By Kerry Clines, Senior Editor

Online MSHA compliance tool

MSHA, along with the NSSGA, released the new “Safety Pro in a Box,” a comprehensive compilation of education and training tools for the aggregates industry. The online repository of compliance assistance materials is aimed at mine operators new to the industry, especially small mine operators. The available materials, all of which were produced by MSHA’s National Mine Health and Safety Academy, include MSHA handbooks on accident/illness reporting procedures and metal/non-metal inspection procedures; instructor guides for conducting safety and health audits at aggregates operations; on-the-job training modules for sand, gravel, and crushed stone mines; an instructor guide for establishing an occupational health program for respirable crystalline silica; and training modules on highwall hazards, personal protective equipment, hearing conservation, and workplace exams. Safety Pro in a Box can be accessed at www.msha.gov/safetypo_in_a_box/index.asp.

Mine Safety and Health Administration; National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association

Hydraulic breaker safety manual

AEM’s new Carrier Mounted Hydraulic Breaker Safety Manual (Form CMHB-1004) reflects current industry practice in machine design and construction, as well as up-to-date best safety practices. The 60-page manual now includes expanded information on safe mounting and dismounting; utility locating practices; attachment installation; installation, use, and maintenance of quick-couplers; and use of newer safety design features such as gate or armrest-based hydraulic control locks.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers

Online comparative videos

The new Bobcat Advantage, a series of informative online videos, helps contractors compare Bobcat compact excavator performance, serviceability, operator comfort, uptime protection, and overall manufacturing quality with that of other manufacturers’ machines. Visit www.bobcatadvantage.com/learn to view the videos.

New Mii Web site

The Mineral Information Institute (Mii) has a newly illustrated and animated Web site designed to appeal to students, as well as teachers. The site provides information and materials to help teachers and students understand the significance of mineral and energy resources to society. The site also offers videos, CDs, DVDs, and other teaching materials for purchase.

Mineral Information Institute

Dust control guide

NIOSH issued a new practical guide for dust control in metal/non-metal mines. The user-friendly guide addresses such issues as health effects of over-exposure to respirable silica dust; sampling to quantify dust generation; and controlling respirable silica dust in surface mines, underground mines, and mineral processing operations.

National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health

Vendor evaluation tool

The revised Vendor Evaluation Tool (VET), an interactive calculator to help fleets choose technology providers, can be used to evaluate virtually any provider of fleet software, from dispatch to document management to maintenance and more. The VET is available at www.arsenault.com/content_pages/view/software_vendor_calculator as a .pdf and as an Excel spreadsheet. Additional free technology selection support is available at www.arsenault.com — click on “Resources.”

Arsenault Associates

Social responsibility guide

NSSGA’s ISO 26000, Guidance on Social Responsibility can be used to guide the social responsibility part of aggregate operations’ sustainability programs. Social responsibility is one of three parts of sustainability, which also includes environmental stewardship and economics.

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association

New Web site

The new Web site, www.luber-finer.com, is designed to provide visitors with a customer-friendly, easy-to-use experience and a wealth of valuable information about Luber-finer filtration products.

Luber-finer/Champion Laboratories, Inc.

Bobcat Co.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) is calling it “an important first step in developing high-speed rail infrastructure in Texas” to give passengers more travel options and help ease chronic congestion.

The grant funding will be used to complete feasibility studies and preliminary service planning for a designated 850-mile high-speed rail corridor, which runs along I-35 between South Texas and Oklahoma City. The grant funding will be shared with the State of Oklahoma, and Texas will be the lead partner in the project.

“This award supporting planning and feasibility studies is an important first step in developing high-speed rail infrastructure in Texas,” said Sen. Hutchison in a prepared statement. “The availability of intercity passenger rail service will give Texans more travel options and help ease our state’s chronic traffic congestion.

“I applaud the Federal Railroad Administration for recognizing the importance and potential of high speed rail in Texas,” she continued, “and I hope we can forge a strong public-private partnership to bring this project to fruition.”

Sen. Hutchison, the senior Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, has long pressed the U.S. Department of Transportation to extend high-speed passenger rail service beyond the Northeast corridor.

At a Sept. 15, 2010, Commerce Committee hearing on the federal role in national rail policy, she questioned Deputy Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari on what states like Texas need to be doing to invest in rail projects and corridors that could become part of a national network.

Click here for the full text of Sen. Hutchison’s statement made at the hearing.

