The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today the availability of up to $1 million to fund grants to support education and training to help mine workers identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions.

The funding, made available by the department’s Brookwood-Sago grant program, will enable grant recipients to develop training materials, provide mine safety training or educational programs, recruit mine operators and miners for training, and conduct and evaluate training. The amount of each individual grant will be at least $50,000, and the maximum individual award will be up to $1 million.

Administered by MSHA, the 2021 selection process will include special consideration for programs that focus on powered haulage (in particular, reducing vehicle-on-vehicle collisions, increasing seat belt use and improving belt conveyor safety), improving safety among contractors, reducing electrocutions, improving training for new and inexperienced miners, mine emergency prevention and preparedness, falls from equipment, respiratory hazards and other programs to prevent unsafe conditions in mines.

MSHA will also place special emphasis on programs and materials that target miners at smaller mines, including training miners and employers about new MSHA standards, high-risk activities or hazards MSHA identifies.

Visit grant.gov to apply for the Brookwood-Sago grants. Applications must be received by May 27, 2021. MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30, 2021.

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 established the Brookwood-Sago grant program in honor of the 25 miners who died at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama, in 2001 and at the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in 2006.

MSHA’s goal is to prevent fatalities, disease, and injury from mining and secure safe and healthful working conditions for America’s miners. MSHA recognizes the importance of training miners and others to prevent workplace injuries, fatalities and illnesses.

Any state in which mining takes place may apply for the grant. MSHA may fund 80 percent of the activities under a state grant program, and the state must provide at least 20 percent of the total program costs.

The closing date for applications is May 27, 2021. MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30, 2021.

MSHA’s goal is to prevent fatalities, disease and injury from mining and secure safe and healthful working conditions for America’s miners. MSHA recognizes the importance of training miners and others to prevent workplace injuries, fatalities, and illnesses.

Increased customer demand has manufacturers optimistic sales will increase or remain stable, despite COVID-19 and workforce challenges

As the industry emerges from a full year under the COVID-19 cloud, a clear majority (88%) of equipment manufacturers report a positive outlook for 2021, according to a new survey released by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. More than half (55%) of the respondents from leading equipment manufacturers expect sales to increase or remain stable despite the ongoing impact of the global pandemic. The online survey was targeted to employees of AEM member companies and includes results from more than 130 respondents, including CEOs, vice presidents, and sales and operations leaders, among others.

“The equipment manufacturing industry has continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has successfully adjusted to challenges to make the equipment that builds, feeds, and powers our country,” said AEM President Dennis Slater. “Equipment manufacturers have begun to turn the corner. We now need Congress and the President to pass long-overdue legislation that will invest in and modernize our nation’s infrastructure.”

Looking at the biggest challenges facing company executives and the equipment manufacturing industry as a whole in 2021, respondents indicated that the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and keeping employees safe and on the job remain the top concerns, followed by finding skilled workers for new jobs being created.

Turning to how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the workplace, one in eight respondents said that it will have a lasting impact on how they work. Face-to-face meetings with colleagues and work travel are the top two activities they look forward to in 2021.

Additional top survey findings include:

A clear majority (88%) have a positive outlook for 2021 while only one in ten has a negative outlook for the new year.

One in five (19%) said that sales are up while one in three (36%) indicated that sales are stable, citing the following reasons:

• Strong pipeline of orders
• Increase in customer demand
• Robust economic rebound
• Essential status of customers (including construction workers and farmers)
• Level playing field due to no travel

Almost half of respondents (45%) said that sales are down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the following reasons:

• Supply chain disruptions
• Reduced demand for new products
• Limited international sales (due to travel restrictions)
• Inability to meet with dealers and customers
• Delayed or cancelled projects at the state and local levels

Biggest challenges for 2021 are (responses ranked):

• COVID-19 pandemic and employee safety
• Lack of talent/workforce challenges
• Regulatory challenges
• Tariffs and modifications to tax code
• Internal reorganizations
• Supply chain disruptions, price of inputs, reduced demand

More than two thirds (68%) said that trade shows will be different (including virtual options) following the COVID-19 pandemic, while a quarter said trade shows will remain the same.

