2016 ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADESHOW
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
WMA Welcomes New Member
Mafor S.A.
MAFORSA has been exporting Jesso Primed Ultralight MDF mouldings for over 20 years to different markets in North America and other continents. Throughout this time the company became known as a relevant player in the market for primed MDF mouldings and wall planking/wainscot products. MAFORSA also manufactures foil and veneer wrapped mouldings with a wide variety of designs. Production capacity is currently over 100 forty foot containers per month.
For more information please visit MAFOR S.A.
New Home Sales Reach Highest Level
Since February 2008
Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 3.5% in June from an upwardly revised May reading to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 592,000 units, according to newly released data by HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. New home sales are up 9.3% in the second quarter of 2016 from the first quarter.
Read more at NAHBNow
OSHA Fines Aren’t the Only Fed Penalties to
Rise on Aug. 1
It turns out the June 30 announcement by the Labor Department that OSHA’s fines will rise 78% effective Aug. 1 isn’t the only case of a federal agency hoisting its fines as a result of a 2015 Congressional mandate. NAHB’s blog notes today that the Inflation Adjustment Act requires federal agencies to regularly update the monetary levels of civil penalties to keep pace with inflation.
Read more at REMODELING
Housing: Our Common Destiny?
So, we ‘need’ more affordable for-rent and for-sale housing … who’s going to do something about it?
Read more at BUILDER
First Time Buyers Arrive
Existing home sales, as reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), increased 1.1% in June to the highest level since February 2007, as first-time buyers grabbed a 33% share, the best performance in four years. June existing sales are up 3.0% from the same month a year ago. Total existing home sales in June increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.57 million units combined for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, up from a downwardly revised 5.51 million units in May.
Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
25 U.S. Markets Where the Disabled are Best Able to Pay for Renovations
Are your pro customers missing out on these sales opportunities
It was 26 years this month that the ground-breaking Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) took effect. That legislation’s mandates in employment, transportation, public accommodation, and communication didn’t just make it easier for people with disabilities to receive an education and get a job. It also has created an ever-growing group of disabled–combined with the ever-aging cohort of baby boomers–who will want to remodel their homes so they can overcome their limitations. Whether you call it aging-in-place, universal design, or some other term, this housing market trend is sure to grow, so it’s important that you and your customers know more about it.
Read more at PROSALES
Wage Gap Narrows for Female Construction Workers
in 2Q2016
For the first time, full-time female workers in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations earned a higher median weekly wage than their male counterparts.
Read more at BUILDER
CODES AND STANDARDS
EPA Issues Final Rule to Protect the Public from
Exposure to Formaldehyde
Agency implements congressionally enacted formaldehyde emission standards.
WASHINGTON–The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today moves to reduce exposure to formaldehyde vapors from certain wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States. The agency worked with the California Air Resources Board to help ensure the final national rule is consistent with California requirements for composite wood products.
“We are carrying out important measures laid out by Congress to protect the public from harmful exposure of this widely used chemical found in homes and workplaces”, said Jim Jones, EPA’s assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “We have worked with the state of California as a partner to help ensure consistency in our requirements. The new rule will level the playing field for domestic manufacturers who have a high rate of compliance with the California standard and will ensure that imported products not subject to California’s requirements will meet the new standard and thus, not contain dangerous formaldehyde vapors.”
The Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products Act of 2010 established emission standards for formaldehyde from composite wood products and directed EPA to finalize a rule on implementing and enforcing a number of provisions covering composite wood products.
One year after the rule is published, composite wood products that are sold, supplied, offered for sale, manufactured, or imported in the United States will need to be labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant. These products include: hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, particleboard as well as household and other finished goods containing these products.
EPA is also setting testing requirements to ensure that products comply with those standards, establishing eligibility requirements for third-party certifiers, and establishing eligibility requirements for accreditation bodies to be recognized by EPA that will accredit the third-party certifiers. The new rule includes certain exemptions for products made with ultra-low formaldehyde or no-added formaldehyde resins and new requirements for product labeling, recordkeeping, and enforcement provisions.
Formaldehyde is used as an adhesive in a wide range of wood products, such as some furniture, flooring, cabinets, bookcases and building materials including plywood and wood panels. Exposure to formaldehyde can cause adverse health effects including eye, nose and throat irritation, other respiratory symptoms and cancer.
Read More at EPA
Government Guidelines Released for Residential PACE Program
Last week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released new guidance to unlock residential Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing by outlining how properties with PACE assessments can be purchased and refinanced with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance and by welcoming the use of PACE financing for Veterans Affairs (VA)-insured mortgages. In addition, the Department of Energy (DOE) has released a draft of their updated Best Practices Guidelines for Residential PACE Financing for public comment. PACE is a tool that allows American homeowners, including low- and moderate- income households and veterans, to finance solar and energy efficiency improvements at no upfront cost and to pay back the cost over time through their property tax bill.
Green Building Law Update reports with this guidance, PACE financing “could be bigger than anything in the U.S. real estate since the invention of the glass window.”
Read More in Green Building Update
Safety –
“Risk Management Challenges”
Monday, October 10th
9:45 am – 10:45 am
Terry Burkhalter holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Safety and a B.A. Degree in Industrial Management from Middle Tennessee State University. Altogether, he has over 33 years of experience in the safety field with over 29 years in the insurance industry.
Click here to learn more
about the WMA 2016 Annual Convention
