Masonry Magazine May 2006 Page. 35
"It's going to cost us money, but I don't think the employees will see a difference at all," Zambrano said. Her employees won't notice a difference because she's already doing more than what's required. "It's not something we just created. We've been doing this for years."
MacDonald agreed that mason contractors will face additional costs. "Now the job prices are going to go up. It creates a hardship on everything and everyone," he said. "Every year, a new stipulation comes out that costs employers more money. They're creating their own problems."
Since California often leads the nation in legislation and regulations, the heat illness standards could set a precedent for others. "It was a landmark decision when California did this because they were the first state to do it," Trost said.
Contractors in other states may not be worried yet, but they're definitely paying attention.
"The reality is you can't lay
as many blocks in the summer as you can
in the fall, winter and spring."
- Greg Jonovich, Brothers Masonry
"What happens in California usually hits Arizona a few years later," said Kimberly Kahl, executive director for the Arizona Masonry Contractors Association (AMCA) in Phoenix. "We're keeping an eye out. Do we expect it to hit us? Yes. It wouldn't be unexpected if our legislature started looking at it.... I fully expect to see it within the next couple of years."
But like their California counterparts, mason contractors in other states are already taking steps to protect their workers. Some, like Brothers Masonry in Phoenix, bid summer jobs at a lower production rate, knowing that employees can't work as fast and need more breaks.
"The reality is you can't lay as many blocks in the summer as you can in the fall, winter and spring," said company Vice President Greg Jonovich. "We let the general contractor know, in no uncertain terms, that we don't get the same production. If you're responsible for job contracting, you have to know it's going to happen and prepare for it."
Protecting Your Most Valuable Assets
HEAT CAN CONTRIBUTE to other injuries, such as tripping or falling off scaffolding, said Steve Horn, owner of SummitStone Corporation in White Stone, Va., which makes cooling collars and vests. He said workers suffering from dehydration or heat illness shuffle their feet, making them vulnerable to tripping, and they react slower, making it harder to catch themselves.
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May 2006
Masonry 33