Georgia Contractor (Sep | Oct 2015)

Volume 11, Issue 5 September | October 2015

NEW INLAND TERMINAL TO OPEN IN 2018 REASON TO CELEBRATE Westside Works Exceeds First-year Expectations, Seeks to Build on Momentum in Year Two

GEORGIA

CONTRACTOR

w w w. t h e g e o r g i a c o n t r a c t o r . c o m Editor-in-Chief: Roland Petersen-Frey Managing Editor: Daniel Simmons | (770) 521-8877 Art Director: Pamela Petersen-Frey | (770) 521-8877

The Georgia Contractor is published bi-monthly on a calendar year basis.

It is a magazine designed around the construction industry associations and their members. It is supported by associations and their members.

Executive, editorial, circulation, and advertising offices: 1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115 • Phone: (770) 521-8877 • Fax: (770) 521-0406 E-mail: rfrey@a4inc.com. Send address changes to your association and/or to A4 Inc. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of any of the associations or publisher nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omissions and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Parts of this magazine may be reproduced with the written consent of the publisher.

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On The Cover ~ On July 28, 2015, Governor Nathan Deal, the Georgia Ports Authority, Murray County, and CSX Transportation signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Appalachian Regional Port in Chatsworth, Georgia. Its service area will include North Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and parts of Kentucky.

Port officials estimate the CSX rail route will reduce Atlanta truck traffic by 40,000 moves annually, creating a new intermodal option to and from the deepwater Port of Savannah. Each container moved by rail to the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 355 truck miles on Georgia highways.

Read more about Georgia’s new inland port on page ten of this issue of Georgia Contractor magazine. v

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CONTENTS 7

Paying for Infrastructure without Going Down the Toilet

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Safety Manuals: The Backbone of Company Safety

10

New Inland Terminal to Open in 2018

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Metals Pricing Meltdown

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15

28 The U.K. Is Testing Electric Highways that Would Charge Your EV as You Drive

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High Friction Surfaces Gain Traction

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Prohibited Employer Health Insurance Premium Reimbursement Arrangements

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Lessons Learned Drilled Shafts

The Top Five Selfaudits Every Employer Should Perform

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Reason to CelebrateWestside Works Exceeds First-year Expectations

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Large Diameter Open-end Pipe Piles Challenges & Opportunities Georgia Contractor

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Georgia Contractor Breaking News

ADVERTISEMENTS Atlanta Technical College...............................................................................................................................................................24 Capital City Machine Shop...............................................................................................................................................................6 Chattahoochee Technical College ..................................................................................................................................................3 CLP .......................................................................................................................................................................................................29 Georgia 811.........................................................................................................................................................................Back Cover Georgia Power Company ..................................................................................................................................Inside Front Cover Georgia Trade School .........................................................................................................................................................................6 IEC...........................................................................................................................................................................................................9 Metro Power ......................................................................................................................................................................................20 New South Construction .................................................................................................................................................................16 RHD Utility Services..........................................................................................................................................................................13 September | October 2015

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Paying for Infrastructure without Going Down the Toilet

By Jo Ann J. Macrina, Commissioner | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management

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Georgia Contractor

ore than $1.2 billion in capital improvements-that’s what the city of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is gearing up today. Five short years ago, we weren’t ready to take it on. But with Mayor Reed’s leadership, new senior staff, and a team that has the right stuff, DWM is firing ahead with new vigor and an unstoppable plan, all the while advancing its triple bottom line—social, environmental, and economic sustainability.

During the ten-year period between the entry of its Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Consent Decree in 1999 and the completion of the requirements of its Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Consent Decree (entered in 1998), the city of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management implemented one of the nation’s largest wastewater collection system capital improvement programs. By 2009, the city had realized a 75 percent reduction in the incidences of spill events due in large part to the capital improvement program and programs mandated by the Consent Decree. During this time frame, capital program expenditures averaged more than $225 million annually. This level of expenditure placed a debt burden in excess of $3.5 billion on the city’s ratepayers. Financing the wastewater capital improvement program and other programs mandated by the Consent Decree precipitated rate increases that placed the city’s service rates among the highest service rates imposed by major North American metropolitan water and wastewater utilities.

