PHCC of
Fall 2013
The Official Publication of the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors of Washington State Association
Faces and Voices From the Past and Present Increasing Profit Through Standardization Stop Saying “I Can’t Afford...”
N E H W Y D REA S U D E E N U YO
24 | 7
3-HOUR * COMMERCIAL WATER HEATER DELIVERY With Ferguson’s 24/7 Express Response commercial water heater program, you’ll have the unit you need, where you need it in three hours. *
• 24/7 emergency response • 3-hour * delivery time ( * 3-4 hours for outlying areas) • Full-time delivery crew and truck • Haul away the old unit • Huge selection in stock (gas & electric)
FERGUSON.COM
Western Washington including Seattle: (206) 786-4239 Eastern Washington Spokane: (208) 661-2825 Pasco: (509) 727-2478 © 2012 Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
3
PHCCWASHINGTON FALL 2013
12
8
15
14 9
6
PHCCWA President’s Message - Gerald Church
8
What is Happening in the PHCC National Association? - Gerry Kennedy
9
Faces and Voices from the Past and Present
11 PHCCWA Annual Holiday Party Auction Procurement Form 12 Stop Saying, “I Can’t Afford...”
PHCC of Washington
14 Increasing Profit Through Standardization
PHCC of Washington News is published twice per year for the Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Contractors of Washington Association Greta Flinn, Executive Manager PO Box 64580 University Place, WA 98464-0580 Toll Free: (888) 891-9240 Fax: (866) 272-2545 http://www.phccwa.org
15 Internet Marketing and SEO Techniques 16 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard Final Rule 19 PHCCWA Member News New Members 2013 Owner’s Event 2013 Golf Tournament
For information on advertising in this magazine, please contact the publisher: Jim Aitkins • Blue Water Publishers, LLC • (360) 805-6474 jima@bluewaterpublishers.com www.bluewaterpublishers.com
20 PHCCWA Membership Survey 22 PHCCWA Contractor Membership Application 22 Top Reasons to Join PHCC
A Special Thank You to Our Advertisers Bradford White
23
Liberty Pumps
Consolidated Supply Company
24
Saniflo 6
Delany Products FastEst, Inc.
4
3 13
Star Rentals
7, 21
17
SureSeal Manufacturing
5
Ferguson 2
T & S Brass
15
Hollabaugh Bros and Associates
14
Turbonics 13
Keller Supply
17 www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
5
PHCCWASHINGTON President’s Message
W
ow! It’s October already. It’s been a good year for PHCC of Washington. We have gained some new members which encourages me because that means there are still contractors out there who care about the future of this great industry. In August we had a glimpse into the past when some of the contractors who founded this chapter for Washington State came to share their vision and inspiration for the future of our industry. It was an exciting and inspiring evening for me. A BIG THANK YOU to our founders for a great evening! Now as we look to the future (as they did then) I believe the future lies with the plumbing contractors. We need to make our businesses strong enough to withstand the storms and prosperous enough to be able to make an investment in the future of our families,
businesses, our industry and in the Greatest Nation on God’s green earth. With this in mind I Gerald Church am looking forward with anticipation to this year’s PHCC National Convention where I am sure to come away with some new tools to work on my business and make it stronger in the market place. I look forward to seeing some old friends there and making some new friends. I would like to say thank you to all of the board members who give freely of their time to keep us moving in the right direction and to our Executive Director, Greta Flinn, for taking on the day to day challenges. Go Forth and Prosper!
Install a complete bathroom anywhere you need! Two service panels for easy accessibility to main components
3/4" discharge pipe for ease of installation Pumping distance of up to 15' vertically and/or 150' horizontally
Microswitch and capacitor
Blade
Three inlets to accommodate a toilet, sink and tub/shower
2-YEAR WARRANTY
Rubber membrane
Plumbing can be hidden behind the wall using Saniflo’s extension pipe
1-800-571-8191 The only above-the-floor macerator with dual accessibility! www.saniflo.com 6
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
Beauty meets
Beast
U.S. Patent #8,235,316 and Patents Pending
The new macerating toilet with RazorCutTM technology. Making impossible bathrooms possible.
800.543.2550 libertypumps.com Copyright © Liberty Pumps, Inc. 2013 All rights reserved.
