Health and Safety

• Lowering hot surface temperatures
• Preventing accidental burns

Thermal insulation is one of the most effective means of protecting workers from burns resulting from contact with hot or extremely cold piping and equipment. For hot surfaces, especially, insulation reduces the surface temperature of piping or equipment to a safer level, resulting in increased worker safety and the avoidance of worker downtime due to injury. With today's specification tools it's very easy to calculate the insulation thickness needed to bring the surface temperature of your piping and equipment to safe levels.

In addition to the safety benefits of insulation, NIA member companies take job site safety very seriously and strive to meet the highest standards to protect their own personnel.

The Theodore H. Brodie Distinguished Safety Award

NIA promotes and recognizes safety in the workplace with this important annual award.

• For more information and to download the 2009 application
• Learn about the 2008 Safety Award Winners

Health and Safety Committee

The NIA is committed to the health, safety and welfare of its members, customers, and the insulation industry. Through professional safety leadership, the Committee will actively promote the highest standards of safety and health excellence, to ensure a safe working environment.

If you are an NIA member and would like more information about joining this committee, please contact the membership department. You may also log in to the Members Only to download committee minutes.

Articles

• Energy Audits: Path to Big Savings
  Date: December 2009
  Author: Ben Pfister

  An in-depth insulation energy audit is a perfect service to add instant value to your company and provide immediate profits to your customers. A Certified Insulation Energy Appraiser's audit can pinpoint areas for improvement in a plant or facility often overlooked in traditional insulation maintenance programs. These areas can provide enormous energy savings!

  For example, Photos 1 and 2 show un-insulated steam valves and one 90-degree elbow. They are installed high off the ground, eliminating a personnel hazard, and condensation is not an issue, so these areas went unnoticed for y...READ FULL ARTICLE
  
  

• Cap and Trade and the New Energy-Efficient Economy
  Date: November 2009
  Author: Bradford Penney

  On June 26, 2009, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) of 2009 (H.R. 2454). ACES provides a critical and effective framework to make the United States a world leader in advancing energy efficiency and addressing climate change. The bill establishes an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions and puts the United States on a trajectory to reduce emissions by 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. In addition, hidden within the voluminous bill are cost-effective energy efficiency provisions that are the "golden keys" to addressing the nation'...READ FULL ARTICLE
  
  

• The American Clean Energy and Security Act
  Date: November 2009
  Author: Richard Lubinski

  Congress and the Obama Administration are aggressively pursuing energy efficiency, renewable energy, pollution reduction, and energy independence. One element of the Administration's environmental plan is called "cap and trade," a policy approach for controlling large amounts of emissions from a group of sources. While proponents point to the public health benefits and environmental protections of emissions control, critics voice concerns about possible effects cap and trade could have on the investment the federal government is making to stimulate the economy.

  What Is Cap and Tra...READ FULL ARTICLE
  
  

• 2009 Theodore H. Brodie Distinguished Safety Award
  Date: October 2009

  It's time to apply for the 2009 Theodore H. Brodie Distinguished Safety Award. Named after Theodore H. Brodie, who continually strove to put safety in the forefront of the industry, this award honors companies committed to safety in the workplace. NIA encourages all contractors, distributors, and fabricators to apply.

  The judging will focus on each company's overall safety program, means of communication and training, and safety policy. Contractors and Distributors/Fabricators will be judged separately and in categories based on company size. If you do not place in the top three ...READ FULL ARTICLE
  
  

• Legally Speaking: Don't Discuss Your Wages
  Date: October 2009
  Author: Bob Dunlevey

  Did you know that it violates the law if your company has a policy or practice that forbids your employees from sharing their "confidential" compensation information? It's really true.

  The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled repeatedly that confidentiality provisions in employee handbooks and other written policies forbidding the discussion among fellow employees and others of wages, benefits, and conditions of employment violate Section 8(a)(1) of the Labor Act. This includes discussions of such things as wage reviews, pay grade levels, wage increases, and overtime. It...READ FULL ARTICLE
  
  

• OSHA Controlling Employer: New Decision
  Date: October 2009
  Author: Gary Auman

  The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) has just issued its decision on review of the Summit Contractors case. The Commission's previous decision was overturned by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in its decision in March 2009.1 The appellate court remanded the case to the OSHRC to review its prior ruling.

  In its recent decision issued on July 27, 2009, the OSHRC reversed its prior decision and affirmed the serious safety citation issued to Summit Contractors under the controlling employer policy of OSHA. In reaching its decision, the OSHRC...READ FULL ARTICLE
  
  

• Employment Issues: Important Changes to the ADA and FMLA
  Date: July 2009
  Author: Julie Doherty and Rachel Elvester

  2008 brought about many changes that affect employers and employees in the areas of disability discrimination and unpaid leave entitlement. Specifically, amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) became effective in early 2009. This article summarizes some of the significant changes to the ADA and the FMLA that are likely to impact employers.

  The Americans with Disabilities Act

  The goal of the ADA—to eliminate discrimination against individuals with disabilities—is undoubtedly laudable. The...READ FULL ARTICLE
  
  

• Workforce Reduction Checklist
  Date: July 2009
  Author: Bob Dunlevey

  An employer having to reduce its workforce must go about it properly, or it may very well face litigation expenses at one of the most inopportune times. Today's employees frequently contest their layoffs both in our courts and before state and federal agencies.

  Any reduction must be scrutinized for compliance with numerous laws. It is not the time to let go everyone who in the last few years filed for workers' compensation or took Family and Medical Leave. Sound business criteria must be used to select those who must be separated from employment. Remember, a "layoff" connotes an ...READ FULL ARTICLE