Great Day on the Course and for HeatShare
This years’ MMCA golf tournament had great weather and a lot of low scores from 189 golfers. At the same time members, guests, and vendors contributed $6,470 to the Salvation Army’s HeatShare Program by purchasing tee signs and through donations.
No one won the Ranier SUV from Whitaker who again sponsored the Hole-in-One competition but there were many winners and here they are.
First Place: Larry Jordan, Pete Jordan, Ben Brunn and Ron Pearson
Second Place: Brent Krause, Paul Rascher, Quint Rubald, and Bill Sievers
Third Place: Jim Casealenda, Brian Pearson, Troy Pearson, and Craig Pearson
Longest Drives: Craig Pearson and Brian Weimer
Closest to Pin: John Richards, Stan Theis, and Greg Goodlund
Longest Put: Bruce Hodgin, John Fisher, and Mark Cotronso

19th Annual HEAT’s ON – September 18th
MMCA, St. Paul Pipefitters Local #455, and Minneapolis Pipefitters Local #539 will again hold the very successful HEAT’s ON Project at 7 A.M. Saturday, September 18th, 2004. HEAT’s ON promotes our industry extremely well and because of that we hope you’ll allow employees to use your company vehicles and encourage your employees to volunteer. We hope you’ll help by including a HEAT’s ON Payroll stuffer in their next paycheck which we’ve included in this newsletter. Thank you for your cooperation.

MMCA Membership Meeting with Pipe Trades
There will be an MMCA Contractor Membership Meeting with Pipe Trades Union Business Managers on October 19, 2004 from 11:30 A.M. to 1 P.M. at the Four Points Sheraton-St. Paul (I-94 & Hamline Ave.) The business managers form the Minneapolis and St. Paul Plumbers and the St. Paul and Minneapolis Pipe Fitters will make a short presentation on the activities of the Unions and Contactors. They will also answer contractor questions and lunch will be served.

Late Labor Day Holiday is September 6th
This year the upcoming Labor Day Holiday will fall on Monday, September 6th, 2004 as recognized by the Federal Government Holiday Guidelines. Any work performed on this day will be paid at double-time rates. The St. Paul and Minneapolis plumber agreements require “No work shall be performed on Labor Day except in case of emergency as herein before defined. Labor Day shall be a paid holiday. The employee shall be paid at the regular rate of pay. If the employee is laid off within ten (10) working days prior to the day observed as a holiday, the employer will pay said holiday pay to the former employee if still unemployed.”

New Mechanical Code
MMCA and the UA unions in Minnesota have been supporting the adoption of the latest edition of the Uniform Mechanical Code by the state. The state has been pushing for adoption of the International Mechanical Code (IMC) and the International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC). After a 6 year battle, it appears that the State will be implementing the IMC and IFGC, both with Minnesota amendments. The new codes are scheduled to take effect on September 20, 2004. More information is available from the Building Code Division’s web site: http://www.buildingcodes.admin.state.mn.us/rules/rules.html. Contact Gary Thaden if you have questions at (651) 646-2121.

MCAA Toolbox Talks Volume III Available
The most recent set of “Toolbox Talks” has now been distributed by MCAA and provides 52 weeks of short-duration safety training talks. The easy-to-use format offers jobsite supervisors a tool for conducting training on topics including: why we emphasize safety, hazard communication, respiratory protection, general safety, hearing conservation, welding hazards, vehicles, first aid/health issues, materials handling, tools and gear, and hazard warnings. Copies are available for $35 for MCAA/MSCA members and $70 for non-members. To order, call Antoinette Shupp at 301.990.2200 or visit www.mcaa.org/store. The Association office has a copy in the library for members’ use - call Paul Berg at (651) 646-2121.

