1. business and industrial
2. construction

Contents
President’s Message
Executive Director’s
Message
Decorative
Concrete Council
Decorative
Concrete Specialist
Safety & Risk
Management
Council
Webinar Schedule
WOC Photos
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CONCRETE CONTRACTORS
Technical Director
Near Miss
Membership
Campaign
KOB Sponsors
MARCH 2015
2025 S. Brentwood Blvd., Suite 105, St. Louis, MO 63144
Website: www.ascconline.org E-mail: [email protected]
President’s Message
Tel: 314-962-0210
Fax: 314-968-4367
Scott Anderson, President
One of the things I appreciate most about Keystone’s membership in the ASCC is the
ability to get professional advice from other members. When we face challenges in our
business, ASCC members have been generous and willing to help us address them.
An example is the constant challenge of providing a safe workplace. At Keystone,
we work hard to create and maintain a culture where everyone performs their work
safely as an integral part of their job function and way of life. This presents unique
challenges for all of us in the construction industry. Our jobsite conditions change
throughout the day, resulting in new hazards that must be constantly planned and
accounted for. Additionally, we have the challenge of training new, inexperienced
employees who are added to our team as we staff up for new projects. This is
where our ASCC membership has proven beneficial to overcome these challenges and
become a stronger organization.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
We have asked several fellow members who run effective safety programs to come evaluate our operations. During their visits,
we asked them to critique and comment on our safety culture and performance. They reinforced the things we are doing well and
suggested changes where they felt we could improve. In addition, they shared their own challenges and successes. Their openness and
advice has influenced us in a positive way, making a difference in our safety today. For us the key benefit is that these fellow members
are willing to spend time to help us in a one-on-one relationship.
We are grateful to have professional members in ASCC helping us to better our organization. They are one of the many things that
make ASCC great. I challenge you to find a way to take advantage of this great resource for your own business.
Executive Director’s Message
Bev Garnant
Work is underway on our new strategic plan as action items have been assigned to committees and councils, and champions and timelines are put in place.
Goal #1 is Increase the Number of Owners Who Truly Demonstrate a Personal Commitment to Safety. This is the first time, to my
knowledge, that ASCC has had a strategic plan goal dedicated to safety. A number of appropriately ambitious action items under this goal
includes “shifting owners’ perspective on safety.” And owners means all owners of our ASCC member companies.
Several initiatives are already underway to “shift” safety to the forefront of members’ minds.
1. ASCC has become an alliance partner for national U.S. Industry Safety Week, an effort of The Construction Industry Safety (CISI)
group and the Incident and Injury Free CEO (IIF) Forum, to inspire everyone in the industry to be leaders in safety. Go to safetyweek2015.com/what-is-safety-week or click on the link at the bottom of ASCC’s homepage for more information.
Industry Calendar
Welcome New Members
ACI Spring Convention, Kansas City, MO
Marriott & Kansas City Convention Center
April 12 – 16, 2015
Concrete Executive Leadership Forum
The Greenbrier, WV
July 16 – 19, 2015
Committee Week, St. Louis, MO
May 4 – 6, 2015
Annual Conference, Hyatt Regency, Dallas, TX
September 24 – 27, 2015
Safety Week,
May 4 – 10, 2015
World of Concrete, Las Vegas, NV
February 1 – 5, 2016
Ash Grove Cement, Salt Lake City, UT
DVG P.E., Unionville, CT
Gregory Construction Services, Inc., Columbus, MS
Jasco Sales, Inc./Hi Lite Systems Int’l,
Mississauga, ON, CANADA
Jet Concrete LLC, New Ipswich, NH
Metro Equipment Rental, Columbia, MO
2. An 8-hour behavioral-based safety training program is on the roster
for this year’s Annual Conference. CEMEX has graciously agreed
to share and help customize its Legacy Safety Program, which concentrates on safety leadership development for company management. Watch for more information and put this on your To Do list;
the number of participants is limited.
3. Just yesterday the Executive Committee agreed to ask all board
members to read “Safety 24/7” by Gregory M. Anderson and
Robert L. Lorber, in preparation for discussion at the September
board meeting. It has also been suggested to our MIX Groups that
they read the book and focus a part of a meeting on what they got
from it. This is the first time, in my tenure here, the board has done
something like this.
You will hear much more about safety training and learning opportunities
in the months to come. Please take advantage of those that could help your
company work safer. There’s no such thing as safe enough.
