and consideration by workers. Armed with valid and reliable information, that knowledge can save lives.

In April, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released a new tool to help employers plan for evacuation of the workplace in emergency situations. The new Evacuation Planning Matrix located on OSHA’s website (www.osha.gov) will provide employers with ideas, assistance, and online resources to help them reduce their vulnerability to and plan for workplace emergencies.

“Recent events in the United States have underscored the critical importance of workplace evacuation planning,” said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. “An effective evacuation plan will increase the likelihood that employees will reach shelter safely if an emergency that requires evacuation does occur.”

The matrix includes a checklist for employers to help them evaluate their existing plans to or help in constructing new ones, a zone pyramid system to evaluate a workplace’s risk of a terrorist incident, and other related on-line resources to help employers and employees develop emergency evacuation plans.

The new guidance is offered to assist employers and workers who are interested in implementing plans and procedures for possible emergency events. However, the guidance does not create legal obligations for employers or create rights for third parties. Legal obligations under the OSH Act are created by statute, regulations, and standards.

Fact Sheet Offers Further Information On Emergency Escape Routes
OSHA also offers an Emergency Exit Routes fact sheet designed to ensure employers and workers are equipped with that information. The fact sheet augments the agency’s standard on exit routes, and emergency action and fire prevention plans.

“No one should need reminding how quickly an event can occur that necessitates emergency evacuation from the workplace,” said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. “The information we’ve compiled in this fact sheet provides a readily-available tool to aid employers and workers in being prepared to safely evacuate their workplaces.”

Information in the fact sheet not only defines exit routes and explains how many exit routes a worksite should have, but also provides information on how to design an exit route that will ensure safe evacuation for all workers. Also included is a list of required maintenance, safeguarding, and operational features for exit routes.

The fact sheet provides information on emergency action plan requirements, detailing the plan’s minimum elements, such as procedures for reporting fires and other emergencies, personnel accountability, alarm systems, etc. Minimum provisions and requirements for fire prevention plans are also outlined, and a list of resources for more information on exit routes and OSHA standards is included.

OSHA recently revamped its 30-year-old standard dealing with exit routes, emergency action and fire prevention plans, trying to provide it in a user-friendly format with clear, consistent, and up-to-date information. OSHA said that inconsistent and duplicative requirements were replaced with simple, straightforward terms that aid workers and employers in understanding the important regulation. The revised became effective last December.

Member News

FMI Releases Report On U.S. Construction Markets
On April 25, FMI released its Construction Outlook: Second Quarter 2003 Report, a quarterly look at the economic health and future of the construction industry.

“The second quarter 2003 outlook for construction put in place has been revised slightly upward from the first quarter primarily because the amazing housing sector, despite some pretty shaky data in January and February, will likely increase in volume through the Spring before evening out in the Fall of 2003,” said FMI Construction Economist Tim Aylor. “Unfortunately, nonresidential commercial and civil construction are unlikely to grow much during the remainder of this year given the still weak economy and poor condition of state and municipal finances. Look for a slowdown in residential construction and mild rebound in many commercial sectors in 2004. My current forecast is for public construction to resume its growth trend in 2004, but given how budget crunches may linger, that might be optimistic.”

The FMI outlook provides insight into the current residential, non-residential, and non-building sectors of the construction industry, as well as a five-year look into the future. Contractors, materials producers, architects, engineers, owners, and construction equipment and building product manufacturers and suppliers use the outlook to enhance the effectiveness of their business decisions and planning efforts.

Communications Company Orders Baker Live Line Alarms
Fidelity Communications (formerly Fidelity Telephone) in Sullivan, Mo., recently contacted Baker Equipment about its high voltage live line alarms. Fidelity tested two of the alarms, and then placed an order for 19 more.

“It all started with a pole-climbing class,” said John DeBroeck, Purchasing Agent for Fidelity. “Maurice Gole with Utility Technical Services conducted four weeks of classes. He had one of the detectors on his arm, and we started asking questions and talking about it.”

Fidelity Communications provides local telephone, long distance, internet access, and cable television services. The company’s service technicians in the field are often involved in projects that take place near a variety of power sources. “We are mainly interested in detecting trailers with energizers,” DeBroeck said.