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Jo Ann Macrina In 2012, Mayor Kasim Reed led negotiations between the city, the U.S. EPA, and the U.S. DOJ, resulting in a 13-year extension of the city’s 1999 SSO Consent Decree. Due to the successful record on consent decree compliance as well as overall strength in the Mayor’s leadership and fiscal prudence by the Department of Watershed Management, two bond rating upgrades (2013 and 2015) were granted by the major credit agencies and allowed the city to more equitably distribute its capital expenditures between water and wastewater systems infrastructure improvements while at the same time advancing its regulatory compliance.

With that, the Department is moving forward with Capital Improvement Projects to: • Establish a minimum of 30 days of raw water storage to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water, •

Upgrade water reclamation centers,

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Make improvements to combined sewer overflow facilities, and

Use green infrastructure to combat stormwater, including the largest permeable paver project in North America.

Drinking Water The crown jewel of Atlanta’s water systems infrastructure projects is the design and construction of the city’s Water Supply Program, which is underway just five miles from the Gold Dome of the Georgia Capitol. Scheduled for completion in two phases over four years, the city has begun converting an existing rock quarry into a 2.4 billion gallon water storage facility that will be fed by water from the Chattahoochee River through a fivemile, ten-foot diameter tunnel. The tunnel will connect the Chattahoochee River to two of the City’s water treatment plants, replacing four aging transmission pipes—the oldest of which goes back to the late 1800s —as the main raw water conveyance.

The final leg of the tunnel will run from the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant to the new water storage facility.

The Water Supply Program moves the city’s water system from a threeday raw water reserve to one with at least 30 days of reserves. Upon completion, the more than 1.2 million people who use the city’s water can rest assured that should the Chattahoochee River be stricken by drought or contamination, or if major components of the raw water intake were compromised by a major natural disaster or terrorism, they would have a minimum of 30 days of raw water while contingency measures are implemented to ensure a continuous supply of safe drinking water. For an 7

economy that includes the world’s busiest passenger airport, such an assurance protects hundreds of millions of business dollars each and every day.

Where water goes, the economy grows, and this project is expected to spur unprecedented economic growth to the city’s economy. By joining the quarry with an adjacent park connecting to the Atlanta BeltLine, the $280 million water supply program is anticipated to generate more than $450 million in local spending and create more than 650 new jobs during the next five years.

Wastewater The First Amended Consent Decree (SSO Consent Decree) extension has also allowed the city to focus attention on upgrading its water reclamation centers (WRCs) and other facilities that have not received significant attention over the last 15 years. Among these are the planned upgrades to the R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center (WRC), which is the city’s largest WRC, with an approximately 122 million per day average permitted treated wastewater discharge to the Chattahoochee River; the decommissioning of the Intrenchment Creek WRC and accompanying upgrades to the South River WRC and the Utoy Creek WRC. The planned upgrades to the WRC’s will cost an estimated $500 million.

These upgrades will not only save several million dollars in WRC operating and maintenance (O&M) costs but also will result in improved wastewater treatment efficiency, promote the city’s compliance with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, and improve water quality in the Chattahoochee River.

Combined Sewer System Improvements In addition to the water and wastewater systems planned improve8

ments, the City has also initiated a program to improve its combined sewer conveyance, control, and treatment systems (combined sewers and combined sewer overflow facilities).

Designed to convey, control, and treat a combination of raw sewage and stormwater during periods of wet weather, these systems are prevalent in U.S. major cities. Although the CSO Consent Decree was successfully completed, work continues in order to ensure the protection of water quality from pollutants and to advance compliance with the city’s NPDES permits.

Among the planned combined sewer system improvements are the $40 million upgrades to the East and West Water Control Facilities and the combined sewer overflow control facilities at Tanyard Creek, North Avenue, Clear Creek, and Custer Avenue.

Watershed Protection and Green Infrastructure The city continues to implement watershed management and protection programs based on a holistic watershed-based approach: water, wastewater, and stormwater. Whether in a drinking water pipe, a sewer, a river, lake, or a drainage ditch, water is a natural resource to be held in trust for future generations. Consistent with the requirements of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the city’s holistic approach, watershed protection plans are being developed for each watershed within the city boundaries within the next five years.

