NEII Insider 2023: Edition 4

May is Building Safety Month

The International Code Council's 43rd annual Building Safety Month takes place in May. The theme for 2022 is It Starts with You! Each year, Building Safety Month raises awareness about the importance of building codes in ensuring safety in the spaces in which we live, work and learn. As always, NEII will be amplifying ICC's Building Safety Month messaging in May. If you don't already, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction

The National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction will be held May 1-5. Each year falls cause more than 300 construction worker deaths, as well as thousands of injuries. The annual Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is a nation-wide, week-long event that encourages employers to pause and have a two-way conversation with workers about fall hazards, protective methods, and the company’s safety policies, goals, and expectations.

NEII has compiled the seven Toolbox Talks on preventing falls along with a tip for trainers. Those resources can be accessed here.

Additional free resources -- including a written fall prevention plan, Toolbox Talks, and posters -- are available on the following websites: stopconstructionfalls.com and OSHA’s Stop Falls Stand Down page.

Upcoming Recruitments

The elevator industry is hiring. Below are the upcoming recruitments for elevator constructor apprentices. Please share these opportunities as appropriate.

May 1-19 in Boston, MA
May 1-15 in Tampa, FL
May 8-19 in Atlanta, GA
May 8-31 in Minneapolis, MN
May 9 - June 2 in Charleston, WV
June 1-16 in San Antonio, TX
June 1-21 in Portland, OR
June 1-22 in Madison, WI

For more information on the industry and training and recruitment opportunities, please visit neiep.org.

NEII's April piece in Elevator World: Powering Up

NEII has submissions in every edition of Elevator World in 2023. Our most recent article was written by our Vice President of Government Affairs Phil Grone. Read Powering Up, which discusses the elevator industry's role in improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.

Look for NEII content in each edition of Elevator World moving forward. If you do not already receive Elevator World, you can get a subscription here.

US Department of Labor Announces 'Beat the Heat' Contest

The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced that they are seeking new tools to increase awareness about heat hazards at work and are inviting stakeholders to share their best tools in a competition.

OSHA's Beat the Heat contest seeks to educate workers and employers about workplace heat hazards, raise industry and general public awareness of the dangers excessive heat presents to workers, and motivate employers and workers to act to prevent heat illness. If you have an idea to submit, do so by June 9, 2023 at the OSHA Beat the Heat Contest page.

Code Development Update

ASME A17/CSA B44 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators: ASME A17/CSA B44: The publication date for the 2022 edition is expected to be near the end of Q2 or the beginning of Q3. The effective date will be 6 months from the publication date. ASME works on a continuous process, so committees are developing changes for the 2025 edition. Proposals can be submitted at any time.

ICC International Building Code Series (I-Codes): ICC has released its schedule for the 2027 edition, including some changes to the procedures. They will hold two sets of committee hearings for each group of changes. Group A will be heard in 2024 and Group B in 2025. A joint Public Comment Hearing will be held in 2026. Proposed changes for Group A of the 2027 edition must be submitted by January 8, 2024.

ICC A117.1 Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities: The A117 committee is holding virtual meetings every two weeks to review proposed revisions for the next edition. There were over 250 proposals submitted and the committee has nearly completed their initial review. The committee will be reviewing any items that received comments during the balloting process.

NFPA 70 National Electric Code – NFPA is now accepting proposals for changes for the 2026 edition. Proposals will be accepted until September 7, 2023.

NFPA 101 Life Safety Code and NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code – Changes for the 2024 editions are being finalized, including several proposals from NEII. Publication of the 2024 editions is expected later this year. Work on the 2027 edition will begin in 2024.

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grant Program

Recently during a visit to the Nontraditional Employment for Women organization, Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Women's Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon announced a funding opportunity of $5 million for up to 14 grants to attract and support women in gaining access to registered apprenticeship programs in industries in which they are underrepresented.

Learn more and apply by May 29, 2023 here.

There is a listening session from the Office of Apprenticeship on proposed updates to apprenticeship regulations on Friday, May 5 as well, and you can register to attend that here.

Upcoming Liftinstituut Trainings

Cybersecurity and Functional Safety are becoming more and more hot topics in the lift and escalator industry. That is why Liftinstituut and LiftAcademy have developed special training programs on these subjects, focused on the particular issues of the industry.

The trainings will be held the week of June 5-9 at the Dutch Design Hotel Artemis, Amsterdam, NL. These trainings are fully dedicated to elevators and escalators, which makes them unique. You can sign up for both trainings as a package deal or separately. Get more details about these new training courses and register to attend here.