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OSHA agrees to SMACNA recommendations on flat roofs requirements

SMACNA contractors performing service work on flat roofs (low-sloped roofs) received a significant win after OSHA “agreed to” comments submitted by SMACNA and other industry stakeholders.

The Impact of Prefabrication on Productivity

This white paper offers a set of best practices to optimize the use of prefabrication to obtain peak productivity for HVAC and sheet metal contractors.

Using a Board of Directors, Peer Groups and Other Resources to Challenge and Enhance Performance

This white paper offers advice and suggestions on the effective use of outside resources to improve performance of HVAC and sheet metal contractors.

Navigating the Slippery Slope to Selecting an Apprentice for Training

Under the law, for all intents and purposes, when a local Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) selects apprentices for its program, it is treated as an employer. 

Compliance with Mental Health Parity Law Under Investigation

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) let  people know they will be investigating their health fund’s compliance with the mental health parity laws.

Understanding The DOL Rules On Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division implemented Executive Order 13706 in 2016, which requires contractors working on federal contracts to provide paid sick leave to certain employees. 

Sheet Metal & Roofers Employer's Association of Southeastern New York, Inc. By-Laws

A New Era of Customer Service: How to Manage Customer Relationship

This paper includes a list of best practices to identify customer needs and satisfaction and outlines a cost-effective process to create a customer-centered culture. The white paper was written for HVAC and sheet metal contractors by Tom Schleifer, an author with experience and instant credibility in the industry.

OSHA Confined Spaces in Construction Final Rule

The OSHA Confined Spaces in Construction final rule, issued May 4, 2015, was unclear about how it applied to attics and crawlspaces in residential construction. However, a settlement was reached between OSHA and interested parties who negotiated the rule. 

What’s in it for me? Documenting the benefits of Lean

Documenting the benefits of Lean admittedly is a challenge, because no two projects are exactly alike. However, we have a substantial body of analysis that suggests the success realized on Lean projects is real and can be duplicated from project to project. This is Part II of a two-part series that explores the benefits and challenges of lean construction. 

Lean Design: What’s it all about?

The intent of this article is to provide an overview of what Lean is all about and begin to answer the question: What’s in it for owners and others in the supply chain?

Southland Industries: Multi-trade Modular Rack Design and Construction Video

In this video, Southland Industries explains how the use of in-house engineering and construction resources build multi-trade modular rack systems.

ENR SmartMarket Report: Prefabrication and Modularization

This ENR SmartMarket Report examines the impact of prefabrication and modularization on industry productivity. 

MMC Contractors: Prefab and BIM Expertise Video

This video showcases SMACNA member MMC Contractors ability to use Building Information Modeling (BIM) and modularization techniques to go beyond just fabrication. 

J.F. Ahern: Prefab Time Lapse Video

J. F. Ahern Co. recently unveiled a time-lapse video that was filmed over several months, chronicling the assembly and installation of 32 multi-trade racking systems for the Froedtert CFAC project in Milwaukee.

J.F. Ahern: Prefabrication that Benefits Your Project

This video addresses estimating and design, shop fabrication and assembly, quality control, delivery and installation, and final occupancy.

J.F. Ahern: What is Prefabrication? Video

In this video, SMACNA member J.F. Ahern takes you through project stages including estimating, pre-planning, design/coordination, scheduling and purchasing, fabrication/assembly, quality control, and field installation to show how prefabrication works and benefits projects though improved risk, timing and cost.

OSHA issues final rule on reporting injuries electronically

With this new rule, OSHA now requires employers in the sheet metal and HVAC industry to send OSHA injury and illness data through a dedicated webpage for posting on the agency's website.

The Search Is On: Finding Lost Participants

Participants have gone missing. Are you doing enough to find them? If you are not asking that question of your fund, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) may soon be asking it for you. 

Is Cyber-Liability Insurance Really Necessary?

If your trust fund is the keeper of personal identity or sensitive information on participants and their beneficiaries, the answer is likely, yes. 

Bylaws for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association, Inc.