Like many other companies of various sizes in the United States, safety concerns are paramount. According to Safety Coordinator Paula Dicus, Fidelity has been reviewing and revising their safety-related policies.

For more than 80 years, Richmond, Va.-based Baker Equipment has been a leading manufacturer and distributor of a complete line of utility truck mounted equipment, in addition to a variety of other safety and utility-related products. The company’s product offering includes truck-mounted telescoping aerial and material lifting devices, self-propelled aerial platforms, cable placers, and high voltage live-line power alarm systems.

Vermeer Adds To Compact Excavator Line
In April, Vermeer Manufacturing Company announced the addition of the CX218 and the CX219z to its recently introduced line of compact excavators.

Weighing in at 3,748 pounds and measuring 3.3 feet wide, the CX218 features 8.9 feet of reach, 7.8 feet of digging depth, 3,310 pounds of bucket breakout force, and a Kubota D1005-E Diesel engine. The maximum digging height is 11.4 feet with a 7.9-foot dumping height. The ability to swing the boom independent of the upper structure increases versatility, allowing the excavator to work in small confines and against physical barriers. The boom swings 55 degrees left and 80 degrees right.

The CX219z weighs 3,968 pounds and is 3.3 feet wide. It has an 8.3-foot digging depth and 12.4 feet of reach, and the bucket breakout force is 3,307 pounds. The power is drawn from the aggressive and reliable Kubota D 722-E diesel engine. The unit’s maximum digging height is 11.4 feet, and its dumping height is 7.8 feet. The machine can swing up to 50 degrees to the left and 85 degrees to the right. Unlike the other six compact excavators in the Vermeer lineup, the CX219z has the zero tail swing feature, which means that there is no overhang. This enables the excavator to fit into and maneuver through smaller spaces to get the job done.

Both the CX218 and CX219z boast variable width tracks for increased stability, auxiliary hydraulics for attachment add-ons, SAE/ISO controls, and working lights as standard equipment. They also feature top-mounted boom cylinders, complete bi-directional auxiliary hydraulics, and comfortable operating stations. Short-lever hydraulic pilot joystick controls allow for comfort and a high degree of operational responsiveness. The excavators are equipped with a standard canopy, and a heated cab is available.

McLaughlin Offers Heavy-Duty Augers
McLaughlin recently announced that extra heavy-duty augers and heads with heat-treated alloy steel 4-inch hex shanks and sockets are now available in sizes from 20 to 54 inches. Hardened alloy connectors add the strength and long-life durability demanded by tough soil conditions and large-diameter bores. Hardened alloy steel shanks and sockets ensure optimum performance. Flights are constructed of 3/8-inch or optional 1/2-inch-thick steel with extra-strength overlapped dual-welded joints. The core and joints are completely machine-welded for uniform high strength.

Dexter + Chaney Gets A Major Commitment
Ghilotti Construction Company, a major heavy highway/utility construction company based in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently chose Forefront Construction Management Software from PCCA member Dexter + Chaney to run many of its day-to-day activities. Ghilotti Construction has purchased 15 of Forefront’s 29 integrated modules to help the company with payroll, accounting, job cost, remote computing, document imaging, equipment control, preventive maintenance, and other activities.

Ghilotti will use Forefront’s popular document imaging capability to give management, office staff, and project managers the fast access they need to critical documents like AP invoices, change orders, payroll timecards, contracts, and others.

“Document imaging will speed up our AP-invoice approval process and enhance our ability to track the literally hundreds of payroll and time-and-materials billing documents that are part of each job,” said Ghilotti CFO Stacy Magill.

Ghilotti chose Dexter + Chaney and Forefront following a lengthy review of several vendors and their products. Initially, up to 20 company employees will be able to access Forefront simultaneously at multiple offices and jobsites.

Adesa
Altec Industries
American Pipe & Plastics, Inc.
ARNCO Corporation
Astec Underground
Bethea Tool & Equipment
Cable Placing Equipment
Clapp Research
Clifford of Vermont
Compass Equipment Leasing
General Machine Products
Hogg & Davis
ICUEE 2003
Lewis Manufacturing
NESCO
Osburn Associates
Roland Machinery
Scott Powerline & Utility Equipment
Sherman & Reilly
TT Technologies
Utility Equipment Leasing Co.
Vac-Tron
Wagner-Smith Equipment Company