• 80% said the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on how we work, citing the following reasons:
• Greater emphasis on remote work
• Fewer in-person meetings/more online commerce
• New tools and technology to stay connected
• Reduced work/life balance
• Almost half (45%) indicated their work productivity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic while one in three (36%) said their efficiency went down.
• One in five respondents said that the COVID-19 pandemic caused them to consider retiring early, while eight in ten said that the global health crisis has not impacted their retirement plans.

AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.

The front of the wheel loader has been considered a major safety issue due to blind spots. That’s why Doosan Infracore, Seoul, South Korea, has introduced a ‘transparent bucket’ function on a wheel loader. The system allows wheel loader drivers to see blind spots in front of the bucket via a monitor in the cab.

The system records images in front of the wheel loader with cameras installed at the top and bottom of the bucket and shows the combined images in real time using a curved projection method.

According to the manufacturer, Doosan Infracore is the first company to develop and apply a front projection function like the transparent bucket for a construction machine.

“As construction safety standards have been significantly reinforced, the advanced safety system has become the key equipment option. We plan to continue developing functions that can protect the safety of drivers and nearby workers and lead the creation of accident-free construction sites,” a Doosan Infracore official said.

The construction industry, which has been deemed essential in most states, has suffered immensely from the pandemic. Academic studies and local health authorities find more outbreaks in construction than commonly thought.

Some small-scale construction sites have not had the resources to combat the spread of the virus and testing for the virus is not the only way management should be monitoring their employee’s healthcare status. This lack of data and resources can be improved with TextBadge.

TextBadge, created by JobSiteCare, is a monitoring, messaging, and compliance tool that works with all mobile phone devices allowing organizations to keep their employees safe during COVID-19. TextBadge is especially beneficial for construction and manufacturing companies, due to employees working closely together in a common location.

Here’s how it works:

Integrated with a physician-led medical team that can advise on COVID-19 management and overall employee health, TextBadge provides interactive reporting and allows for management at the individual, team, worksite and enterprise-level.

All health case information is archived in an electronic HIPAA-compliant medical record. Giving you the tools to lead with confidence while ensuring your employees are safe at work.

JobSiteCare is a physician-led practice centered around caring for injured workers. We provide immediate telemedical triage, diagnosis, and guided treatment right on the job site. Our physicians and staff manage the injured workers’ case from start to finish. We enable maximum medical improvement to be reached as quickly as possible while ensuring optimal Local/Federal OSHA compliance.In close collaboration with company management, JobSiteCare functions as an outsourced, full-service medical department for end-to-end medical care and total logistical support for ill and injured workers. At JobSiteCare we are on a mission to create safe workplaces and deliver great healthcare on the job.

World of Asphalt, the leading asphalt trade show and conference coming to Nashville, Tenn. from March 29-31, 2022, has selected twenty asphalt companies to receive $500 toward attending the show in honor of its 20th anniversary.

The selected companies can be found from Miami to Santa Cruz, from the Big Easy to the Twin Cities, and range from 2 to 4,200 employees.

“We wanted to give something back to the attending companies that make World of Asphalt possible as we celebrate our twentieth year this year,” said Show Manager Brittany Weltcheff. “We originally planned to help them attend the 2021 show, but the pandemic prevented us from gathering like we planned. We can’t wait to see these asphalt paving professionals in Nashville next year.”

To see a list of the companies selected for this award, visit www.WorldOfAsphalt.com/Honor20. While you’re there, register for the World of Asphalt People, Plants and Paving On-Demand education sessions, and check out World of Asphalt as it makes its way to Nashville in 2022 at the Music City Center.

About World of Asphalt

Held every year except during CONEXPO-CON/AGG years, World of Asphalt is the leading trade show and conference focused on the asphalt and paving industries. The show features the best education, and latest equipment, products, services and technologies for the asphalt and paving industries. The next World of Asphalt, co-located with the AGG1 Academy & Expo, will be held March 9-11, 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. For more information on World of Asphalt, visit https://www.WorldOfAsphalt.com.

About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)

AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.