Traveling Can be Hard for Alcoholic Employees
Temptations for business travelers in alcohol recovery programs are everywhere. They are offered drinks on the plane, they attend conferences where liquor is flowing and they are invited to meet colleagues in bars before going out to dinner in restaurants with ample wine cellars.
Travel itself is anxiety-producing with unfamiliar surroundings and hectic schedules, which can lead recovering alcoholics into tempting situations. Alcoholic treatment centers, organizations, and healthcare professionals recommend the following options to help avoid those situations:
 Log onto www.CyberSober.com and www.anonymousone.com to find listings of 12-step support meetings worldwide (Alcoholics Anonymous Worldwide Services prefer to direct people to local chapters for meeting information).
 Print a map to the nearest meeting (offered on some websites)
 Call ahead and ask the hotel to remove all alcoholic from the room's mini-bar
 Excessive free time can contribute to boredom and anxiety so locate museums, libraries, movies, or maybe tickets to a play
 Keep candy handy for fending off the urge to drink
 Make a "gratitude list'' that can be read and reread on how much better life has become since they stopped drinking
 Take self-help literature on their trips, like the AA’s primer "Living Sober"
 Take a phone numbers of friends and sponsors and constantly keep in contact
 Take your laptop along so that you can surf the net
If the secret to success in retailing is location, location, location, then for many former problem drinkers, the key to staying sober while out of town is meetings, meetings, meetings. This article can be copied for use in your company’s newsletter or post in your office.

Minnesota Job Vacancies Rise
During the second quarter this year, the number of job openings in Minnesota rose to 65,300, an increase of 28 percent compared to last year at this time. This is the first statewide increase since 2000, when the survey was launched by the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The number means that there are 5.1 vacancies for every 10 unemployed persons in the state. The construction industry as a whole had 1,628 vacancies or 3%. Many detailed reports on all jobs can be found at www.deed.state.mn.us under Labor Market Information and then go to Data tools.

Corps of Engineers Report Negative On Reverse Auct
Issuing its final report on its pilot test of Internet reverse auctions for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) construction projects, a Corps official says "reverse auctions are a game strategy," where the low bid is not necessarily the lowest bid. Other comments: "Reverse auctions are not well suited as a standard operating acquisition tool." . . . "There is NO valid method to determine any 'savings' via reverse auctions for construction services." . . . "All such measurement methods are 'theories' with serious flaws and NO consistent results."
Instead, the USACE contracting official recommends established competitive acquisition procedures of competitive negotiations and/or bidding under established regulations. The Corps report is based on a pilot program set in the FY2002 Defense Appropriation measure mandating five test pilot projects using reverse auctions.

Hovnanian Comes to Town
The New Jersey based home-builder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. announced it is expanding into the Twin Cities area. Thomas Standke who previously served as division president of Pulte Homes will lead its local operations. Hovnanian is one of the largest homebuilders in the country and also builds active-adult communities for people over 55 years of age.
Company spokesman Doug Fenichel said the company is looking all over the Twin Cities area, including the suburbs and the two downtowns, for sites to build a wide variety of homes, including townhomes and infill buildings. Hovnanian is actively negotiating to finalize a number of projects within months according to company representatives.

Wanted...Mechanical Industry Speakers and Job Site
The school year is fast approaching and our Student Chapters are scheduling their industry speakers and tours for the 2004-2005 school year. MMCA has been asked by the University of Wisconsin, Stout, the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State, Moorhead to provide speakers on the mechanical trades and the potential careers associated with our industry. Also needed are contractors who are willing to host students on job-site tours anywhere in the greater Mpls/St. Paul area. If you are an alumni of one of these fine institutions and want to give back or if you want to educate our future workforce on the benefits of working in the mechanical industry, please call Vicki Sandberg at the MMCA office.

Safety Directors' Roundtable
If you are a safety professional with an MCAA member company or a local affiliate, plan on attending MCAA's Safety Directors Roundtable on September 23, 2004 in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the meeting is to establish a network of mechanical industry safety professionals to address critical industry safety and health issues and topics. The agenda will address: Fall Hazards; Struck By Hazards; Manual Handling of Materials Hazards; Eye Hazards; Fleet Safety Hazards; Ergonomics (ANSI) (ACCSH) (OSHA); Multi-Employer Worksites; Hearing Protection; and protecting workers from exposure to manganese; silica; and hexavalent chromium. For more information and a registration form, please call Mary Beth Luther or Pete Chaney at 800-556-3653.

Word Files Never Forget
When you send a file to someone you may not have known it but you’re sending them the history of that file. Embedded electronic codes called metadata can reveal many things about a computer document. So if you send a contract in Microsoft Word to a computer-savvy client, they could see changes that have been made to a document including text that has been deleted, the last 10 authors and how long they worked on it, names of people who have received copies of the document, and information on the origin of the document.
If you are concerned that clients may be sniffing through your work you do have options. To strip the metadata from files, Microsoft Word users can strip much of the information by saving it in the Rich Text Format, or by sending it as a PDF file. Microsoft also offers a plug-in tool that will strip metadata from a document, which users can download free from the company’s Web site.

