February 24, 2020 CONNECT WITH OCA  ON SOCIAL MEDIA.....    Featured Content Grassroots Call-To-Action  Urge Your Senators to Support Highway Trust Fund Solution For the first time in 12 years of Highway Trust Fund (HTF) crises, U.S. Senate Republicans and Democrats are pushing a real solution. Now is the time for you to contact your senators and tell them to support this effort. Members of the Senate Finance Committee are considering a revenue plan that includes: 1. A vehicle miles traveled fee on heavy commercial trucks; 2. A national electric vehicle registration fee; and 3. Indexing federal motor fuels user fees. The resulting revenues would help pay for America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act (ATIA), which would authorize $287 billion in highway projects over five years. It represents a 27 percent increase in investment and is currently the only legislative option being discussed. Urge your senators to support this three-part revenue proposal and play a leadership role in the passage of ATIA this spring. Here’s a link to ARTBA’s Grassroots Action Center. It will allow you to send an email and tweet to them in less than a minute. Thanks for taking action! News   Workforce Development Resources for Employers Resolve to Make Progress  Conaway Conference Last Chance for On-Line Registration - February 25 The annual Conaway Conference will be March 3 & 4, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Columbus located at 350 N High St., Columbus, OH. The conference will provide a forum to review the previous construction season, provide valuable information for the upcoming year, and a networking opportunity. Conference Agenda Conference Registration Link Congratulations to the University of Dayton Estimating Competition Team 11 great schools, 66 outstanding students, two days of intense competition, victories, setbacks, learning moments and lifelong memories and we have a winner. Congratulations to the 2020 OCA Estimating Competition winning team from the University of Dayton. 1st Place - University of Dayton 2nd Place - University of Akron 3rd Place - University of Cincinnati Operating Engineers Local 18 Administrative Dues Change We have been advised by the Operating Engineers, Local 18 that effective April 1, 2020, a change in administrative dues will go into effect for all Local 18 members working in all classifications under the OCA Ohio Highway Heavy Agreement. The administrative dues deducted shall be decreased to 2.5% of gross pay. It is currently 3%. Please be sure to share this information with your company’s payroll department. If you have any questions about the change, please contact Mark Potnick in the OCA office. OSHA Penalties Increasing  Effective January 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) increased the maximum allowable penalty amounts for OSHA violations. The new numbers are based on the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. Below are the maximum penalty amounts, with the annual adjustment for inflation that may be assessed after Jan. 15, 2020. (See OSHA Memo, Jan 10, 2020). • For a willful violation, in which an employer knowingly failed to comply with an OSHA standard or demonstrated a plain indifference for employee safety, the minimum penalty increases from $9,472 to $9,639 and the maximum penalty increases from $132,598 to $134,937; • For each repeated violation for an identical or substantially similar violation previously cited by the agency, the penalty ceiling rises from $132,598 to $134,937; • For each serious violation for workplace hazards that could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, the maximum penalty increases from $13,260 to $13,494; • For each other-than-serious violation, the maximum penalty increases from $13,260 to $13,494; • For each failure to correct violation, the maximum penalty increases from $13,260 to $13,494; and • For each posting requirement violation, the maximum penalty increases from $13,260 to $13,494. State Plan States States that operate their own Occupational Safety and Health Plans are required to adopt maximum penalty levels that are at least as effective as Federal OSHA's. Selecting Project Delivery Methods & Bidding Public Construction Contracts Join Bricker & Eckler for the 12th annual “Selecting Project Delivery Methods & Bidding Public Construction Contracts.” This full-day workshop, specifically designed for Ohio public owners, covers the project delivery methods available for public construction projects and when competitive bidding is required for these projects. The morning session features presentations by Bricker & Eckler attorneys whose practices focus on construction and bidding. In the afternoon, attendees will work through fact patterns together and will interactively explore alternative delivery methods and review bidding issues, while receiving feedback from fellow participants and the presenters. Tuition includes breakfast, lunch and handout materials. If two or more people are attending from the same organization, contact Laura Schaller for a discounted rate. This course will be submitted to the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Continuing Legal Education for 6.50 total CLE hours instruction, and is designed to provide 6.5 hours of Ohio Engineering CPD credit and 6.5 EPA contact hours. https://www.bricker.com/events/selecting-project-delivery-methods-bidding-public-construction-contracts-53400 8 Locations Across Ohio - Register Today!  CompManagement is pleased to announce our 2020 on-site seminar series coming to a location near you this April. Please click on the images below to learn more   Educational Seminar Agenda   Educational Seminar Location & Dates   CEU's & Safety Credits Information ODOT Seeks Input on Item 611 January 2020 marks the seventh year of implementation of CMS 611. CMS 611 was implemented to encourage industry innovation while reducing risk to the Department. Since implementation, the specification has received numerous updates and modifications. Below is an online survey that ODOT put together as a means of industry feedback. The Office of Hydraulics has issued this to the conduit manufacturing industry already. The survey works best with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. ODOT would like to have the survey completed by February 29th. We appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide! https://odot.formstack.com/forms/odot_cms_611_survey Quick Links to On-line OCA Resources •   Current Ohio Contractor Magazine •   Safety Resources •   Labor & Employment Information •   OCA President's Commentary  Upcoming Events Click here for current events Safety Talks OSHA 300A Data Due by March 2, 2020 This email was sent to {#party.Email} because you are subscribed to the Ohio Contractors Association weekly e-Newsletter.  This email was sent by: Ohio Contractors Association, 1313 Dublin Rd, Columbus, OH 43215