By Kerry Clines, Senior Editor

Economic impact sustainability tool

A new economic impact sustainability tool provides an easy, low-cost method of estimating an individual aggregate operation’s economic contributions to the local community and acts as a guide for describing the other tangible benefits that the organization contributes to its community. The information is gathered, an analysis is made, and an Economic Impact Sustainability Report is provided at a cost of $525 per location.

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association

MSHA enforcement alerts Web site

A new Web site created by the Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers (IAAP) and other Midwestern aggregate associations, www.mshaenforcementalerts.com, provides a forum where mine safety professionals from across the nation can share and discuss current Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) initiatives and cost-effective compliance.

Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers

Educational tools

Two new educational tools are available to assist operators in safeguarding safety and health. The Occupational Health Program, available on CD, serves as a template for operators to proactively anticipate and plan for issues arising in regard to worker health. Haul Truck Safety videos address such critical areas as pre-shift inspection, runaway prevention, the mechanical profile, and overall operating for safety.

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association

100 years of mining research

A new publication, One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research, provides an historical overview of research undertaken by the United States federal government throughout the last 100 years to improve the health and safety of the nation’s miners.

National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health.

Excavator safety manual

The updated Hydraulic Excavator Safety Manual now addresses safe mounting and dismounting; attachment installation; installation, use, and maintenance of quick-couplers; use of newer safety design features such as gate or armrest-based hydraulic control locks; and more.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers

NSPS air quality manual

The new Regulatory and Inspection Manual, available on searchable CD, uses plain language to interpret the revised April 28, 2009, New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) Subpart OOO opacity rule that applies to the aggregates industry. It contains detailed information on reporting requirements, how to conduct a Method 9 test, how to make compliance determination, how to read multiple points, sample inspection forms, EPA policy memoranda, and more.

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and Environmental Protection Agency

There’s an app for that rental!

A new iPhone app gives Volvo Rents customers access to important rental equipment information such as equipment make, model number, and equipment specification information hard-coded within the application.

Volvo Rents.

by Kerry Clines, Senior Editor

Online x-ray product testing

Customers can now see their products passing through the Eriez E-Z Tec X-Ray Inspection System live online, eliminating the need for an on-site visit. Multiple viewers can watch from different locations and ask questions live. Eriez.

Mineral identification guide

The Mineral Identification and Management Guide provides a range of investigatory tools to help geologic personnel identify potential areas where asbestos or asbestiform fibers may occur on a quarry site. The 17-page guide may be downloaded from the “Members Only” section of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s Web site, www.nssga.org. NSSGA.

Online Spanish-language safety training

The Safety.Cat.com Web site offers nearly 70 online Spanish-language safety training courses in several categories — Construction, Mining, and Heavy Equipment; Driver Safety; Environmental; General Safety; OSHA Essentials; and Supervisory Safety. The courses range in duration from 20 minutes to more than two hours. Caterpillar.

NIMBY publication

A new book, NIMBY Wars, The Politics of Land Use, by the Saint Consulting Group, explains the new, purely political approach that must be made a part of any development plans with hope for success. It teaches readers how to create a campaign plan, craft a message, identify and connect with citizens, ensure attendance at critical hearings and meeting, secure press coverage, anticipate attacks and neutralize opponents, and win a land use battle. Magnolia Communications.

Safety commitment brochure

A new brochure highlights the industry’s commitment to worker safety. It includes historical information about the industry’s safety commitment, fact-based narratives about some of the ways this commitment has been manifested, and a graph showcasing the eight-year-long decline in injury rates. NSSGA.

Asphalt plant operations tool kit

A new plant operations toolkit provides a library of publications and a video to assist with day-to-day management of the operation and maintenance of asphalt facilities. National Asphalt Pavement Association.

PPE video

A new video on the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in roadway and heavy construction sites is available in both English and Spanish. The video has two segments — the first segment helps company managers understand what to look for when purchasing PPE and provides tips on motivating workers to wear it; the second compares scenes from sporting events to roadway construction work, educating workers on the importance of properly wearing their PPE, even if they don’t see the hazards around them. A two-minute sample of the video is available at www.zinedigital.com/movies/artba/ppe_promo.wmv. American Road and Transportation Builders Association.

Ergonomics/risk factor training

A new training manual, Ergonomics and Risk Factor Awareness Training for Miners, gives employees knowledge of ergonomics and how it can be used to align their jobs to their abilities. It helps reduce injuries and illnesses by increasing awareness of risk factors and encouraging miners to take action to report and reduce their exposure to risk factors. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Aggregates DVD

The new 10-minute Progress through Aggregates DVD was specially created for the centennial of the aggregates industry associations. It takes viewers through centuries of history and 100 years of aggregates production and use in the United States. National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.