These plans will guide the city’s watershed management and protection efforts as it strives to mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff and to improve water quality.

The city has also embarked on Green Infrastructure projects as part of its environmental restoration initiatives to not only reduce non-point source pollution, erosion, and sedimentation, but to also alleviate flooding problems in flood prone areas of

the city. Some of the Green Infrastructure projects include a $3.5 million planned Cheshire Bridge Road water quality improvement project and the $66 million Southeast Atlanta Green Infrastructure Initiative that will provide much-needed relief to areas affected by flooding. The Southeast Atlanta Green Infrastructure Initiative includes rain gardens, underground storage vaults, detention ponds, and bioretention facilities, and replacing asphalt roads with permeable pavers in historically flooded residential communities. In fact, the permeable paver project is the largest in North America.

Another major Green Infrastructure project is the Boone BoulevardGreen Street. This project implements stormwater best management practices along a 1.2-mile stretch on Boone Boulevard from the intersection of Boone Boulevard and Northside Drive to the Atlanta BeltLine. The city received a $387,000 EPA/EPD 319(h) Grant for water quality improvement and a $1 million grant from Invest Atlanta toward the total construction cost of $2.8 million. This will be the model for future roadway improvements.

A Utility of the Future There is no doubt the city has already seen change for the better. Many accomplishments through the Consent Decrees have been achieved, water quality data is trending positive, communities are more involved, and the city is delivering results and reaching out to our environmental stewardship partners every day to do more for the generations to come. Through this process, the city of Atlanta has proven to be a model in how to address aging infrastructure, and do so in a prudent manner without raising rates. It is no secret that water precedes growth. As we move forward, the city will continue to lead regional growth in ways that are environmentally, fiscally, and socially responsible. v Georgia Contractor

Safety Manuals: The Backbone of Company Safety

By Tony Cann | Business Development | HB NEXT ost of what a young person hears growing up in the construction industry today is, ‘Safety is #1!

Safety is #1! Safety is #1!’While it is hard to disagree, any seasoned veteran will tell you that Budget, Schedule, and Quality are pretty important too; well, only if you want to stay in business.

Let's all be honest, when the economy suffered and many companies were just trying to survive, they tossed off excess weight so that they could stay afloat. Unfortunately, sometimes, company safety fell into this boat; or, off it, we should say.

Now that regulatory compliance officers are back in full force, we are seeing more citations, and more citations PER INSPECTION. Now, whenever OSHA shows up, it's not just about whether the site or location is safe, and safety is present. Now, compliance officers are digging into all the paperwork and procedures of the companies they inspect. One of the more

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overlooked items by companies is their Safety Manual.

When an OSHA compliance officer walks through that door and you have to dust off your safety manual, let me tell you, you're likely in trouble.

Don't feel bad, because you aren't the only one.

The safety manual is the backbone of a company’s safety culture and processes. Everything stems from it. It used to be that the best manual was the one that made the biggest ‘thud’ when you dropped it on a desk. Now, what is excluded is equally as important as what is included, and by having excess material in your safety manual, you place your company at risk for potential civil charges when accidents occur.

The importance of customizing safety manuals cannot and should not be underestimated. With the increase in federal and state requirements, it is important that your safety manual conveys a clear representation of the business functions you are performing.

Custom safety manuals are more likely to meet the requirements of federal and state OSHA regulations.

Custom safety manuals should include standard information, plus your industry-specific and job-specific information. It includes but is not limited to: Safety Policies & Procedures, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements, a Training Prescription for all of your employees, and all forms for proper safety documentation.

Now, back to the ‘Safety is #1‘ statement.

Safety is #1. However, there is a difference between safety and compliance.

Safety is what we do on the job to ensure that we protect our employees from harm. Compliance entails the steps we take to ensure we are in accordance with federal, state, and ‘Company’ laws and regulations.

Compliance is where many companies are struggling, therefore it is where regulatory agencies focus their greatest efforts. Even though companies are being safe on the job, highdollar fines are still being issued for companies being out of compliance.

You see, without a safety manual tailored to your specific business operations there is little to no proof of compliance. The safety manual is the most critical piece here, for it is where company compliance standards are set and processes are laid out.