Commercial and Residential Construction Prices Ris
Michael O'Connor, president of Pacific Steel in San Leandro, a wholesale distributor of steel, says he just received notice from his rebar and steel-wire suppliers of a $40 a ton price increase effective Aug. 1. That's another 5 percent uptick, he says, pushing the increase in the last 12 months to more than 50 percent.
"Prices appeared about 30 days ago that (looked as if) they might be stabilizing, and I was sensing that overseas, prices were going down. This last increase from the steel mills caught me by surprise," he says.
"The cost of lumber, excluding OSB (oriented strand board), is about 35 percent higher, drywall is up 40 percent, insulation is up about 20 percent, and steel is up about 20 percent," said Ken Stricker, division president of The Jones Co. "We try to pass on as much as we can, but it's tough."

PLAN REVIEW COMMENTARY
2003 Minnesota State Building Code Requirements for Plumbing Fixtures - IBC Chapter 29. Based on the inquiries we receive, plumbing fixture provisions from IBC Chapter 29 seem to be generating a lot of confusion; specifically in regards to the number and type of required plumbing fixtures in a “unisex” restroom. The intent of this commentary is to provide some direction and clarification on this and other provisions of IBC Chapter 29. Design provisions for using a unisex restroom. Generally, we start with the requirement that all buildings or tenant spaces require separate sex facilities. That simply means we always start with two separate toilet rooms - a “men’s” and a “women’s” restroom - each having the minimum quantity of fixtures calculated from Table 2902.1. In this example however, we’ll assume we have a minimal occupant load that allows us the potential to install a single “unisex” restroom. Initially, we need to be open to the idea of looking at the scenario from both the design and plan review standpoints. From there we try to determine the perspective used to confirm the unisex code requirement. We begin with making a determination on the occupancy or use of the condition being analyzed. Is the building/space classified as a Group A-3 restaurant? Is it a Group B insurance office? Or is it a Group M retail coffee shop? Once we determine the actual “use” condition, we compute the occupant load from IBC Table 1003.2.2.2 and then move back to IBC Chapter 29. Note that these two conditions are essential in making final considerations on the unisex restroom. Once we have determined the occupancy use and the total occupant load of the space under consideration, we look to determine if an exception of section 2902.2 applies. Under IBC Section 2902.2, with a Minnesota amendment, there are four conditions or exceptions that allow us to consider a unisex restroom. Exception 1 can be ruled out right away because it only applies to a private restroom installed for an individual user. An example of that condition might be a restroom within and serving an individual hotel room or dwelling unit. In this example, the restrooms are considered “private” and exception 1 could be applied. Under exception 1, the single unisex restroom requires just one water closet and one lav within the room. Exception 2 is qualified not only by the number of persons computed in the occupant load, but by “whom” the restroom use is intended for. This exception can only be applied when we have 15 or fewer persons computed in our occupant load and those persons under consideration are employees only. An example of this condition might be a small factory or warehouse where the space is occupied by building employees only. If we are specifically dealing with 15 or fewer employees, a unisex restroom can be installed. Under this exception, the single unisex restroom requires just one water closet and one lav within the room. Exception 3 is similar to exception 2, but under this scenario the persons being considered can be both employees and patrons/customers. The maximum occupant load is still limited to 15 persons, but it is both patrons and employees that we are talking about. An example of this situation might be a small dental clinic or insurance agency office where we have both employees and customers occupying the space. Under exception 3, the single unisex restroom requires just one water closet and one lav within the room. Exception 4, a Minnesota Amendment to the 2000 IBC, is specific to Group B and Group M occupancies only. It may not be used or applied to any other occupancy group classification. It further requires that those Group B and M occupancies be limited to 2000 Gross Square Feet in area. If the spaces under consideration are larger than 2000 GSF, this exception cannot be used. Note that the provision does not reference a maximum occupant load. That was intentional. If the space meets all the prerequisites to use exception 4 – and the designer/owner chooses to use exception 4 - the individual unisex restroom can be installed. This is a big change from exceptions one, two, and three. Exception 4, and only exception 4, requires one water closet, one lav and one urinal all in the same unisex restroom. There are no options to the required fixtures under this provision; three primary fixtures are required in the same unisex restroom. Many people have contacted the Division regarding exception 4. What we are finding is that most seem to believe that each of the three fixtures required by exception 4 are also required under exceptions one, two and three. That is not the case; nor is it the intent. The history of this issue stems back to the Building Codes and Standards Division IBC Advisory Committee and the many concerns the Division had received regarding the larger floor area separate sex restrooms