Decorative Concrete Council
SAFETY WEEK
Over 40 construction
companies and trade
associations have joined
together to inspire the
construction industry to
be leaders in safety. Its
purpose is to thank workers for working safely, increase their
awareness of applicable safety topics and hazards, inspire
them to work safely, educate them about safe work practices
and celebrate their good health and well-being. Each day during Safety Week, an occupational safety topic will be emphasized. Suggested topics are: May 4 - Fall Protection; May
5 - Soft Tissue Incidents; May 6 - Health and Wellness; May
7 - Hand Protection or Head and Eye Protection; and May 8
- Celebrate and Recognize Positive Safety Accomplishments.
We encourage all members and associations of the construction industry to participate in Safety Week 2015.
To learn more about safety week visit www.safetyweek2015.com.
Paul Schneider, DCC Council Director
Help Wanted - Community Service Project
The Decorative Concrete Council being is asking for your help in supplying time, treasures, and talents for the success of our next
community service project, scheduled for May 28 – 29 in Denver and led by Chris Sullivan. We will be installing textured and
colored exposed concrete for the Ken Caryl Veterans Monument. Having participated in the past two community service projects I
can assure you it will open your eyes to the rewards of volunteerism:
Working side by side with peers
Being educated in the installation of decorative concrete products
Meeting new friends and leaders
Learning the value of teamwork and planning
Getting away from the office for a few days
Having a great time
Giving back to those who have given us the freedom we enjoy
Materials needed for this project included:
Concrete material 22 cy
Reinforcing steel 1200 LF
Concrete texture skin stamps
Sealers, both penetrating and solvent cure and seal
Buckets, tape, plastic, etc.
Food and water
Safety equipment
CALLING COLORADO MEMBERS
The DCC will be in your
state May 28-29 to install
a 600-800 SF stamped/
textured concrete pad for
the Ken Caryl Veterans
Monument, in Ken Caryl,
Colo., just south of Denver.
If you can help with labor,
materials, or other donations please contact Chris
Sullivan, project manager at
csullivan@chemsystemsinc.
net or Todd Scharich, ASCC
decorative concrete specialist, at [email protected].
Numerous items have been generously donated. If you can assist with labor or materials please contact Chris Sullivan (csullivan@
chemsystemsinc.net) or Todd Scharich ([email protected]). Plans are to prep on Thursday and place and finish concrete Friday
morning so everyone will be home for the weekend.
On another note we’re asking members to submit pictures for their inclusion on our new DCC Pinterest page. There is a simple form
to complete so credit can be given. A copy of the form is attached to this newsletter.
Restore, Rejuvenate, & Profit
Todd Scharich, Decorative Concrete Specialist
The title sounds like a late night infomercial promising reverse aging miracles. But what I’m selling is a checkup for the health of
the decorative concrete industry. Since leaving home on January 31 for the World of Concrete I have a ratio of hotel nights to home
nights of 25/11. This constant travel has exposed me to a tremendous amount of decorative and regular concrete in need of miracle
rejuvenation. Like my peers, my eyes naturally look down to see hotel porte cocheres, pool decks, and restaurant floors that could use
some maintenance. Unfortunately many property owners let the surface suffer to the point of needing replacement. It is our job and
responsibility to alert owners to the need for and ability to restore their concrete.
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Unlike the unproven reverse aging products, our industry has a toolbox full of tested and affordable answers to battered and worn
concrete. While key products like integral color, color hardener and release have essentially stayed the same for years, many of the
advances in our industry have come in the rehabilitation and restoration of all types of concrete. We have repair products that can self
level, build from feather edge to 4”, receive aggregates, be polished, take dyes or stains, or simply be broom finished. Once repaired,
the decorative options to restore back to the original appearance or better are unlimited.
While the economy seems to be on an upswing and decorative concrete is riding high, we need to make sure that older installations are brought back to life so they represent us in a positive light. Restoration and rejuvenation of worn concrete will lead to
profits for the installation contractor, and will lead to new projects being specified.
Safety & Risk Management Council
Janet Stanton, Ruttura & Sons Construction Co., Inc.
Spotlight on Walbridge – 2014 BURR BENNETT AWARD WINNER (General Contractor)
Walbridge is a privately-owned corporation with 98 years of distinguished history in the construction industry. Founded in 1916
in Detroit, Michigan, Walbridge has grown to become one of the most successful general contractors in the country, with over 600
full-time employees (of which 50 are full-time safety professionals). Walbridge has expertise in numerous construction market segments including: Automotive, Aviation, Education, Government, Military, Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Office, Power,
Residential, Retail, and Municipal.