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
1.28 GPF
What Is Happening In The Phcc National Association ∙
Enhanced Member Benefit. PHCC members will soon begin receiving enhanced benefits from long-time Preferred Service Provider Market Hardware. These benefits include free monthly social media posts and prewritten content that can be used on Facebook and Twitter accounts, a free website and SEO evaluation based on 2014 design standards and special member-only discounts on Websites, SEO, Social Media and Mobile Websites. Watch your inbox for special member benefit alerts, or contact Doug Schatz, market Hardware’s PHCC Team Leader, at 888-262-8761 or doub@markethardware.com for more information.
∙
Health Care Exchanges are Available But the Devil May be in the Details. Last month, the new health care “Exchanges” went live. In essence, the exchanges provide information and access to insurance plan research, price comparisons, and insurance plan applications-as a result of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (ACA). But there is reason to be cautious. Whether you support or oppose the ACA, there are warnings about the security risk the exchanges may pose in terms of data collection and storage. Also, the subsidy calculators may not be completely accurate at this time. An article in the October 2, 2013 edition of The Wall Street Journal emphasized these issues. Remember that insurance offered through the exchanges will go into effect January 1, 2014. There is plenty of time for members to carefully research health insurance options while allowing issues involved with the exchanges to be worked-out.
∙
8
Senator Inhofe Files PHCC-Supported Lead Paint Amendment. U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) has filed a PHCC-supported amendment to S.1392, the “Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of
By Gerry Kennedy PHCC National Association Executive Vice President
2013,” regarding the expansion of the lead paint rule to commercial and public buildings. In essence, the amendment would require the Environmental Protection Agency to consult with public and private sector building owners to determine if lead-based paint hazards exist in commercial buildings, conduct a study, and report to Congress on its findings before proposing any new regulations. PHCC has also signed onto an industry letter to Members of the Senate encouraging their support for the Inhofe amendment. This is significant as PHCC National has maintained that policy/regulations must be developed based on a foundation of sound science and data. This was a critical component of PHCC’s 2013 Legislative Conference and PHCC Members should be proud of their contributions! ∙
The Push for Further Energy Efficient Tax Deductions. PHCC recently signed onto a draft letter to be sent to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, regarding the tax deductions of Section 179D of the IRS Tax Code, which is set to expire at the end of this year. The letter will be sent to Capitol Hill next week when Congress goes back into session. Section 179D is a tax deduction allowing for cost recovery for energy efficient windows, roofs, lighting, heating and cooling systems that meet “certain energy savings performance targets.” PHCC has been meeting with other interested organizations and associations, and will continue to provide members with information as Congress begins to review tax deduction extensions such as 179D. Corporate Partners: Bradford White, Federated Insurance, InSinkErator, Kohler Co. and Viega
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
By Larry Fischer Former Zone 3 Director to PHCC
Faces and Voices
From the Past and Present
PHCC National Association – the oldest trade association in the nation – has been in place for 131 years. While the PHCC WA has now been in place for the contractors and associates for a mere 31 years, it has already developed a long list of achievements in its short history. Many of our members did not know of the circumstances that caused the state association to come into being. So on August 27, 2013 we celebrated the formation of our association with “Faces and Voices of the past” event to honor them. THE EVENT An event of a large supplier selling plumbing products directly to their customers through highly advertised outlets caused six contractors to contact each other to discuss this issue. They considered this a breach of the product supply chain of manufacturers, rep agency, wholesaler to contractor process which had been in place and working well for generations. The six contractors were: Dave Brown, Fox Plumbing; Spencer Bell, Best Plumbing; Chuck Sternod, Broadmoor Plumbing; Terry O’Neil, O’Neil Plumbing; Lou Soreano, Soreano Hatfield Plumbing; George Strobe, George’s Plumbing These contractors had invested heavily in customer showrooms with plumbing fixtures, faucets and parts sales; a significant feature of their daily operations. Only one wholesaler had set-up a products showroom prior to the “big box” stores arriving in the area. The six contractors met and decided this was a situation which if left unchecked would be detrimental to their business model. They in turn called others to meet and see if other area contractors saw this in the same way. A meeting date was set at a Sea-Tac hotel conference room www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
