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Update on the Political and Legislative Landscape For the past 18 months polling has consistently shown that 70% of the voters believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction. The combination of COVID, soaring inflation, and a lack of faith in our political leaders has clearly taken its toll on the public’s confidence,…

ASA Considers MSHA Silica Proposal ASA, along with the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC), are drafting comments on the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Silica Proposal, which has extended the comment period until September 11th, 2023. It seems that there could be some conflicts between the MSHA proposal and the OSHA final regulations, which…

OSHA’s Worker Heat Rule? Since 2021, OSHA has been working on a heat stress rule, following a decade’s worth of advocacy groups and members of Congress calling for action. Supporters of a rule cite a changing climate and worker heated-related deaths as drivers of their concern. Outside of the rulemaking, the agency has been conducting an annual…

Swapping Hard Hats for Helmets This fall, OSHA will start issuing inspectors and other field staff safety helmets instead of traditional hard hats. The decision came following a pilot program involving more than 100 employees.  Several large commercial contractors have already transitioned to helmet and in some cases, contractors with on-site safety mandates to wear…

Unlocking Benefits from Home Depot for ASA Members Home Depot has recently joined forces with the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) as a new sponsor bringing with them an exciting program for ASA Members! Central to this sponsorship is the National Rebate Incentive Program, a compelling initiative aimed at recognizing and rewarding ASA participants for their…

Click Here to Register for this Webinar Today! Upcoming ASA Webinar: “How to Reduce Employment Liability with Defensible Documentation” Join us on September 19th, 2023 at Noon Eastern for the upcoming webinar, “How to Reduce Employment Liability with Defensible Documentation”, presented by Jamie Hasty of SESCO Management Consultants. Human Resources is infamous for repeating three…

Congress is in August Recess Congress stands in adjournment for the August Recess; however, before departing the Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act in a bipartisan 86-11 vote.  The House version of this bill was approved on almost entirely partisan lines after conservatives inserted provisions restricting abortion and trans-gender care…

Worker Shortages in the Trade Industry Kansas City ASA Executive Director Andrew Christ recently discussed worker shortages in the trade industry on the Jayme and Grayson Podcast. Christ outlined the impact to the construction industry due to nationwide shortage of nearly half a million workers. The shortage applies to skilled and unskilled workers as well…

ASA President Brad Miller Welcomes the ASA of South Carolina Officers Your ASA leadership hard at work! ASA President Brad Miller traveled to the ASA of South Carolina 2023 Convention, which took place in beautiful downtown Greenville, South Carolina on July 27-30, 2023.  During the event attendees heard from incredible speakers, including Miller.  He also…

This Week in Congress This week, both chambers of Congress worked on the congressional appropriations bills to fund the government in the coming fiscal year in advance of the August recess.  Many members of Congress are not adhering to the spending levels in the debt-limit deal, and the widening gulf between House and Senate plans…