Products, Vendors, CAD Files, Spec Sheets and More...
Sign up for LAWeekly newsletter
ORLANDO, FLA – The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) and the U. S. Department of Labor?EUR??,,????'???s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) have entered a new alliance aimed at preventing injuries and illnesses at U. S. aggregate operations.
?EUR??,,????'??This is the beginning of a new era of cooperation between the aggregates industry and the federal government,?EUR??,,????'?? said NSSGA President and CEO Joy Wilson. ?EUR??,,????'??As the aggregates industry observes the 100th anniversary of its national presence, this alliance reaffirms that NSSGA members value their workers as their greatest asset.?EUR??,,????'??
Signed today at NSSGA?EUR??,,????'???s Centennial Convention in Orlando, Fla., the agreement calls for the two organizations to work closely together on the promotion of safe working conditions, the development of effective miner training programs and the expansion of mine safety and health outreach and communication.
?EUR??,,????'??I am especially pleased about this partnership to promote safety and health in the stone, sand and gravel industry,?EUR??,,????'?? said Dave D. Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. ?EUR??,,????'??For the first time ever, MSHA and an industry association have jointly agreed to adopt safety and health performance goals with objective measures. This alone is unprecedented. They obviously see safety as a value.?EUR??,,????'??
Under the agreement, NSSGA will work jointly with MSHA to develop training and education programs aimed at reducing mine hazards as well as dissemination of information on mine safety and health at conferences, events, or through print and electronic media. NSSGA will cooperate with MSHA to evaluate applied engineering to improve mine safety.
Both groups will work to promote a national dialogue on mine safety and health by sharing information on best practices or effective approaches to eliminating mining hazards, as jointly determined by MSHA and NSSGA, with others in the mining industry through individual or joint outreach.
?EUR??,,????'??I?EUR??,,????'???m proud that we have reached this agreement because it?EUR??,,????'???s the first of its kind in the mining industry,?EUR??,,????'?? said Lauriski. ?EUR??,,????'??NSSGA is again showing its leadership.?EUR??,,????'??
The NSSGA, based near the nation?EUR??,,????'???s capital, is the world?EUR??,,????'???s largest construction material association by product volume, representing 800 member companies and approximately 120,000 working men and women in the aggregates industry. During 2001, a total of about 2.75 billion metric tons of crushed stone, sand and gravel, valued at $14.5 billion, were produced and sold in the United States.
WASHINGTON – The issue of detectable warnings is an issue again as the Department of Justice, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Act Compliance Board (Access Board) lifted the suspension on the warnings.
Detectable warnings are the raised domes that assist visually impaired persons navigate curb ramps and transit platforms. The use of bumps was suspended due to concerns about safety by several interest groups and wheel chair users.
The suspension was not continued by the Access Board, and the use of detectable warnings is now required as originally written in the ADA design guidelines. Revisions were recently proposed to allow a range in dome height and spacing.
Alignment of the domes is changed to accommodate wheelchairs that move across curb ramps. The Americans with Disabilities Act Architectural Guidelines proposeal includes limiting their use to the bottom 24 inches of the curb ramp. The proposed requirements will likely become guidelines next year since they are part of a larger design guideline document that is proceeding through federal review.
For more information visit the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute at www.icpi.org.
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
Sign up to receive Landscape Architect and Specifier News Magazine, LA Weekly and More...
Invalid Verification Code
Please enter the Verification Code below
You are now subcribed to LASN. You can also search and download CAD files and spec sheets from LADetails.