Conveyor animation and videos

Van der Graaf Inc.’s new, free CD features animation of its patent-pending Cross Drive technology and showcases the inner workings of its units compared to conventional drives. Drum motor animation shows parts and assembly of units, including power connections, motor cover, and end-cap attachment. One video illustrates the 10-step assembly process, while another highlights drum motors in action in the aggregate industry. Van der Graaf Inc.

Concrete technology guide

The newly updated Design and Control of Concrete Mixture reference guide addresses the fundamentals of freshly mixed and hardened concrete, including materials, air-entrainment, mix and curing procedures, hot- and cold-weather concreting, commonly used control tests for quality concrete, and much more. New chapters include information on supplementary cementing materials, fibers, and high-performance concrete. The manual is also available in searchable CD form. Portland Cement Association.

Silica exposure guidance document

The new 72-page guidance document, Controlling Silica Exposures in Construction, provides information on controlling silica exposure using various engineering control approaches and tools for several kinds of construction operations and equipment, as well as recommendations for work practices. The guide covers case studies and engineering control/worker recommendations on vehicle-mounted rock drilling rigs. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Tire care training

A new Tire Care Computer-Based Training Program helps operators of off-road heavy equipment understand how they can help extend tire life. The self-study or instructor-led program offers easily understood explanations of operating conditions that affect tire life, as well as graphics and visuals to support the narrated message. As each lesson is completed, “Check Your Knowledge” questions review the information presented. Vista Training, Inc.

Training videos online

Schenck Process updated its Web site to offer online support for its customers with training tools for proper equipment maintenance, installation techniques, and operational procedures. Two featured videos on the site include the proper installation of flexible couplings and connections, as well as installing and calibrating belt scales. The Web site can be found at www.schenckamericas.com. Schenck Process.

Earthmover tire training

Michelin’s earthmover tires service training program recently earned the endorsement of the Tire Industry Association (TIA). Michelin’s existing service course was modified to integrate the new TIA Earthmover Tire Service (ETS) Program. The three-day course includes 15 modules covering a range of subjects from service vehicle and crane operation to the servicing of one-, three-, and five-piece rims on simulated machine and loose applications. Technicians completing the course will be eligible to earn TIA’s ETS Certificate of Completion. Michelin North America.

Conveyor animation and videos

Van der Graaf Inc.’s new, free CD features animation of its patent-pending Cross Drive technology and showcases the inner workings of its units compared to conventional drives. Drum motor animation shows parts and assembly of units, including power connections, motor cover, and end-cap attachment. One video illustrates the 10-step assembly process, while another highlights drum motors in action in the aggregate industry. Van der Graaf Inc.

A new publication, Age Awareness Training for Miners, takes a comprehensive approach to health and safety training on the issues of aging workers and gives instructors information on how to provide age awareness training to all workers. The presentation and materials include easy-to-understand presentations and handouts on topics such as hearing, work capacity and endurance, and slips/trips/falls. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Motor grader video series

A series of DVDs devoted to safe and efficient motor grader operation is now available. Each video begins with a brief machine introduction, practical view of the pre-use inspection, and the motor grader’s many unique features. DVD titles include: New Construction, Road Maintenance, Operating Tips, and Snow Plowing. Vista Training, Inc.

Electrical hazards curriculum

The new Contren Learning Series Managing Electrical Hazards module introduces trainees and their supervisors to electrical hazards in the workplace and how to avoid them. Topics also include how to select specialized personal protection equipment for electrical work, how to analyze and document shock and arc flash hazards, and how to plan and conduct work around them. National Center for Construction Education and Research.

Preventive maintenance textbook

The recently released Modern Diesel Technology: Preventive Maintenance and Inspection textbook by John Dixon details procedures for maintenance and inspection of medium and heavy trucks. The 386-page book features 17 chapters, each broken into specific areas for easy reference. Included are sections such as Inspection Procedure, Federal Inspection Regulations, Record Keeping Requirements, and PM Software. Delmar Cengage.

Tips to thrive in this economy

A free booklet, 10 Strategies to Help You Thrive in the Economic Downturn, offers advice on how to cut material handling costs and expenses. Topics include parts replacement and maintenance, exploring financing options, and the advantages of fleet management. Hyster Co.

Infrastructure spending analysis

Infrastructure 2009: Pivot Point analyzes infrastructure spending and needs in the United States and overseas. It explores the shortcomings of underinvestment and the long-term competitive advantages offered by thoughtful investment. This year’s report looks at the Obama administration’s focus on infrastructure spending as an economic stimulus. Urban Land Institute, Ernst and Young.

