Back Together Again in 2022
Published: 21/12, 2021
PDa Magazine is pleased to present regular updates from the US National Demolition Association. This column comes from NDA Executive Director Jeff Lambert.
We had a fantastic fall at the NDA. We held our Fall Leadership Forum and our Foundations of Demolition Risk Management Course in conjunction with the World Demolition Summit. Congratulations to those who completed their certificate in the Foundations of Demolition training series. In addition, we held the Foundations of Demolition Estimating Course in Washington DC at the end of November. We had 32 attendees. We hope you consider registering yourself, colleague, or employee in the one of the upcoming courses in 2022.
In committee news, the Convention Committee has planned a fantastic event in San Diego. After what will be two years apart, we hope you will take advantage of the chance to reconnect with your industry colleagues in person and register.
There is more in the committee front, including the Safety Committee new safety talks, starting out right and coming soon a revised engineering survey. The Industry Committee completed the Power Plant and Implosion Guidance documents. Both of these documents will be available on our OSHA Alliance page on the website.
NDA’s dynamic membership directory is now available for download. The directory allows members to download primary contacts for member organizations and is an excellent resource for members seeking products and services from trusted partners. The directory is updated nightly and you must be a member to access.
NDA has been tracking the OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate. While OSHA has temporarily suspended enforcement of the ETS, NDA has been encouraging members to continue to execute their strategy for implementation and to plan on meeting deadlines. NDA has created a members-only guide, which provides an in-depth summary of the guidance issued by OSHA on the ETS. NDA will also be submitting formal comments to OSHA on the ETS, which are due by Jan. 19, 2022.
Congress is continuing work on the budget reconciliation bill called the Build Back Better Act. This bill, which is under consideration in the Senate after passing the House of Representatives, is a $1.7 trillion comprehensive package. Recently, NDA outlined concerns with specific provisions in the House bill and provided recommendations on how to improve the bill in the Senate. These recommendations include:
• Oppose all tax increases on the demolition industry;
• Oppose unreasonable increases to OSHA fines;
• Oppose expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The Senate will vote on the Build Back Better Act in the New Year.
Our next episode on Demolition Now podcast is available on our website. In this episode, we hear from Dustin Bass – Co-founder and Partner, BaseRock Partners on COVID relief, the Federal Reserve, the stock market and infrastructure in addition to a discussion on their quarterly market outlook on engineering and construction. A copy of which can be found on the website. Next, we talk with Loren Smith, Skyline Policy, on the supply chain, COVID aftershocks and how regulation and permitting play into infrastructure rollout. There is nothing more valuable than a peer-to-peer connection in growing the association. With all that has been going on with the industry and at NDA, if you know someone who is not a member of our community—invite them to join. Membership provides access to safety resources, demolition best practices, educational content, a company listing in our public Membership Directory and so much more. Have them contact me directly at jlambert@demolitionassociation.com or apply for membership online at demolitionassociation.com/Membership/Join-or-Renew.
Jeff Lambert
Executive Director