which thirty five to forty contractors attended. The consensus of the meeting was that the overlying problem of the wholesaler selling directly to the customers, other issues were at hand and would best be worked with a concerted unified front. Dave Brown led the meeting and was designated the president of the new group named the Concerned Plumbing Contractors Association, which then formed with the six contractors in leadership roles. Issues of concern also came from the Utility Companies with direct competition of products and services being rendered by them at a far reduced rate subsidized by the entire customer base. Water Department employees identifying main water service line leaks and then returning after hours to correct the problem was addressed. Plumbing code and enforcement problems were an initial concern. Work began on the issues at hand with hiring of an independent association executive and a dues structure was put into place. THE CREATION OF PHCC WA Eventually the PHCC zone director Stu Minor from Oregon learned of our association which prompted him, along with Oregon State association contractor Bill Harvey (who later became PHCC National President), to visit our group and speak to the benefits of involvement with the other states in a national organization. The National Association followed up with a visit sending Executive Officer Mahoney and the Zone 3 Director to Seattle for a meeting at which the vote of those assembled at O’Brien’s Turkey House was to disband our local association and charter Washington State with PHCC National Association. The PHCC state association was formulated with five of the six originating members on the Board of Directors (B.O.D.) and Dave Brown elected as the first president. 9
MAKING A DIFFERENCE The new B.O.D. continued working the issues, meeting with people in the industry, related industries, met with city, county and state officials as the association gathered momentum and status. Quickly in the following years liaison with International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) was established along with apprenticeship training curriculum at the Construction Industry Training Council (CITC). Contractor members stepped forward in a big way to insure success of CITC led by the Executive Committee and B.O.D. members all contributing time, lab setup, materials and money for the start-up. Expensive legal costs, many dollars and much time was needed for testifying at legislative sessions to combat the forces opposing accreditation of the new school which eventually was overcome. Thanks to all involved, CITC prevailed. For several years a PHCC contractor’s only Yellow Page advertising page was set-up with many contractors buying in to show themselves to directory users as stand-outs in the PHCC field. Chuck Sternod as the third State president along with Bruce Davis (then president) envisioned chapters functioning throughout the state and, while Chuck was serving as PHCC WA Executive Director, set-up chapters with functioning B.O.D.s in four additional state locations. Throughout the years and into the present, Board of Directors and members have been instrumental and served as instructors in apprenticeship training curriculum on different levels of the PHC educational process. Continuing education for plumbers, apprentices and helpers was brought about with a herculean effort led by B.O.D. member Charly Mitchel, PHCC members and other industry groups all focused on the premise that a better educated contractor and worker is better for the consumer being served. MEMBERS GIVE BACK Over the years of PHCC existence many committees, task force positions and appointments have been in our history, all helping to benefit the contractor experience for the better. Many members have testified at legislative committees in Olympia, WA while others have been involved in sponsoring legislation for the betterment of the industry. Past president, Art Favinger, served as chairman of the Governors Plumber Advisory Board (now Plumber Advisory Board), two other members have been seated and served with one now serving on the board. Members have served with many industry-related groups some of which are Master Builders Association Committees, American Standard Contractor Advisory Council, Delta Contractor Advisory Council, In-Sink-Erator Pro Circle 10
Committee, Federated Insurance Advisory Council and Risk Management Committee. Also, several members have served in positions on the Northwest Chapter of IAPMO. PHCC members have been quoted in newspaper articles, radio and television interviews, featured in trade magazines (even the cover of Contractor Magazine) invited and spoken to industry and community groups. Members have “given back” in a big way providing products and services for Boys and Girls clubs, women’s protective shelters, Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, faith-based charities and others. Just recently, partnering with the fledgling organization “Plumbers without Borders” many plumbing projects of vacated homes during the financial/economic melt-down were reworked for family’s habitation. PHCC WA has sent members Larry Fischer and Jim Stack to serve multiple terms on the PHCC National B.O.D. from Zone 3. Jim Stack went on to serve with distinction on the National B.O.D., as president in 2005 to 2006 and continues with his service on several National PHCC committees. National PHCC Women’s Auxiliary also had a presence with the arrival of Sandy Stack to our state and has served as national president in two separate terms. Auxiliary by laws have changed to allow men to be members and the word women dropped from the title. PRESENT DAY As we look back to the founding of the association, the legacy of the six has brought very good value and prestige to the PHCC members through the decades. The work they did has influenced the general welfare of all of the contractors in the areas served by the association with menu pricing, understanding overhead and profit margins, a myriad of educational processes, fostered cooperative efforts among members sharing knowledge, best practices, tools and equipment, and even loan of employees, etc. It has enhanced the proficiency for the member and nonmember alike in a huge way giving the contractor’s customer a better experience when availing themselves of plumbing, heating and cooling services. Geographical areas served by an enthusiastic and responsive association provides a more profitable arena in which to conduct business, provide for employee compensation, benefits and congenial work atmosphere when compared to areas not involved with a contractors association. Strong leadership and dedication to the industry inculcate from the faces and voices from the past has continuously kept PHCCWA on track as the face and voice of the plumbing, heating and cooling contractors in this state to present day!!
