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Article
2007 November
- There are many guidelines and recommendations in place to ensure trusses are installed and braced properly.
- Truss Design Drawings show the truss calculation and engineer stamp, but usually show limited bracing.
- It is our hope that BCSI recommendations are followed in the field, but we cannot enforce them.
Article
2007 November
- Making sure your vehicle is in good operating condition is one of the best defenses when driving in winter weather.
- Put together a basic cold-weather emergency kit for each vehicle in your fleet.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- Brand your company as "The Solution" for all of your customers’ needs.
- If you offer wall panels, engineered wood products, steel trusses, and turnkey labor, or engineering design services in addition to wood trusses, be sure to market them.
- Work with the design and specifier community to help streamline the front end of the construction process and value-engineer structures.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- The IRC 2006 references BCSI 1-03 in two locations—R502.11.2 and R802.10.3.
- In 2006, BCSI 1-03 was revised and retitled Building Component Safety Information; Guide to Good Practice for Handling, Installing, Restraining & Bracing of Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses.
- Although BCSI 1-03 is referenced in IRC 2006, you should use the most recent version of the booklet—BCSI.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- OSHA’s Top Ten list is a great place to start for reviewing safety issues at your facility.
- Three of the 2006 Top Ten (one, three and nine) fall under OSHA’s Safety and Health Regulations for Construction (Part 1926) and don’t apply to component manufacturing.
- The remaining seven violations relate to standards that are important to comply with as a component manufacturer.
Article
2007 August
- OSHA defines a powered industrial track (PIT) as any mobile, power-propelled truck used to carry, push, pull, lift, stack or tier materials that can be ridden or controlled by a walking operator.
- OSHA requires you to implement a PIT vehicle training program and verify that each operator has been properly trained and evaluated.
Article
2007 August
- Remember safety when you consider material handling in your operation.
- Creating a safety committee is a great way to inspire a culture of safety and discuss areas of the plant to examine.
Article
2007 August
- When a truss member is damaged, the anticipated flow of loads through the truss is disrupted, and that load must be resisted by another member(s).
Article
2007 June/July
- High school and college students can be a valuable resource during the summer months.
- Their inexperience can also bring a unique set of safety risks.
- Create a safe environment for your summer help with a few simple adjustments.
Article
2007 June/July
- Component manufacturers need to be wary of builders demanding deep discounts not agreed upon in contracts already in place.
- Although you may feel like giving up trying to understand insurance requirements, it is possible to learn about them.
- If you aren’t aware of what your insurance coverage actually provides, you are exposing yourself to tremendous and avoidable risk.
Article
2007 June/July
- Wood-framed buildings over three stories above grade should be designed under the IBC.
- These buildings fall outside the prescriptive/conventional construction provisions of the IRC and IBC and must be designed using engineering principles.
Article
2007 May
- To fully understand how loads interact with each other, they must be tested as a system instead of as an individual element.
- WHD is here to stay, building momentum and bringing the structural integrity of buildings to a whole new level.
Article
2007 May
- A new provision was introduced to the wood truss section (i.e., R810.2) of the 2006 edition of the IRC that permits the use of roof snow load computed using 0.7pg.
- Engineered design, through ASCE 7, is required in instances where the limitations on which the IRC is based are exceeded.
- ASCE 7 snow load design provisions require the evaluation of other conditions that may produce load surcharges in addition to the balanced uniform loads of pf or ps.
Article
2007 April
- Being involved with industry organizations at the local, state and national level is beneficial.
- Without WTCA and the component manufacturers that volunteer their time, manufacturers would be on their own to develop training programs.
Article
2007 April
- The required bearing length provided on the Truss Design Drawing is based on the lumber used in the truss.
- The bearing area for the wood wall or beam may need to be increased to prevent crushing of these members.
- Table 1 includes the maximum allowable reaction load that selected species of lumber used as wall plates can resist without excessive crushing.
Article
2007 April
- Plant workers at Schuck Component Systems play an incentive game called Safety Bingo.
- The safety pot starts at $100, and an additional $100 is added for each accident-free workday.
- The first person to get BINGO wins the entire pot.
- Safety Bingo has helped to drop Schuck’s reportable injury rate by one-third.
Article
2007 March
- Take preventative measures to safeguard your employees and protect your property from fire, like installing fire-resistant materials.
- A good fire alarm system is crucial for timely evacuation and accelerating firefighter response time.
- Good housekeeping practices, clearly marked exits and periodic fire drills will ensure an orderly evacuation.
Article
2007 March
- Empower your team by establishing good communication.
- Consider forming a senior management team to set goals, implement initiatives and delegate tasks.
- Establishing a safety committee is a great way to begin the path toward empowering a team.
- Retain good employees by offering benefits, especially health insurance.
Article
2007 Jan/Feb
- Fire safety can be broken down into the main topics of causes and prevention.
- Truss plants often contain one or more ignition sources.
- Keep spark resistant jackets handy to prevent incidents where flammable chemicals and welding sparks may exist.
Article
2007 August
- OSHA machine guarding standards are meant to prevent the 18,000 injuries U.S. workers suffer while operating machinery.
- Six machine guarding requirements are defined by OSHA.
- Scott Arquilla’s story demonstrates that OSHA may make an exception if it is determined that a certain guard presents a hazard.
Article
2007 May
- It is common for close to 80 percent of a plant’s workforce to be Spanish-speaking in our industry.
- You don’t have to be bilingual to communicate effectively with your employees.
- Knowing a few key terms and phrases will help you keep your workers safe.
Article
2007 Jan/Feb
- Structural building components are essential for a show like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
- With such a tight schedule, structural building components are the single most critical material in helping reach the show’s deadlines.
- The most important thing you can do throughout all four stages of production is to be flexible.
- Be onsite for the framing the whole day to help with any questions or conflicts should they arise.
Article
2006 November
- In the building components industry, buyers’ key areas of focus are inventory, defective product claims, employees, and compliance with laws applicable to employees, environmental compliance and intellectual property.
- Expect the buyer’s first draft of the purchase agreement to be very buyer oriented.
- When advising the seller, full and early disclosure is encouraged.
- Heavy focus and spending too much time on the indemnification can send the wrong signal to the buyer.