Pit and Quarry

Rally for Roads

It’s rally time. The second annual Rally for Roads will take place at 11 a.m. March 20 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Members of 15 transportation construction industry associations, including NSSGA, will join together to show their support of a fully-funded, multi-year transportation bill. The rally will showcase the role transportation plays on stimulating the economy, maintaining the nation’s global competitiveness and creating American jobs. The rally will feature employees from all facets of the road construction industry, including materials providers, road pavers and equipment manufacturers and dealers. – Brian Richesson

ROCKPAC donors and recipients

As we move through the year toward the November elections, Pit & Quarry will be reporting on the contributions of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association's ROCKPAC political action committee. To date, ROCKPAC has donated $115,500 to congressional candidates – $90,500 to House candidates and $25,000 to Senate candidates. The PAC has given 79 percent of its contributions to Republicans and 21 percent to Democrats, the highest percentage it has given Republican candidates in 10 years – since the 2002 cycle. The PAC's largest contributions thus far have gone to:
• House: Tom Latham (R-Iowa) $5,000; Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) $4,000
• Senate: Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) $3,750; Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) $3,250; Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) $3,250

Click these links for an up-to-date list of:
• Individuals donating to ROCKPAC
• Candidates receiving money from ROCKPAC

We will keep you updated on ROCKPAC contributions through this election year. -Darren Constantino

Shedding some light on the situation

MSHA is clearing up a safety issue concerning Bayco flashlights. Certain model numbers of these flashlights are labeled with the MSHA emblem when, in fact, they are not an MSHA-approved product. Bayco’s website and advertising materials also improperly identified the flashlights as MSHA approved. The model numbers are XXP-5420B, XXP-5420G, XPP-5422B and XPP-5422G. Bayco is new to the mining market and has not received MSHA approval for any products at this time, though it has applied to MSHA for proper approval of the flashlights, the administration says in its alert. MSHA urges owners of these flashlights to return them to Bayco. The flashlights, however, are listed by Environmental Testing Laboratories as intrinsically safe for use in hazardous locations, and this listing is not affected. – Brian Richesson

Road rules

NSSGA is following developments in a new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule for states, requiring interstate truck drivers to provide proof from a medical professional that they are healthy enough to drive. The kicker? States failing to comply face a 5 percent cut in their federal highway funds, with that penalty doubling if they do not come into conformance the following year. Noncompliant states would have a grace period as long as they submit a plan to adopt the new rule. The deadline is Jan. 30 for drivers’ license offices to implement this requirement for truck drivers. Federal law already requires truck drivers to get medical clearance from a doctor. The new rule requires truck drivers to submit medical approval forms to state licensing offices, which are then required to enter the information into a national database. The Associated Press reported on this new rule in recent days. – Brian Richesson

Safety reminders

Safety concerns with bulldozers and highwalls make up MSHA's latest safety alerts. A string of deaths in the mining industry linked to bulldozers and highwalls led MSHA to warn the community about potential dangers and to remind it about best practices. Meanwhile, a look at 2011 fatality statistics in the metal/nonmetal sector reveals 16 total deaths – 11 occurring at surface mines and five underground. The leading causes of these deaths were powered haulage (four) and machinery and slip/fall of person, with three each. The 16 deaths in metal/nonmetal are down from 23 in 2010. – Brian Richesson