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
To all parties interested in the Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Industries: The PHCC of Washington State is holding our Annual Holiday Party and Auction on December 7th and we are seeking your help with auction items. The PHCCWA works extremely hard all year to ensure that we meet the needs of your business and our industry. With your help in this year’s auction we can continue to do so. Can’t think of what to donate, send us the money and we will pick something out on your behalf. If you have any questions please call Greta Flinn at 1-888-891-9240. We would like to have all items procured by November 27th. No donation is too large or too small! Company:______________________________________________Contact:__________________________ Phone:________________________________________Fax:______________________________________ Email:__________________________________________________________________________________ Item Title & Description: (include quantity, size, number of days/night, number of people, etc. The promotional material will be made using this information, so please be precise and list any limitations or restrictions)
Restrictions/Deadlines (if any)
Estimated Value $_________________ Donor Signature:__________________________________________ Item Title & Description: (include quantity, size, number of days/night, number of people, etc. The promotional material will be made using this information, so please be precise and list any limitations or restrictions)
Restrictions/Deadlines (if any)
Estimated Value $_________________ Donor Signature:__________________________________________ Please let us know how to obtain the items above: h Pickup by PHCCWA representative h Shipped or delivered to PHCCWA by November 27, 2013 h Certificate and promotional materials mailed to PHCCWA. h PHCCWA to make certificate (please, provide promotional materials)
Please fax this form to Greta Flinn, 866-272-2545. www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
11
Stop Saying
“I Can’t Afford…” By Michael Bohinc & John Zink Quality tools, a new truck, PHCC dues – they all cost money. But remember – YOU don’t pay for those things, your customers do! You simply need to charge the right price for your work! According to recent reports from Profit Cents analysis of financial statements of plumbing-heating-cooling contractors, the national industry average net profit was 3.27% for 2010. Why are these such low-profit figures in the industry? Easy answer: Contractors are not properly calculating the pricing for their services based on their actual costs. The equation for calculating a proper selling price includes the following: • Material cost (M) • Labor costs including payroll taxes and benefits (L) • Overhead costs including owner’s salary (O/H) • Profit (P) The equation looks like this: SP (Selling Price) = M + L + O/H + P Calculating Direct Labor Costs What costs besides wages go into employee costs? • Employment Taxes – Social Security, Medicare, FUTA, SUTA, Worker’s Comp, etc. • Employee Benefits – Paid time off, holidays, sick days, insurance, retirement, uniforms, etc. A careful analysis of each of the items above is needed to get a solid number for your direct labor costs. Calculating Overhead Costs For many contractors, it’s easier to give examples of overhead expenses than it is to define the term. Overhead expenses are those expenses incurred by the business whether or not a job sold. They are costs that can’t be assigned to any specific job. They don’t directly relate to the providing of a service 12
or the installation of materials. They are the costs to maintain the business even of you weren’t doing any work. They are sometimes also called operating expenses or indirect expenses. What Are Overhead Costs? You can’t directly charge a customer for repairs made to a service truck. If the transmission in the service truck breaks in Mrs. Brown’s driveway, you can’t charge Mrs. Brown for the cost of the truck repair because it broke down in her driveway. You have to spread that repair cost (as well as all of the other overhead costs) over all of your jobs (all of your customers). Each customer should pay for a portion of the repair via the overhead component of your break even cost per billable hour. Overhead expenses include things like the owners’ salaries, office rent/mortgage, utilities, advertising, office supplies, permits, equipment repairs, training, etc. Detailed breakouts can include dozens of line items. However you break them out, ALL your costs must be collected and counted in the three buckets – materials, direct labor and