Environmental management system

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Environmental Management System (EMS) template was created to provide producer members with a written framework to help develop a voluntary EMS program for their operations. The template contains separate modules that producer members can choose from to best fit their company’s needs and environmental goals and principles. NSSGA.

Climate change book

Cemex added a new book to its Conservation Book Series. A Climate for Life: Meeting the Global Challenge examines the impact of climate change on biodiversity and focuses on the most important challenges currently facing life on our planet – stress on flora and fauna, the implications of polar meltdown, and the effects of rising temperatures on land as well as in the oceans. The book also examines potential and practical solutions and devotes a number of chapters to exploring existing answers, some of which come from nature itself. Cemex.

Age awareness training

A new publication, Age Awareness Training for Miners, takes a comprehensive approach to health and safety training on the issues of aging workers and gives instructors information on how to provide age awareness training to all workers. The presentation and materials include easy-to-understand presentations and handouts on topics such as hearing, work capacity and endurance, and slips/trips/falls. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Motor grader video series

A series of DVDs devoted to safe and efficient motor grader operation is now available. Each video begins with a brief machine introduction, practical view of the pre-use inspection, and the motor grader’s many unique features. DVD titles include: New Construction, Road Maintenance, Operating Tips, and Snow Plowing. Vista Training, Inc.

Electrical hazards curriculum

The new Contren Learning Series Managing Electrical Hazards module introduces trainees and their supervisors to electrical hazards in the workplace and how to avoid them. Topics also include how to select specialized personal protection equipment for electrical work, how to analyze and document shock and arc flash hazards, and how to plan and conduct work around them. National Center for Construction Education and Research.

Preventive maintenance textbook

The recently released Modern Diesel Technology: Preventive Maintenance and Inspection textbook by John Dixon details procedures for maintenance and inspection of medium and heavy trucks. The 386-page book features 17 chapters, each broken into specific areas for easy reference. Included are sections such as Inspection Procedure, Federal Inspection Regulations, Record Keeping Requirements, and PM Software. Delmar Cengage.

Tips to thrive in this economy

A free booklet, 10 Strategies to Help You Thrive in the Economic Downturn, offers advice on how to cut material handling costs and expenses. Topics include parts replacement and maintenance, exploring financing options, and the advantages of fleet management. Hyster Co.

Infrastructure spending analysis

Infrastructure 2009: Pivot Point analyzes infrastructure spending and needs in the United States and overseas. It explores the shortcomings of underinvestment and the long-term competitive advantages offered by thoughtful investment. This year’s report looks at the Obama administration’s focus on infrastructure spending as an economic stimulus. Urban Land Institute, Ernst and Young.

Environmental management system

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Environmental Management System (EMS) template was created to provide producer members with a written framework to help develop a voluntary EMS program for their operations. The template contains separate modules that producer members can choose from to best fit their company’s needs and environmental goals and principles. NSSGA.

Climate change book

Cemex added a new book to its Conservation Book Series. A Climate for Life: Meeting the Global Challenge examines the impact of climate change on biodiversity and focuses on the most important challenges currently facing life on our planet — stress on flora and fauna, the implications of polar meltdown, and the effects of rising temperatures on land as well as in the oceans. The book also examines potential and practical solutions and devotes a number of chapters to exploring existing answers, some of which come from nature itself. Cemex.

The new 10-minute Progress through Aggregates DVD was specially created for the centennial of the aggregates industry associations. It takes viewers through centuries of history and 100 years of aggregates production and use in the United States. National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.

PPE video

A new video on the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in roadway and heavy construction sites is available in both English and Spanish. The video has two segments – the first segment helps company managers understand what to look for when purchasing PPE and provides tips on motivating workers to wear it; the second compares scenes from sporting events to roadway construction work, educating workers on the importance of properly wearing their PPE, even if they don’t see the hazards around them. A two-minute sample of the video is available at www.zinedigital.com/movies/artba/ppe_promo.wmv. American Road and Transportation Builders Association.

Ergonomics/risk factor training

A new training manual, Ergonomics and Risk Factor Awareness Training for Miners, gives employees knowledge of ergonomics and how it can be used to align their jobs to their abilities. It helps reduce injuries and illnesses by increasing awareness of risk factors and encouraging miners to take action to report and reduce their exposure to risk factors. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Zoning/permitting guide

How to be Successful with Zoning and Permitting: Strategies and Techniques for Successful Rezoning and Permitting under Community Land Use Regulations (written by Dr. Joseph McGuire of Cessford Construction, a division of Oldcastle Inc., Les Beck, and Dr. Norman Dietrich) provides practical ideas on effective communication to assist aggregate producers in navigating the local planning approval process. The manual outlines a streamlined process in working through zoning review and approvals with local government agencies, adjacent landowners, and residents. National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.