require in smaller tenant spaces. Exception 4 was specifically added to allow for a reduced floor area dedicated to restroom facilities to essentially “cut the owner a break” on the added construction cost. It was also included to address complaints regarding sanitation and use of the restroom by both sexes. The three fixtures were formulated as a compromise to meet all of the concerns in these small spaces. Calculating occupant loads for plumbing fixture determination. IBC Table 1003.2.2.2 should be used to determine the number of occupants within a building. Restroom facility ratio’s in places of public accommodation (MSBC 1303.1200): When considering assembly uses, IBC Table 2902.1 makes our work somewhat easy. It has separated all assembly type uses in the table under the heading of “assembly.” For all uses in the assembly category, the ratio of 3:2 (female to male) as required by Minnesota Code, is already factored in. To make the determination, we first compute the total occupant load and then divide the total occupant load by two – applying 50 percent of the load for men and 50 percent for women. We then work in the required plumbing fixture ratio from the actual assembly use category under consideration. The end result will give us the minimum number of plumbing fixtures and we will have the required 3:2 ratio automatically figured in. For the non-assembly use conditions listed in Table 2902.1, the fixture computation is slightly different. The occupant load for the space is computed and the ratio is worked in as usual, but once you’ve determined the total number of plumbing fixtures, you divide the resulting number of required plumbing fixtures by two. You should generally assume a 50/50-fixture count (male and female), but if circumstances dictate that a different ratio is needed, an adjustment can be made if approved by the Building Official. An example of where this scenario might apply could be an all-male or allfemale gym or college situation. In a case such as this, when you know there is a higher ratio of one sex to another, an adjustment could be considered. Computing the number of urinals for men’s restrooms. IBC Table 2902.1 states that one should reference the International Plumbing Code (IPC) for determining the number of urinals in men’s restroom facilities. Under the global adoption provisions of the Minnesota State Building Code, we state that wherever there is a reference to the IPC, that means the Minnesota State Plumbing Code. The current state plumbing code however, does not include provisions for making this determination. Consequently we cannot “track” applicable code language for determining urinal substitutions. As a result, the Division has taken the position that one should use the IPC code language until it can be corrected under the next code cycle. The reference language in the IPC states that “urinals shall not be substituted for more than 67 percent of the required water closets.” Drinking fountain requirements. In other than the “residential” type use conditions found in IBC Table 2902.1, you’ll find that at least one drinking fountain is required in every use condition. IBC Table 2902.1 also states (under the table heading for drinking fountains) that one should refer to the International Plumbing Code (IPC) for additional information on drinking fountains. Again, under the global adoption provisions of the Minnesota State Building Code, we state that wherever a reference to the IPC is found, that means refer to the Minnesota State Plumbing Code. Again we find that the current state plumbing code does not include design provisions for drinking fountains; so once more we cannot “track” applicable code language for dealing with design alternatives. If we look at the IPC however, we find that it allows us to rescind the general requirement for drinking fountains in restaurants. Additionally, we find language that implies that a bottled water cooler is an acceptable substitution seemingly to any use condition. The Division recognizes that there was a specific intent to allow for deviation in some instances from the drinking fountain design requirements found in IBC Table 2902.1. Because of this, the Division is recommending that code officials use this reference as an acceptable alternative in use conditions where the installation of a drinking fountain just doesn’t seem to make good sense. Examples of this condition may be a restaurant or small store type use where water is freely available, a small office, factory or storage use where an employee break room exists and a water cooler is provided, or in the instance where a building is to be normally unoccupied. Another example where this may be acceptable is where required drinking fountains or water coolers have been provided in another adjacent building on the same site, similar to the provisions of IBC section 2902.4. If conditions seem to be appropriate, we believe this to be an acceptable alternative. This tracking condition is just another of the issues the Division intends to correct in the next code cycle. In conclusion, the Division would also like point out that the Minnesota Accessibility Code (MN Rule 1341) contains provisions that further regulate design, installation and use conditions of most restrooms and plumbing fixture conditions referenced in this article. Factors such as minimum clear floor space at plumbing fixtures, fixture control locations, operation and reach ranges, grab bar provisions, etc., must all be included in both the design and the review of a required accessible restroom and drinking fountain/water cooler. October 1, 2003 Paul Heimkes Building Code Representative/Plan Review Section Minnesota Building Codes and Standards Division PR035