overhead. Identifying & Calculating “Billable Hours” A billable hour (BH) is an hour that someone works that is actually chargeable to the client. For example, you spend an hour at Mrs. Smith’s house replacing her garbage disposal. That hour is chargeable to Mrs. Smith and is, therefore, a billable hour. The average 40 hour work week equates to 2,080 work hours a year, but it is not possible to be doing billable work for every one of those hours. Besides the holidays, vacations and sick leave we already mentioned, there will be hours spent driving to the jobs, picking up materials, pricing estimates and doing take-offs from blue prints, attending industry conventions and seminars n technical and business topics, etc. These all subtract hours from the total hours available. www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
Computing the “Break Even” Cost on Billable Hour Basis Recall the selling price equation from an earlier section: SP (Selling Price for Labor) = L + O/H + P That’s the equation for determining the selling price for a billable hour of labor (not for determining the break even cost for the company), so remove profit from the equation, and we get this for the break-even equation: Break Even Cost per Billable Hour = Labor cost per billable hour + O/H cost per billable hour BE Cost per BH = (DL Cost / BH) + (O/H cost / BH) Now that we have our break-even price, what about adding profit? Margin: The Right Way to Calculate Your Sales Price Here is an example of calculating profit the correct way. We’ll use the example of $100 in job costs and a desired 10% profit. Here is the formula: Margin – ((Profit % -s- (1 – Profit %)) X Job Costs) Or in Our Example: $11.11 – ((.01 + (1- .01)) X 100 Simplified: $11.11 = (.1 + by .9) multiplied by $100 More Simplified: $11.11 = .1111 multiplied by $100 What does that mean? To make a 10% profit on a job with $100 in costs, your selling price must be: $100 + $11.11 or $111.11 Computing a Selling Price Based on Billable Hours We know from the last section that we need to do division to calculate our Billable Hour Selling Price. Here is the formula for calculating a 15% net profit rate: SP per BH = (DL per BH + O/H per BH) + .85 If we had $90/hour in direct labor costs and $10/hour in overhead costs and we want a 15% net profit, what would our hourly selling price be? SP per BH = $90 + $10 / .85 OR Selling Price per Billable Hour = $117.65 Conclusion When you calculate your own billable hour selling price, you may be surprised by hour high the number is. Go ahead and double check your numbers, but realize that if anything less than the properly calculated charge per billable hour is paid by your customers, you are losing money on every job.
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
13
Increasing Profit Through Standardization
I
n a recent Foundation webinar, Kirk Alter of Fast 6. Measure the effect of SOP’s on profitability. Management Inc., shared thoughts on increasing profit • Add where necessary, discard superfluous through standardization. Standardization operating 7. Repeat. procedures can be developed in a company by capturing, recording and standardizing everyday procedures to improve How can you help yourself? the efficiency of an organization. He offered tips on the best Learn new habits – Join the Industrial & Technological practices in companies and industries. Revolutions! PHCC Members can access this webinar on-demand. Put your nose to the grindstone & do the difficult work of 1. Look at each functional unit in your company: taking the knowledge out of your head and define specifically • Estimating how you are going to standardize everything in your business to • Accounting maximize profitability. • Purchasing Then recruit, hire & train good people in those SOPs, and • Pre-fab insist that they are always utilized. • Construction Then get out of their way and let them increase profits! • Etc. 2. Create a diagram of: • What gets done • How you do it From Tubs to Toilets and Faucets to Water Heaters... • Research best practices We have solutions for most of your needs. • Create written process/proGive us a call! cedure • Add tools/forms, etc. as needed 3. Use team evaluation – Is this how we do it, and how we ought to do it? • If yes, then institute SOP and hold training sessions with everyone involved 4. Accountability – Hold EVERYONE responsible for following the procedure, including you, and ensure that there are consequences for failing to do so. 5. Have a process for taking feedback on procedure & for revisiting and tweaking procedures on an annual basis. • Once this process is fully in place you should visit a few of your SOP’s each month.
