Portland Cement Excluded From New OSHA Standard

In a victory for affordable housing and against unnecessary government regulation, the final Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard on hexavalent chromium published in the Feb. 28 Federal Register excludes exposure to Portland cement in construction and other industries. Portland cement is a basic ingredient in concrete and mortar.

For more than a year, NAHB members and staff have met with OSHA officials, urging them to exclude Portland cement from any rulemaking because the agency’s own data showed that possible airborne exposure to the chemical in construction activities involving wet cement — such as mixing mortar, brick laying, footer cement pouring and cement finishing — was minimal. ...

McGraw-Hill Launches 10,000-Web Site Construction Network

McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of the Sweets Catalog File, has launched the “McGraw-Hill Construction Network® for products.” The comprehensive online source of building product information integrates the 100-year track record of Sweets with the McGraw-Hill Construction Network which, since its inception in 2003, has become the place to find and manage design and construction business opportunities. ...