Our industry's infrastructure issues continue to require Congress's attention, and we need your federal lawmakers to understand the issues your projects are facing this year. Supply chain challenges, employee labor shortages, and regulatory delays continue to this day. Congress must be part of the solution, but they need to understand what we’re facing in the trenches every day. They also need to know this industry opposes bad legislation like the PRO Act which will hinder project progress. Your chapter will be scheduling your lawmaker meetings, so we need every dedicated NUCA member to be in Washington this May 17. Register today for Summit and book your hotel room at www.WeDigAmerica.org.

 

 Celebration of Construction, D.C.

NUCA also will be participating at the Celebration of Construction event being held on the historic National Mall in Washington, D.C. NUCA members and staff will be on hand promoting America's underground utility construction industry and our workforce's contributions to our communities. Over 16,000 people from government agencies, Congress, and the public are expected to attend during this three-day event, sponsored by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Several NUCA National Partners are involved in the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily event, which will showcase their equipment to our nation's lawmakers. The event is free and open to the public. More here.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced April 4 it was releasing over $6.5 billion for states for projects to upgrade drinking water infrastructure through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). These new resources were made possible by the 2021 infrastructure law supported by NUCA. Almost $3 billion of the funding announced will be provided specifically for lead service line identification and replacement, said EPA. However, about $45 billion is estimated to be needed to replace all 9.2 million lead service lines in the U.S., an important point our members will be making to lawmakers at our May Washington Summit. Read more.

The U.S. House passed on March 30 by a vote of 225-204 the "Lower Energy Costs Act" (H.R. 1), the GOP bill promoting domestic energy production. Supported by NUCA, H.R. 1 will also institute comprehensive permitting reforms to speed the approval process used for infrastructure construction projects. According to the GOP, the proposed law will increase domestic energy production, reform the permitting process for all industries, reversing anti-energy policies advanced by the Biden Administration, streamline energy infrastructure and exports, and boost the production and processing of critical minerals. The bill's fate in the Senate remains uncertain. Read more here.

NUCA-approved instructors are an elite group of industry professionals who have built our industry's safety culture. NUCA's next 2023 TTT course is being held May 9-12 in San Antonio, Texas. Competent Person and Confined Space Entry Training session are offered. If your company is facing a loss of trained instructors, this course will help you enhance your safety personnel and company safety program. Find out more at nuca.com/ttt, or contact NUCA's education director Mike Flowers at mike@nuca.com or 703-358-9300 for costs and space.

Jim Messina, from NUCA WINS and Compatica, and Bob discuss NUCA's reporting app, NUCA WINS, its ability to streamline your reporting processes, its many useful features, its ROI (which could pay for the cost of the app itself), and more regarding this incredible tool exclusively available for NUCA members. Check out this and all Dig This! Episodes here or via your favorite podcast platform.

This June 19-23 is the seventh annual Trench Safety Stand Down (TSSD). This is your company's opportunity to talk directly to your employees and others about excavation safety. Companies can conduct a stand-down by taking a break to conduct a toolbox talk or other safety activity to draw attention to the specific hazards related to working in and around trenches/excavations. We hope each NUCA member will participate in our TSSD program and promote June's "Trench Safety Month"! For more information, TSSD materials, and submission details, go here.

Through your NUCA membership, you have access to ConsensusDoc's vast information bank, contract templates, and their webinars. All members are invited on April 26 at 2:00pmET to their latest webinar, "To GMP or Not to GMP: Cost of Work Best Practices for Agreements or Change Orders." The webinar will take a deep dive into cost-of-the-work agreements and things to consider surrounding GMPs. During this webinar, you will learn to identify which itemized costs fall into cost-of-the-work items and what should be considered overhead and profit. NUCA members can receive a $20 discount on this webinar by using this discount code at checkout: w23q2nuca. Register here.

Our association's popular benefits program is available to all NUCA members to help address your many business needs. The expanded program is now online at www.NUCAAdvantage.com and includes the online portal to an expanded healthcare benefits options, payroll, wellness, compliance, benefits administration, online learning & training, OSHA logs, and includes a wealth of free benefits available only to NUCA members. Let your HR people know this NUCA resource exists for your company's use!

NUCA's Essential Skills for Crew Leaders Training is a two-day, intensive course that trains your employees to be effective leaders and communicators so they can provide clear direction to your crew, and plan and schedule the crew’s work to maximize safety, production, and profit. With all the necessary hiring coming up, now is a great time to prepare for a safe 2023 by ensuring your veteran employees are ready to run your new crews. Learn more here, take a look at the course outline here, or contact Mike Flowers for more information.

This webinar, sponsored by Road Widener, LLC, will highlight some of the current challenges facing the utility construction industry, the opportunities and enhanced versatility that specialty attachments offer contractors, and finally, review case studies of how utility operations have used specialty attachments to enhance processes such as trench backfilling and trench compaction. Key takeaways from our event include information on how your company can increase efficiency, safety and productivity while maximizing equipment versatility on utility jobsites with attachments. Register here.

Electrical tools, cables, and use are ever present on the jobsite, and can often be overlooked, leading to serious injury or death. This week's TBT: Electrical Hazards: English | Spanish