14
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
Internet Marketing
I
and SEO Techniques
n a recent Foundation webinar, Josh Nelson of PlumberSEO shared tips & techniques for more effectively marketing your Plumbing or HVAC Business online. A few highlights of the presentation:
TO RANK BETTER ON THE GOOGLE MAP YOU NEED TO: - Claim & Optimize your Google Places Listing - Establish your consistent Name, Address, Phone Profile online via citation development by adding your company to other sites like Bing Local, CitySearch, Yelp, etc. - Get real reviews from your real customers in your TRUE service area (put a system in place to systematically request reviews from your customers on an ongoing basis and make it easy for them to wrote a review). TO RANK BETTER ON GOOGLE IN THE ORGANIC LISTINGS YOU NEED TO: - Add more place holders / pages on your site by creating pages for each of your services and each of the sub-cities that operate in. - Optimize your website & the pages on your site by updating
-
the Title Tag, H1 Tag, Content on each of the pages of your site. Get more quality inbound links to outrank your competition for your keywords in your area.
LEVERAGE SOCIAL MEDIA TO GET MORE REPEAT & REFERRAL BUSINESS BY: - Setting up social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn & YouTube - Using email to get your existing customers to join you on your social profiles. - Push regular updates out & engage with your customers to get more repeat & referral business. This information is brought to you by the PHCC Educational Foundation. For more information on their programs and webinars, you can visit the PHCC Educational Foundation website at www.foundation.phccweb.org
w w w.tsbrass.com 800.476.4103
LEAD-FREE. WORRY-FREE. HASSLE-FREE.
With new national lead-free legislation taking effect in 2014, there’s been a lot of talk about making the switch. Here’s the truth: T&S was the first fixture, faucet and fitting manufacturer to convert its entire line to lead-free alloys back in 2010. So when you purchase a T&S faucet today, you’re already lead-free compliant. No worries. No hassle.
Visit tsbrass.com/literature to download a free brochure about our lead-free products, or contact your local T&S rep for more information.
T&S plumbing products represented in Washington by: Stone-Drew/Ashe & Jones - 206-763-2850 www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington TSB-615 2013 Lead-Free PHCC Pubs.indd 15
News • Fall 2013
15 4/2/13 2:34 PM
Hazard Communication Standard
N
Final Rule
ew changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard are bringing the United States into alignment with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), further improving safety and health protections for America’s workers. Building on the success of OSHA’s current Hazard Communication Standard, the GHS is expected to prevent injuries and illnesses, save lives and improve trade conditions for chemical manufacturers. The Hazard Communication Standard in 1983 gave the workers the ‘right to know,’ but the new Globally Harmonized System gives workers the ‘right to understand.’ The new hazard communication standard still requires chemical manufacturers and importers to evaluate the chemicals they produce or import and provide hazard information to employers and workers by putting labels on containers and preparing safety data sheets. However, the old standard allowed chemical manufacturers and importers to convey hazard information on labels and material safety data sheets in whatever format they chose. The modified standard provides a single set of harmonized criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health and physical hazards and specifies hazard communication elements for labeling and safety data sheets. Benefits: The new standard covers over 43 million workers who produce or handle hazardous chemicals in more than five million workplaces across the country. The modification is expected to prevent over 500 workplace injuries and illnesses and 43 fatalities annually. Once fully implemented it will also: 16
•
Enhance worker comprehension of hazards, especially for low and limitedliteracy workers, reduce confusion in the workplace, facilitate safety training, and result in safer handling and use of chemicals;
•
Provide workers quicker and more efficient access to information on the safety data sheets;
•
Result in cost savings to American businesses of more than $475 million in productivity improvements, fewer safety data sheet and label updates and simpler new hazard communication training; and
•
Reduce trade barriers by harmonizing with systems around the world.
Rulemaking background: OSHA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update the Hazard Communication Standard in September 2009 and held public hearings in March 2010. Major changes to the Hazard Communication Standard: •
Hazard classification: Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to determine the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import. Hazard classification under the new, updated standard provides specific criteria to address health and physical hazards as well as classification of chemical mixtures.
•
Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers must provide a label that includes a signal word, pictogram, hazard statement, and precautionary statement for each hazard class and category.
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
WE’RE ON YOUR TEAM. When you work with Star Rentals, you add powerful players to your project team—pros that are skilled, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Star Rentals employees are the most experienced in the industry. From our extensive training and safety programs to our equipment expertise, you can count on us to deliver the goods. We make sure you get fast, responsive service, and headache-free billing. Do we think it’s important to be a team player? Absolutely.
