NBN Online for the week of August 25, 2008

(Plain Text Version) for full graphical version, click here.

In This Issue:

Front Page
Strong Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Top Priority for NAHB
50+ Home Buyers in Prime Spot to Lead Housing Recovery
Nation's Building News Will Not Be Published Sept. 1
Coast to Coast
Orange County Housing Slump Ends After 33 Months
Economics & Finance
Builders Rein in Housing Production Further in July
Housing at Its Most Affordable Level in Four Years
Rules Changed for Capital Gain Exclusion for Second Homes
Eye on the Economy: New-Home Sales Are Approaching a Bottom
Useful Links to Monitor Economic and Housing Trends
Tips
Builders’ Tip: Removing Nails From Old Lumber
Technology
Builder-ESC Relationship Could Reap Missed Profits
design
‘Recovery by Design’ Offers Buyers What They Don’t Have
Safety
Apply for NAHB SAFE Award by Oct. 13
Commercial
Crane Safety Addressed in Georgia Work Stand-Down
Sales
Persistence, Training Pay Off When Asking for the Sale
Multifamily
Rental Apartment Builders See Weaker Second Quarter
Enter Pillars of Industry Marketing, Design Awards
Remodelers
Free Workshops, Golf Swing Analysis at Remodeling Show
Member Profile: Providing Details, Adding Value
Custom
Custom Builder Symposium Can Help Navigate Downturn
Education
Education Calendar
Environment
Panel Looks at Effluent Rule Impact on Small Business
international
Student Teams Sought for New Solar Decathlon in Madrid
Legal
Register for Construction Law Seminar on Sept. 11-12
Labor
Independent Study Enhances HBI’s Superintendent Training
Building Products
New Andersen Windows Feature Recycled Materials
TV
NAHB-Produced Programs on DIY, Fine Living and HGTV
Endowment
Applications for Endowment IBS Scholarships Due Oct. 31
Association News
NAHB Fall Board Meeting Set for San Diego Sept. 23-26
Presentation Skills Sold Out; Few Spots Remain for Interview Skills
Use NAHB PR Toolkit to Help Promote Tax Credit
HBAs: Apply for NAHB/NOD Disability Initiative Award by Sept. 2
Office Depot: $10 Off First $100 for New Member Customers
Fix Credit Card Processing Rates for Two Years With Solveras
Dell Offering Double Discounts in September
GM $500 Private Combined With GM Employee Discount Till Sept. 2
Calendar of Events
NAHB Career Center

Apply for NAHB SAFE Award by Oct. 13

Applications for the 2008 NAHB Safety Award For Excellence (SAFE), which provides recognition for home builders who develop outstanding work-site safety programs, are now available.

For information, requirements and an online application, click here (nahb.org/SAFE).

Applications are due by Oct. 13.

The award honors the achievements of builders and trade contractors who have developed and implemented high-quality construction safety programs, as well as those government officials and NAHB-affiliated associations who have made successful efforts to advance safety in the home building industry.

Last year, 14 companies were cited for their safety achievements. Read about them here.

“The home builders and housing industry professionals who have received SAFE awards during the past two programs are an outstanding representation of the commitment to safe behavior and safety education practiced by NAHB members across the country,” said Buck Roberts, president of A.B. Roberts Construction Company in Anderson, S.C. and chairman of NAHB’s Construction Safety and Health Committee. “We look forward to recognizing many more safety best practices in Las Vegas in January in the 2008 SAFE awards.”

NAHB member companies in good standing that build residential homes or town homes using light construction methods can apply for a SAFE award. Specialty trade contractors, remodelers and light commercial and multifamily builders, as well as NAHB-affiliated associations and federal or state Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials who have been nominated by an NAHB member or association, are also welcome to apply.

Awards will be made in a variety of categories; for a detailed listing, click here.

Award winners will be recognized during a breakfast ceremony on Jan. 20 during the 2009 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. Winners will receive an award and coverage in this publication.

NAHB is seeking companies to become sponsors for this safety awards program. For sponsorship information, click here, e-mail Andy Flank at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8059.

NAHB provides members and others in the residential construction industry — including non-English and limited English-speaking employees and trade contractors — with information, guidance and access to training resources to help them protect employees' health and safety.

A variety of safety resources and guidebooks, including the NAHB-OSHA Jobsite Safety Handbook: English-Spanish Edition, are available for purchase through www.builderbooks.com.

For more information on the SAFE Awards Program, click here; or e-mail Lindsay Cather at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8163.



Boost Job Site Safety With Fall Protection Training Products

In an effort to increase job site safety and reduce the chance of job related accidents, NAHB has produced the “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish and “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish.”

Both are available through BuilderBooks.com.

The 30-minute “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” can be used by builders to train workers to use safe work practices that eliminate fall hazards and comply with OSHA fall-protection standards.

The “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish” provides guidelines for creating a written fall-protection plan and identifying safe work practices that can prevent costly accidents and injuries. Written with clear text, photographs and illustrations, the book serves as a user-friendly resource for promoting safety on any job site.

To purchase the handbook and video online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.



Create a Safer Job Site

Four common hazards cause 90% of the injuries and fatalities on residential construction job sites.

The “Recognizing the Big-Four Safety Hazards for the Home Building Industry course from The NAHB University of Housing shows how to comply with OSHA regulations and to recognize and minimize those hazards most likely to cause accidents.

The course teaches builders to protect their workers from harm and themselves from liability. This course is also available in Spanish.

To find out where upcoming courses are being held, click here, or call 800-368-5242 x8154 for more information.



Home Builders Institute Offers New Program to Teach Hispanic Adults English

Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition is an easy-to-use, take-home learning tool created exclusively for the construction industry by the Home Builders Institute to improve communication, quality and safety on the job site.

The product, now available at www.seddesaberconstruction.com, uses proven LeapFrog technology to allow workers to listen, record and play back their pronunciation of more than 500 vocabulary words and 340 phrases. Participants who practice 30 minutes each day will complete the program in just four months. Learning at home, on their own time, also eliminates scheduling conflicts.

Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition was developed by a team of subject matter experts assembled through HBI — including superintendents, craft skills experts, remodelers and builders — to ensure that the information is relevant to today’s home building workforce. To address worker safety issues related to the language barrier, HBI created a seventh book based entirely on the NAHB-OSHA Job Site Safety Handbook.

NAHB members can purchase the learning system, all seven books and a skills assessment to chart employee progress for $395 per kit. The non-member price is $495. Order today and empower your workers to learn English at www.seddesaberconstruction.com.


 

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