Successful Marketing and Business Development Strategies for HVAC and Sheet Metal Contractors

This white paper helps HVAC and sheet metal contractors use marketing and business development more strategically. It also provides an approach on how to create a plan, implement it, measure the results and, ultimately, create a long-term plan to build customer relationships and backlogs.

The HVAC and Sheet Metal Industry Futures Study Update 2016

The 2016 Futures Study Update begins with a review and analysis of the 2012 study with a focus on the viability of the predictions outlined in the earlier report. The publication offers a broad environmental sweep, an examination of unanticipated changes, and validation or modifications to the 2012 implications and emerging trends.

Making RFIs More Effective

This white paper offers practical tools and ideas to help contractors improve the Request for Information (RFI) process.

The Business Case for BIM

SMACNA’s white paper “The Business Case for BIM” can help contractors justify the cost of investing in BIM capabilities. This research demonstrates that the benefits of BIM can be substantial ̶ increasing profitability, bidding opportunities, and manufacturing efficiency and volume.

Cybersecurity - Hacks, Breaches, & Inadvertent Disclosure - Oh My!Disclosure!

There is a lot of talk about cybersecurity, even from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). In fact, how funds are protecting participants’ personal information has emerged as an issue of concern for the DOL.

Time to Audit Your Auditor?

Is your audit deficient? There is a good chance it is. In May, the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released a disturbing report assessing the quality of benefit plan audits.

SMACNA of Western Pennsylvania Bylaws of the Association

Is Your Trust Fund Ready or Not?

Emergencies can come in the form of a natural disaster affecting an entire region or be brought on by something like a fire or catastrophic equipment failure affecting only your fund’s office.

Off-Site Construction, Modularization, and Sheet Metal Prefabrication

This paper focuses on off-site construction from the perspective of prefabrication, and installation of preassembled building components within “traditional” site-built construction project delivery methods or systems.

Memo and Consolidated National Agreement for Industrial Construction

March 2015 memorandum from SMACNA Labor Relations that outlines key aspects of the Consolidated National Agreement for Industrial Construction, unilaterally developed by SMART. The Industrial Agreement is between individual contractors and the SMART International Union, making it  a national agreement, and  covers conditions of employment for industrial projects beyond the territorial limits of the home local union jurisdiction. 

New Guidance on Apprentice Skills Competitions

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued guidance to the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) enforcement personnel on how to use plan assets from apprenticeship and training funds for skills

The Use of Just-in-Time Training in Construction

The Just-in-Time Training (JITT) report examines in detail the concept and application of Just-in-Time Training.

Legal Implications of Building Information Modeling

This article will not focus on the technical aspects of BIM, but rather will analyze the legal implications and challenges facing projects using BIM. This article will examie the copyright/intellectual property issues, indemnity/liability issues, management and conflict issues, and will provide a brief conclusion regarding the future legal prospects for BIM.

Early Start-Up of Permanently Installed HVAC Systems

Contractors are increasingly being required to perform early start-up of HVAC systems for the use of temporary heating, cooling or dehumidification during the construction process. This SMACNA position paper addresses the issue.

Risks and Opportunities for HVAC and Sheet Metal Contractors During the Construction Market Recovery

This white paper describes and analyzes contractor risks associated with a recovering economy and market.

Compensation for Time Spent Changing Into or Out of Some Protective Gear

Contractors working under contracts that exclude time for changing of clothes from paid time should review their practices to ensure that the vast majority of the time excluded is spent putting on or taking off “clothes” as defined by the Sandifer decision.

Effects of Imposing a Universal Requirement of (G-60, G-90) Coating on All Components of Ductwork

This technical paper reviews the HVAC Duct Construction Standards, 2nd edition, 1995, specifications and requirements for zinc coating on galvanized steel ducts.

Strategic Thinking

Strategic Thinking is a blueprint for contractors seeking to use the Futures Study to improve their position as the industry recovers and stabilizes.

Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement

The paper using case study references addresses the implementation of continuous improvement in an easily understood format.