100 YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE. Star Rentals is the oldest, largest and most reliable independent rental company in the Pacific Northwest.
Ray Slyfield Heavy Equipment Service Manager 20 years experience Auburn • Bellevue • Bremerton • Eugene • Everett • Hillsboro • Longview • Olympia • Pasco • Portland • Salem • Seattle • Spokane • Tacoma • Vancouver • Wenatchee • Yakima
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
17
•
•
Safety Data Sheets: The new format requires 16 specific sections, ensuring consistency in presentation of important protection information. Information and training: To facilitate understanding of the new system, the new standard requires that workers be trained by December 1, 2013 on the new label elements and safety data sheet format, in addition to the current training requirements.
Changes from the Proposed to the Final Rule: OSHA reviewed the record and revised the Final Rule in response to the comments submitted. Major changes include: •
Maintaining the disclosure of exposure limits (Threshold Limit Values [TLVs]) established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and carcinogen status from nationally and internationally recognized lists of carcinogens on the safety data sheets;
•
Clarification that the borders of pictograms must be red on the label;
•
Flexibility regarding the required precautionary and hazard statements to allow label preparers to consolidate and/or eliminate inappropriate or redundant statements; and
•
Longer deadlines for full implementation of the standard (see the chart below).
What you need to do and when: •
Chemical users: Continue to update safety data sheets when new ones become available, provide training on the new label elements and update hazard communication programs if new hazards are identified.
•
Chemical Producers: Review hazard information for all chemicals produced or imported, classify chemicals according to the new classification criteria, and update labels and safety data sheets.
Other U.S. Agencies: The Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission actively participated in developing the GHS. DOT has already modified its requirements for classification and labeling to make them consistent with United Nations transport requirements and the new globally harmonized system. Global implementation: The new system is being implemented throughout the world by countries including Canada, the European Union, China, Australia, and Japan. Additional information: More information on the hazard communication standard, including the link to the Federal Register notice, can be found on OSHA’s hazard communication safety and health topics page at www.osha.gov/ dsg/hazcom/index.html A part of the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA has been preventing injuries and illnesses and saving lives since 1971. For more information go to www.osha.gov
* This date coincides with the European Union implementation date for classification of mixtures. 18
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
PHCC WASHINGTON MEMBER NEWS
2013 OWNER’S EVENT
NEW CONTRACTOR MEMBERS!! 7 Hills Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc. Derek A. Watson PO Box 14758 Mill Creek, WA 98082 (425) 742-7795 www.7hillsplumbing.com
PlumbWorks by Washington Energy Srvcs Marcus Mosley 3909 196th Street SW Lynnwood, WA 98036 (206) 786-9544 Website: www.plumbworks1.com
Best Plumbing Kathy Lilleness 4129 Stone way North Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 633-1700 Email: Kathy@bestplumbing.com
Roto-Rooter Service Company Robert Hitchcock 10655 Tukwila International Blvd Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 757-2812 www.rotorooter.com
Carlson Mechanical Mark & Lori Lee Shirley Miller 13032 72nd Drive SE Snohomish, WA 98296 (206) 533-0685 www.carlsonmech.com
Steve’s Plumbing, LLC Steve & Rachel Enger 19707 64th Avenue W #108 Lynnwood, WA 98036 (425) 774-0483 www.tiredofdealingwithdrips.com
Thank you to all our members who attended the Owner’s Event in Port Townsend, WA. We enjoyed a beautiful September weekend together. On behalf of PHCC of Washington, I would like to thank our sponsorships who made the weekend a success: Keller Supply Company Marine Science Center
PlumbMaster Southwest Plumbing
2013 ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT Thank you to everyone who participated in PHCC of Washington’s 2013 Annual Golf Tournament. It was a fun, very successful event this year. I would like to recognize and give a big THANK YOU to all of our 2013 golf sponsors: 1-800-Water Damage Bailey Sales Federated Insurance Ferguson Fischer Plumbing Gordon – G.T. & Associates InSinkErator J & K Plumbing Keller Supply Company LineScape Pacific Plumbing Supply Pipeline Industries PlumbMaster Prima Plumbing ServPro of Edmonds & Lynnwood Sternod Enterprises
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
19
