OSHA Announces Three Month Phase-In for Residential Construction Fall Protection

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced a three month phase-in period to allow residential construction employers to come into compliance with the agency's new directive to provide residential construction workers with fall protection.

The three month phase-in period runs June 16 - September 15, 2011. During this time, if the employer is in full compliance with the old directive (STD 03-00-001), OSHA will not issue citations, but will instead issue a hazard alert letter informing the employer of the feasible methods they can use to comply with OSHA's fall protection standard or implement a written fall protection plan. If the employer's practices do not meet the requirements set in the old directive, OSHA will issue appropriate citations.

If an employer fails to implement the fall protection measures outlined in a hazard alert letter, and during a subsequent inspection of one of the employer's workplaces OSHA finds violations involving the same hazards, the Area Office shall issue appropriate citations.

The new directive, Compliance Guidance for Residential Construction (STD 03-11-002), a detailed description of the phase-in policy, a presentation and other guidance materials about requirements for protecting workers from falls are available at http://www.osha.gov/doc/residential_fall_protection.html.

A Safety and Health Topics Web page, which provides a list of references to help employers identify fall hazards and possible solutions for eliminating such hazards, is available at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/construction.html

OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program offers free and confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/.

Remodeling Market Index Reaches Highest Level in Four Years

According to the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI), the remodeling market is heading into recovery with an increase to 46.5 in the first quarter of 2011 from 41.5 in the fourth quarter of 2010. This marks the highest level for the RMI since the fourth quarter of 2006. An RMI below 50, however, indicates that still more remodelers report market activity is lower (compared to the prior quarter) than report it is higher.

The overall RMI combines ratings of current remodeling activity with indicators of future activity like calls for bids. Current market conditions for the first quarter of 2011 rose to 46.1 from 43.3 in the previous quarter. Future market indicators climbed to 46.8 from 39.7 in the previous quarter.
"Remodelers report a jump in activity so far this year and have been receiving more calls for work and appointments," said NAHB Remodelers Chairman Bob Peterson, CGR, CAPS, CGP, a remodeler from Ft. Collins, Colo. "However, many home owners are still slow to commit to remodeling due to feeling uncertain about the economic recovery and difficulty obtaining loans."
Regional break downs for current remodeling market conditions showed growth in all but one area: Northeast 46.1 (from 38.8 in the fourth quarter), South 46.1 (from 45.8), and West 46.1 (from 39.7). Only the Midwest experienced a decline to 47.1 (from 54.3).

All current remodeling market indicators increased: major additions to 50.3 (from 48.6 in the fourth quarter), minor additions to 48.0 (from 43.9), and maintenance and repair to 39.5 (from 37.0). Future market indicators also improved across the board: calls for bids rose to 53.1 (from 47.2), appointments for proposals to 52.4 (from 43.1), backlog of remodeling jobs to 49.7 (from 42.6), and amount of work committed for the next three months to 32.1 (from 25.9).
In an additional special question remodelers reported the top reasons prospective customers are holding back from remodeling their homes:
Customers think it is hard to get financing (90 percent of remodeler respondents)Customers have lost equity in their homes (81 percent)Customers are uncertain about their future economic situation (74 percent)Reluctance to invest in home when not sure home will hold its value (67 percent)Negative media stories making customers more cautious (62 percent)Inaccurate appraisals are making financing more difficult (54 percent)
"Home remodeling continues to slowly increase and continued growth through the year is expected." said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. "The fact that some indicators are breaking 50 means remodelers are seeing improving activity in their markets. While credit scarcity and economic uncertainty continue to weigh down remodeling, signs of increasing consumer interest are promising."

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How to Clean a Range Hood

 

How to Clean a Range Hood Filter

Avoid household fire hazards, and keep your range hood and fan doing what they are supposed to do! Cleaning your range hood is an important part of kitchen cleanup!

Instructions

things you'll need:

• tri-sodium phosphate
• Stiff wire brush
• rubber gloves
• soaking bucket
• cleaning rags

1. Remove the fan filter from the range hood fan. You can also remove any light covers, knobs, etc. that need to be cleaned.
2. Fill a bucket or some other container with enough hot or boiling water to cover the filter (and/or other parts), when placed inside.
3. Put on your rubber gloves and add the recommended amount of tri-sodium phosphate to the water. Mix and place the fan filter in the bucket with the mixture. Let soak for about 1 hour.
4. After soaking, remove the dirt and grease from the filter by scrubbing with a stiff wire or other type of sturdy brush.
5. Prepare additional cleaning solution with the tri-sodium phosphate and water. Use your cleaning rags and the brush to wash the range hood thoroughly. The tri-sodium phosphate will cut the grease and make cleaning a breeze
6. Rinse and dry all cleaned surfaces, and replace the range fan filters and parts.

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How to Repair a Door Chime

 

If your door chime no longer provides the familiar tones and merely hums or buzzes, you can probably fix it without too much trouble. Try this before replacing it.

Steps
1
Remove the cover of the chime unit. Many times this cover will just hang on some tabs and can be removed by lifting it straight up. Other types may require that screws be loosened or removed.
2
Look for obviously broken or missing parts. Reinstall if possible. Springs and plungers are basically the only moving parts for electro-mechanical chime units.
3
Tighten electrical terminal screws. Most units operate at 24 volts or less, and should not pose a shock hazard. You can determine this by looking at the wires. If the wires look to be closer in size to telephone wire - or low voltage thermostat wire, it is most likely the 24 volt (or less) type. Low voltage door bell circuits usually originate at a small 120 volt to 24 volt (may be any value between 12 and 24 volts) transformer connected to the side of electrical panel. The presence of a transformer is also a good indication, too. In any case, treating the wiring as if it was line voltage (120 volts) will help prevent getting hurt.
4
Listen carefully and then observe the moving parts while an assistant presses the door bell button several times. A faint buzzing sound or slight movement confirms that the chime unit is getting powered.
5
Check and tighten the electrical points (fuses and circuit breakers, terminal screws of the door bell button(s), and transformer) if unable to hear or see the indications above and try again. If still unable to hear or see the indications above, just continue following the steps below.
6
Check the plunger for freedom of movement. Gently push / pull the plunger(s). It may move only in one direction, but may move in both. If unable to move the plunger, or it moves but does not "spring back" into position, it is likely hanging up on dirt, dust, etc.
7
Clean the moving parts of the chime unit. Do not use any kind of lubricant. No oil, no WD-40, no graphite powder, and no silicon spray. These may work for a short time, but will quickly attract dust and grime and gum up the plungers.
8
Cleaning can be done in place or removed from the wall. Either way will require safeguarding the area from dirt, solvents, etc. If removing from wall, label the wires and terminals before disconnecting.
9
Spray a short blast of electrical contact cleaner at the moving parts. Do not be surprised to see dirty contact cleaner dripping out of the mechanism. Attempt to move the plunger again. Continue to spray bursts while moving the plunger. The idea is to flush out any dirt, etc that has collected around the metal plunger body.
10
Once the plunger is able to move freely, the chime unit is ready to be reconnected and tested by pressing the door bell button.
11
Compare the voltage rating of the chime (likely 12 to 24 volts) with the rated voltage output stamped on the transformer. These values must match. Replace either the chime or transformer so that the two have matching voltage values. Most doorbell transformers are marked with AC voltage, but also have a 25 VA (watts) rating -- do not confuse VA with AC volts.
12
Remove wires from door bell buttons and touch wires together. If chime works, replace door bell buttons.

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