NEII Insider 2022: Edition 3

National Volunteer Week Celebration at NEII

April 18-24 marks National Volunteer Week, and NEII is celebrating by supporting the causes that are most important to our staff members. In honor of donating time and resources to make the world a little brighter, the following are the organizations NEII staff chose to support:

Amy: World Central Kitchen is focusing current efforts on serving hot meals to families across Ukraine. The WCK has created a new model for disaster relief helping devastated communities recover and establish resilient food systems.
Kevin: The Metamora Thespian Society – Kevin helps the Metamora Thespian Society behind the scenes, which is a small non-profit community theater group.
Phil: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Foundation - Phil serves on the board for the foundation, which provides financial support for internships and fellowships to develop the next generation of historic preservation leaders with an emphasis on reaching underserved communities.
Megan: Lawrence Schools Foundation – Megan supports the Lawrence Schools Foundation, which provides resources that inspire learning, enrich teaching and enhance opportunities for all students, educators, and staff in her city.
Savannah: Betty Griffin Center provides healing, a safe shelter, legal assistance and advocacy for victims of domestic and sexual assault in St. Johns County, Florida.
Nicole: Always and Furever Midwest Animal Sanctuary – Nicole has fostered more than 30 senior special needs dogs for Always & Furever over the past 5 years.
John: Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter – John adopted his two Plott Hound mixes, Kai and Lani, 12 years ago from the shelter and supports them with donations regularly.
Katelyn: High Country Humane Society - Katelyn's dog, Hank, was adopted from the humane society in 2020. The shelter is located in Flagstaff, AZ and is often at maximum capacity. They are always in need of support to cover of supplies and fees.

We are constantly inspired by the work our members do on behalf of their local communities throughout the year. If you would like to send us information about your volunteer activities or charities you support, we would be happy to share in next month's Insider. Please email your volunteer efforts to Nicole by April 25 to be included.

OSHA Focus Four Campaign

Each year Region 3 of the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducts a four month long Focus Four Campaign to raise awareness and inspire action to reduce injuries and fatalities in the construction industry on the four most common workplace hazards.

Eliminating these four hazards would save 574 lives each year.

So far in 2022, electrical and struck-by hazards have been highlighted and NEII is compiling the resources so there is one place to find all of the materials needed for toolbox talks or other educational events and/or communications. You can find the available resources here.

Code Development Update

I-Codes: The Group B Committee Action Hearings were held March 27 to April 6 to review proposed changes to the International Existing Building Code, International Residential Code, and structural requirements in the International Building Code. Committee actions will be posted by May 9 and public comments are due by June 20 for the Group B proposals. Group A code changes were completed last year.

ICC A117.1 Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities: The A117 committee is meeting virtually to review proposed revisions for the next cycle. The goal is to complete the work in time for publication at the end of 2023.

ASME A17/CSA B44: The 2022 edition is scheduled for publication in Q4 this year. The A17 Standards committee and working groups are in the process of reviewing and responding to public review comments prior to the publication process.