PHCC of Washington Membership Survey Mission Statement Plumbing – Heating – Cooling Contractors Association is dedicated to the advancement and education of the plumbing and HVACR industry for health, safety and comfort of society and the protection of the environment. ]1. PHCC of Washington contractor membership numbers have increased this year. A) What do you think the association can do to continue to attract new members? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ B) What can you as an interested member do to help with increased membership opportunities for non-members? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 2. Many PHCC of Washington meetings qualify for a continuing education credit. A) What could PHCC of Washington do to get you more involved in meetings and events? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________
B) What topics would you like to see presented at monthly Network Meetings and elsewhere? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________
4. PHCC of Washington uses many varied forms of communication and disseminating information. What is your preferred way to receive information from the association? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 5. The organization is continually striving to improve. Please name some ways we can continue to enhance the association experience for you. _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Your Comments: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Contact Information (optional): Company Name: __________________________________________ Name: __________________________________________________ Mailing Address: __________________________________________ City: ____________________________________________________ State: ___________________________________________________
3. PHCC of Washington offers a variety of classes and training (i.e. CPR, First Aid, Electrical Training courses, etc.) A) Will you use PHCC as the venue of these courses for your company? If not, why not? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ B) Do you have a topic or class you would like to present at a network meeting or in a class or special forum? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 20
Zip Code: ________________________________________________ Phone Number: ___________________________________________ Email Address: ___________________________________________
PHCC of Washington is dedicated to the advancement and education of your industry. So we can better understand how to serve you and your business, please take a moment to fill out this survey form and fax it to Greta Flinn, 866-272-2545. www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
Pro380-Series Pro380 24" x 24"
Huge Capacit
Integrated cord seal technology
in a Shallow System US Patent #s 7,520,736 & 7,563,082
41 Gallons Same large capacity in a shallow-system design! Perfect for bedrock or difficult soil conditions.
QuickTreeÂŽ allows faster and simple access to floats.
Shipped with clear disposable construction cover for protection during rough-in and masonry work.
1 (800) 543-2550
www.libertypumps.com
Innovate. Evolve.
Copyright Š Liberty Pumps, Inc. 2011 All rights reserved.
One of Americas fastest growing, privately owned companies.
2014 CONTRACTOR MEMBERSHIP INVESTMENT >>>> TOP REASONS TO JOIN PHCC <<<< ADVOCACY Powerful representation to defend you against excessive regulations in your community NETWORKING Attend monthly network meetings and build relationships with fellow professionals, suppliers and customers while earning continuing education credits INFORMATION The latest need-to-know industry information EXPERT ADVISORS Access to PHCC’s legal, financial, legislative, regulatory and technical specialists 3-in-1 MEMBERSHIP Take advantage of a PHCC Board of Directors approved special “come back” incentive to members who did not renew in 2012 because of the economy. It allows members to reinstate with a pro-rated dues investment for the remaining portion of the year, and does not require payment for the preceding months. The offer covers pro-rated dues for the local chapter (where one exists), the state chapter and the national association. Without PHCC You Stand Alone! Join over 3,000 independent PHC Contractors to put PHCC Power in your Business!
h h h h
22
h
www.phccwa.org • PHCC of Washington News • Fall 2013
Introducing Bradford White Rewards™, an exclusive incentive program for the professional installer that rewards you for purchasing Bradford White Commercial Water Heaters. Become a Rewards Member today and you’ll start earning points redeemable for an almost endless choice of great rewards. Gift cards, electronics, sporting goods, vacation packages, and so much more – Your choices are practically endless! Membership is free and the program is simple and easy to use. Sign up today at www.bradfordwhiterewards.com
JOIN NOW!
Scan QR Code M A D E
I N
A M E R I C A
To Find A Wholesaler Call
800.523.2931
Built to be the Best
™
www.bradfordwhite.com ©2012, Bradford White Corporation. All rights reserved.
23
Seattle Showroom 8221 Greenwood Ave N Seattle, WA 98103 206/632-4488
Seattle 805 NW 42nd St Seattle, WA 98107 206/784-0047
Everett 3414 B California Everett, WA 98201 Call 425/258-9459
VISIT OUR OTHER LOCATIONS IN OREGON AND IDAHO
Pacific 703 Valentine Ave SE Pacific, WA 98047 253/299-7156
Spokane 305 N Lake Spokane Valley, WA 99212 509/891-9911
Kennewick 621 N Kellogg Kennewick, WA 99336 509/783-9340