Walbridge’s commitment to safety begins with their #1 core value: “Think, demand, and deliver safety in all aspects of our
business”. One of the ways they implement this value is by making safety the first topic of discussion at every meeting. Continuing
education/training is another core value at Walbridge. All direct-hire employees are required to complete 30 hours of training per
calendar year. Since 2004, over 100,000 hours of safety-related training have been completed by Walbridge employees. This
translates to over 40% of Walbridge’s annual training program being safety-related! The value of this training program is reflected
in their .55 EMR with over 11.7 million hours worked (since October 2003) without a Lost Time Injury.
One of the banners Walbridge proudly displays on all projects is their safety motto: “If it is NOT SAFE, I WON’T DO IT, and I
WON’T LET OTHERS DO IT”. With this motto, Walbridge encourages every worker to take ownership of safety. Every employee
is also empowered with the authority to stop an operation, without fear of retribution, if they believe there is an unsafe condition.
Other key policies contained within Walbridge’s Safety Program are: Crane Action Plans (NCCCO requirement since 2001), PreTask Planning, Daily Task Analysis, Safety Huddles (3 times a day), Behavioral-Based Safety Observation Process, BehavioralBased Employee Recognition Program, Employee Stop Work Cards, Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy, Drug-Free
Workplace, and Project Specific Safety Orientations.
Walbridge’s leadership share a common vision. They are committed to providing all trades and subcontractors with a healthy and
safe workplace and believe that by demonstrating leadership, responsibility, and accountability they will continue to improve worker
health and safety at all levels.
Our thanks to Michael Dawson, Walbridge Corporate Safety Director, and Walbridge for sharing their safety success story with us.
Reaching Out To Specifiers
Bruce Suprenant, Technical Director
Requirements in some construction specifications can cause concrete
contractors major problems. That’s why Ward and I occasionally
author articles for The Construction Specifier magazine so we can
help both the specifiers and contractors to avoid disputes arising from
specification requirements that aren’t always achievable. Here are brief
synopses of two recent articles.
The cover story for the October 2014 issue of The Construction
Specifier was titled “Bridging the Specification Gap Between Divisions
3 and Division 9: Concrete and floorcovering associations unite.”
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
to attend the ACI Concrete
Convention & Expo in Kansas City,
Kansas City Marriott Downtown,
April 12-16. Contractors’ Day
Lunch: Tuesday, April 14, 11:301:30 with speaker, ASCC member
Jeff Coleman, The Coleman Law
Firm, discussing “When a Crack
is a Construction Defect.”
In the article, we discussed the many differences in specification
requirements that the concrete contractor must meet and those that the flooring installer must meet. The problem is not a new one.
We’ve been writing about it for more than 10 years and have published ASCC Position Papers on the subject. By getting coverage
of both the contractors’ and flooring installers’ needs in a magazine for specifiers allows us to increase awareness and to suggest
ways to harmonize the requirements in Divisions 3 and 9. Major differences such as F-number flatness requirements for concrete
contractors and gap under a straightedge requirements for flooring installers can result in costly disputes, rework, and schedule
delays. But when the two parties agree on a solution that can be incorporated before the bid documents are finalized, many of the
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problems disappear. It’s worth noting that ASCC Position Statement #6 has now been endorsed by several flooring associations. So we’re standing together in working out solutions for the problems, and we want the specifiers to know that as well.
In the upcoming April issue of The Construction Specifier, another problem area is addressed. The article is titled “Specifying
Broomed Exterior Concrete Surfaces” and Frank Salzano of CECO Concrete Construction was a third author. Too many architects
believe broomed surfaces on large-area slabs, such as those in parking garages, should look the same as broomed surfaces on sidewalks. They expect to see minimal variations in texture depth, no overlaps in adjacent broom placements, and extremely uniform
appearance of the larger surfaces. Because of the size effect, none of these expectations can be met. But it’s important to explain
why the expectations are unrealistic so the contractor is not perceived
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The article explains, in great detail, the effect of surface size on the
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We take advantage of every opportunity to present the concrete contractors’ viewpoint to specifiers, structural engineers, architects, and owners. Not by complaining about unreasonable or unattainable specification requirements, but by telling them why the requirements are unreasonable, and what the additional cost would be
to produce the expected results.
