A busy year for the NLBMDA
In 2017, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association celebrated its 100th anniversary. In addition to the centennial milestone, it was an active year on the legislative and regulatory front.
To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the NLBMDA launched a new program to support its advocacy efforts and the Lumber Dealers Political Action Committee. When members made a contribution of $50 or more to LuDPAC, the NLBMDA sent a limited edition 100th anniversary commemorative pin, as well as a commemorative car decal.
The association launched the Workplace Safety & Risk Management Update newsletter in 2016 to feature regulatory issues affecting the LBM sector. In 2017, it launched a true-false format that can be used for compliance education and training, including material on forklifts, ladders, portable fire extinguishers and working in hot weather conditions.
An OSHA Compliance Toolkit was also rolled out this past year. The NLBMDA said it will continue to build out content for the toolkit, which includes on working in hot weather, duty to report certain injuries and compliance material related to forklifts. The toolkit contains material on portable fire extinguishers, walking-working surfaces, general electrical, methods for temporary wiring, forklifts and injury and illness reporting. NLBMDA also updated the data on the top 10 violations of applicable OSHA standards cited for during OSHA inspections in the LBM sector.
A Transportation and Fleet Safety Toolkit was initiated this past year as well. The toolkit focuses on the specific Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations that are used in the Compliance, Safety, Accountability points system to measure performance of each motor carrier. These include the basic elements of unsafe driving, driver fitness, hours of service and vehicle maintenance. The toolkit’s elements are developed for fleet safety personnel and drivers to improve performance in the CSA points system and increase safety.
The NLBMDA launched a regulatory report for its state and regional associations called Regulatory & Compliance Notes, which summarizes the top issues for members to be aware of.
It also worked with groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, to repeal an OSHA rule that extended the statute of limitations from six months to five years as to when the agency can issue a citation for failing to record an injury or illness. NLBMDA also worked with NAM in opposing a proposed rule requiring active injury mitigation technology in table saws.
The 2017 NLBMDA ProDealer Industry Summit was another success with more than 40 first-time attendees and more than a dozen new exhibitors. Industry leaders from across the country came together to discuss and learn about the trends that will shape the lumber and building materials industry over the coming year at the ProDealer Industry Summit, held from Oct. 17 to 19, 2017, at the Wigwam Resort in Phoenix, Ariz. Attendees had the chance to hear from a wide variety of informative speakers and the opportunity to interact with and learn from their fellow members.
This past March, the NLBMDA held its annual Spring Meeting & Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Members from across the nation came to lobby and educate members of Congress on key legislative priorities, such as regulatory reform, estate tax repeal, preservation of the mortgage interest deduction and resolving the softwood lumber dispute between the United States and Canada.