Heavy equipment training

Caterpillar is now offering new e-learning opportunities, as well as instructor-led seminars and simulator-based programs for heavy equipment operators. The e-learning curriculum is full of tips and techniques on safety, machine inspection, and operation. It includes 11 new training CDs that address the fundamentals of machine operation, safety, maintenance, and operating procedures. The new instructor-led programs offer training for a wide variety of industries and machines and are designed to refine and enhance the experienced, heavy-machine operator’s shills. Instructors are experts in their fields. The Virtual Training System uses simulators to train operators of hydraulic excavators, motor graders, off-highway trucks, wheel loaders, and wheel tractor scrapers. Caterpillar.

Noise/vibration control handbook

The new 1,600-page Handbook of Noise and Vibration Control covers the gamut of acoustics, noise, shock, and vibration topics while focusing more on applications in industry, transportation, the environment, and buildings. Altogether, 150 authors from 20 countries were involved in writing the book. John Wiley & Sons.

Concrete technology guide

The newly updated Design and Control of Concrete Mixture reference guide addresses the fundamentals of freshly mixed and hardened concrete, including materials, air-entrainment, mix and curing procedures, hot- and cold-weather concreting, commonly used control tests for quality concrete, and much more. New chapters include information on supplementary cementing materials, fibers, and high-performance concrete. The manual is also available in searchable CD form. Portland Cement Association.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) new Safety Targets Training Program focuses on addressing and eliminating the most common causes of repeat fatal accidents that occurred from 2000 to 2008. Ten training modules are in development to address the 20 topics that account for 75 percent of these causes in coal and metal/non-metal mines. Leading causes in metal/non-metal mines include the following: fall from elevations, operating equipment (surface), maintenance, lock and tag, block against motion, hit by equipment (surface), pre-op, roof/rib falls, communication, unsafe act. More information about the training can be found on MSHA’s Web site, www.msha.gov. MSHA.

Aggregates publications

Several new publications are available from the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). The Aggregate Handbook, describes all phases of the industry in a manner useful to engineers, plant operators, specifiers, marketers, students, and the general public. A supplement CD is included.

The Community Relations Handbook for the Aggregates Industry focuses on the “how-tos” of building positive, long-term relationships between operations and the community. It describes successful and tested methods of gaining the goodwill of neighbors through two-way communications. It also includes four supplements: Answering Community Concerns about Blasting, Answering Community Concerns about Dust and Noise, Answering Community Concerns about Truck Traffic, and Hosting an Open House or Operation Tour.

NSSGA’s Guiding Principles for Sustainability addresses the industry’s commitment to communities, to environmental stewardship, to social responsibility, and to economic prosperity. Several tools are available for use in neighborhoods, for luncheons, at open houses, within the workforce, with local media, and with area schools, including: videos, brochures, and booklets. NSSGA.

Worker health document

The Essential Elements of Effective Workplace Programs and Policies for Improving Worker Health and Wellbeing identifies 20 components of a comprehensive work-based health protection and health promotion program. It includes both guiding principles and practical direction for organizations seeking to develop effective workplace programs. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Training simulators

Three new PC-based training simulator programs are now available from Vista Training, Inc. The Off-Highway Truck, Wheel Loader, and Mining Truck personal simulators enable equipment operator training without high-cost equipment downtime and possible damage. There are a total of six simulation lessons of increasing difficulty; all data is tracked to allow comparison to benchmarks. Two kinds of simulator controls are available for the truck simulators: basic Logitech steering wheel and shifter or a complete, realistic replica of the actual haul truck controls. Three kinds of controls are available for the wheel loader simulator: PC controls, replica controls, or OEM controls. All connect to a standard USB port. Vista Training, Inc.

Truck trends reports

The North American Truck Equipment Industry Outlook and Strategy Report and the Profitability, Cost and Technology Playbook uncover growing trends in the work truck industry and best strategies for surviving in a changing market. The reports discuss the impact of globalization and its opportunities. National Truck Equipment Association.

EPA report on engine compliance

The 2007 Progress Report, Vehicle and Engine Compliance Activities summarizes vehicle and engine compliance program data collected in 2007, including test results from certification activities plus other types of compliance reports and test results. The report is available online at www.epa.gov/otaq/oms-def.htm#progress. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Transportation and Air Quality.