You can visit The Construction Specifier web site at http://www.constructionspecifier.com and click on “archives” near the top of
the page to download the October 2014 article. The April article will be available on the site some time that month.
Near Miss
Examples of Near Miss events by ASCC members are shared courtesy of the Safety & Risk
Management Council to help other members prevent accidents and injuries. If you have a near
miss story that could help your fellow contractors send Bev a brief write-up at [email protected]. We will not identify your company unless asked to do so.
Incident
A near miss incident occurred when a rebar subcontractor was beginning to set the
last lift of rebar column steel for the columns on a parking structure. The rebar subcontractor was utilizing a Carry Deck Crane on the last parking level with a certified
crane operator from a third party vendor. While swinging the rebar column assembly
into place -- this was a consistent practice throughout the duration of the project -- the
Carry Deck Crane overturned onto its Driver/Load side onto the concrete deck. No
injuries or property damage were incurred.
Investigation revealed several contributing factors. First, the column being picked was
the first column picked on the last level that had added steel and terminators on the column assembly to carry shade covers that were to be installed at a later date. The added
weight was not conveyed to the operator by the qualified rigger or rebar subcontractor
and the operator assumed the column was the same weight as the others he had picked
and set. The added weight of the column caused the load to be 425 pounds over the
safe lifting capacity for the deck crane in its present boom angle.
Corrective Action
The first corrective action implemented was that every rebar column assembly will
have the weight calculated and labeled to allow both the qualified rigger and operator
to verify weight, and ensure the crane is properly set up to allow the crane to operate
in the correct boom angle and ensure it has the lifting capacity to facilitate the lift.
A Controlled Access Zone will continue to be erected around the entire deck crane
operation to encompass the swing radius of the load. This will keep unrelated workers
at a safe distance from the crane and the column in the event of another crane failure.
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Thank You Kick Off Bash Sponsors
Platinum
Allen Engineering Corporation
Caterpillar, Inc.
CNA Insurance
Euclid Chemical Company, The
Forta Corporation
Keystone Structural Concrete
Multiquip, Inc.
Palatial Concrete Ltd.
PNA Construction Technologies
Schwing America, Inc.
Somero Enterprises
Stego Industries LLC
STRUCTURAL
Wacker Neuson Sales Americas LLC
Gold
American Concrete Institute
Barton Malow Co.
Citadel Contractors, Inc.
Cleveland Cement Contractors, Inc.
Fritz-Pak
H & C Concrete Coatings
Jay-Ton Construction Co. Inc.
Joseph J. Albanese, Inc.
Lloyd Concrete Services, Inc.
Meadow Burke
Precision Concrete Construction, Inc.
Putzmeister America
Structural Services Inc.
TAS Commercial Concrete Construction
T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc.
Webcor Concrete
Woodland Construction Company
Silver
Albanelli Cement Contractors, Inc.
Aluma Systems
ARDEX Americas
Butterfield Color
California Engineering Contractors Inc.
Ceco Concrete Construction
CEMEX
Coloscapes Concrete LLC
Concrete Contractor Magazine
Doka USA
Fibercon International
Hanley-Wood, LLC
Largo Concrete, Inc.
H O T
L I N E
CONCRETE
CONSTRUCTION
L.M. Scofield Company
Morley Construction Company
North S.Tarr Concrete Consulting
Poppoff, Inc.
Raffin Construction Company
Roadware Inc.
Sika Greenstreak
SpecChem
Sundt Construction
Tekla, Inc.
W. R. Meadows, Inc.
Z Con Inc.
Q U E S T I O N S
SAFETY &
INSURANCE
800-331-0668
866-788-2722
Ward Malisch – [email protected]
[email protected]
DECORATIVE
CONCRETE
888-483-5288
Todd Scharich – [email protected]
ASCC members have access to these toll-free numbers for assistance.
Webinars (webinars begin at 3:00 p.m. CST)
Apr. 8, 2015
Cracks – Identification, Cause, Prevention, and Repair
David Flax, Euclid Chemical
May 13, 2015
ACI Specifications: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Ward Malisch, ASCC Concrete Construction Specialist
Members no charge. Non-members $35; MC, Visa, Amex only. Call 866-788-2722 to register.
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ASCC at WOC 2015
Concrete Rocks! Kick Off Bash
Booth Duty
DCC Awards
Passing the Torch