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VOL. 34 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2016
After Matthew, Insurance Claims Pour In and Some Policyholders Realize Hard Truth
First Auto Body Association Trade Show in Texas
Homeowner and auto insurers are dealing with thousands of claims in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. And some policyholders are discovering—or
The first Auto Body Association Trade Show (ABAT) was held Sept. 16-17 at the Doubletree Hotel in Richardson,
by Robert McCabe, The Virginian Pilot
rediscovering—a hard truth: standard homeowners’ policies typically do not cover flood damage; that is, damage from rising water. While comprehensive auto insurance can cover flood damage, that’s not the case for homeowner’s coverage. Protection from flood damage to homes must be obtained separately through the National Flood Insurance Program, which is typically purchased through one’s existing homeowner’s insurer. State Farm, the largest inSee After Matthew, Page 52
OSHA Launches New Whistleblower Pilot Program
for a whistleblower’s case to move to the administrative law judge on an expedited basis, the following criteria must be met:
● The claim is filed under a statute that allows for the administrative law judge to newly review, or review de See OSHA Whistleblower, Page 24
P.O. BOX 1516, CARLSBAD, CA 92018
Meeting Criteria to Expedite In announcing the program, OSHA acknowledged that the investigation
process can be lengthy and therefore wants to facilitate complaints receiving a quicker determination, if possible, by electing to expedite. In order
Change Service Requested
OSHA has launched a new pilot program, titled “Expedited Case Processing Pilot,” in its Western region, which covers California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. The new program allows a whistleblower who has filed a complaint to ask OSHA to stop its investigation and issue findings in an expedited fashion that can be reviewed by a Department of Labor (DOL) administrative law judge. Here is OSHA’s press release describing the program.
by John Kopriva, Kopriva Body Works, with Janet Chaney, Cave Creek Business Development
‘Wow’ and ‘over the top’ are the first things that come to mind to describe the two day event. “We are excited to welcome the Houston Auto Body Association as a strategic business partner in the Texas market,” said Burl Richards, president
The Auto Body Association of Texas shows their appreciation to Mike Anderson (black shirt) by giving him a pair of real Texas boots with the ABAT logo on them
Texas. This was the first major collision industry show in Texas since NACE in 2002. It’s now in the books and what a success!
of ABAT and owner of Burl’s Collision in Henderson, Texas. “HABA is a welcome addition to this great Texas
Alcoa has announced a breakthrough in resistance spot riveting called the RSR™ joining system, a high-performance joining solution for multi-material vehicles. RSR technology can join dissimilar materials using the same equipment as conventional spot welds but offers automakers the flexibility to switch between it and conventional welds, depending on the material. This RSR resistance spot riveting technology solves long-time automotive challenge of joining dissimilar materials, according to the company. ● The RSR joining system allows for the flexible joining of various combinations of automotive material and results in joints that are 10-20% stronger than joints utilizing competing technologies ● Automakers can utilize Alcoa’s RSR technology with existing spot welding
equipment and robotic automation, saving capital expense, minimizing production interruption and providing greater flexibility in deploying a variety of materials in their vehicles ● Alcoa engineers are working with Honda R & D Americas, Inc, in DOE project to demonstrate the use of RSR joining on a prototype scale “Our RSR technology is going to be a powerful tool in the array of joining options for the automotive industry,” said Ray Kilmer, Alcoa’s Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President. “As automakers continue to design vehicles using multimaterial combinations, RSR technology is the ideal joining solution. It can easily accommodate stack up changes on the assembly line and it leverages existing welding robots outfitted with our automatic feeding systems.”
See ABAT Show, Page 16
Alcoa Unveils Breakthrough RSR™ Joining System For Next Generation Lightweight Vehicles
See RSR Technology, Page 10
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