Finally, do not forget about documented enforcement, i.e. – employee reprimands or other written methods of performance management for failure to follow safety policy. Without enforcement, a safety manual is barely worth the paper it's printed on.

So, when was the last time you took a good look at your manual? v 9

New Inland Terminal to Open in 2018

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Service area includes North Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky

his new inland terminal will open the door for economic opportunity and job creation for Northwest Georgia and the region,” said Gov. Deal. “By providing a direct link to the Port of Savannah, the Appalachian Regional Port will create and expand international markets for businesses, and further the economic success of the Southeastern U.S.” Murray County Commissioner Brittany Pittman said the inland terminal is also a big win for economic development in her area.

“I am excited to see this project come to fruition,” Pittman said. “The inland port will provide important competitive advantages to our existing industries. This development will also bring new jobs to Murray County not only in logistics but in support industries and the broader community.”

On July 28, 2015, Governor Nathan Deal, the Georgia Ports Authority, Murray County, and CSX Transportation signed a Memorandum of Agreement, establishing the Appalachian Regional Port in Chatsworth, Georgia. Its service area will include North Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and parts of Kentucky.

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Officials gather to sign a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Appalachian Regional Port, Tuesday, July 28, 2015, in Chatsworth, Georgia. From left, CSX Executive Vice President Clarence Gooden, Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, Murray County Commissioner Brittany Pittman, and Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. The inland port, due to open in 2018, will serve as a direct link from the Port of Savannah to North Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and parts of Kentucky. (Georgia Ports Authority/Stephen B. Morton) Operated by the Georgia Ports Authority, the Appalachian Regional Port will deliver goods more efficiently to the GPA’s Garden City Terminal, the second busiest container port on the East Coast behind New York-New Jersey.

"The public-private partnership established today, which includes direct rail access to the new inland port, will expand access for domestic and international shippers, providing increased options for cost-effective, environmentally friendly transportation services," said Clarence Gooden, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of CSX. Port officials estimate the CSX rail route will reduce Atlanta truck traffic by 40,000 moves annually, creating a new intermodal option to and from the deepwater Port of Savannah. Each container moved by rail to the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 355 truck miles on Georgia highways.

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“This new inland port is located in an industrial belt, which includes the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz.

“The Appalachian Regional Port will make those commodities more compet-

termodal Services, and the GPA signed a memorandum of understanding for the Cordele Inland Port. The Cordele facility handles cotton, clay, lumber, and other agribusiness exports for customers in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.

“As part of our Network Georgia initiative, we intend to collaborate with communities and transportation partners for the development of future sites,” said GPA Board Chairman James Walters. “Our goal is to create the largest inland intermodal complex in the eastern third of the U.S., expanding our reach with more economical shipping alternatives for new and existing customers.”

The new inland port will sit on 42 acres in Northwest Georgia’s Murray County and feature on-terminal rail.

The site is adjacent to U.S. 411 and features easy access to Interstate 75. The facility will handle import, export, and domestic cargo.

The Appalachian Regional Port will open by 2018 with an annual ca-

pacity of 50,000 containers. A ten-year development plan will then double that capacity.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 369,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $20.4 billion in income, $84.1 billion in revenue and $2.3 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. The Port of Savan-

containerized cargopercent volumeofand pernah handled eight the11U.S. cent of all U.S. containerized exports in CY2014.

For more information, contact GPA’s Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 9643855 or rmorris@gaports.com. Visit the GPA Web site at www.gaports.com. v

itive in the global market by saving port customers money on inland transit costs. Moving more containers to rail will also reduce carbon emissions.”

The Appalachian Regional Port will be Georgia’s second facility of this kind. In 2013, Gov. Deal, Cordele In-

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The U.K. Is TesTIng elecTrIc hIghways ThaT woUld charge yoUr eV as yoU drIVe

Metals Pricing Meltdown

By Kyle Robison | Welding Instructor | Georgia Trade School ave you renegotiated your metal prices recently? If not, now may be the time to do so. Metal commodity prices have continued in a steady downward trend since 2014, with some metals, (such as aluminum and lead) nearing record lows. Both large and small industrial buyers stand to potentially reduce operating costs by a sizeable amount if full advantage of this bearish market is taken.

Although it is often true that a few phone calls or e-mail to your current vendors can result in a dramatic price reduction, it is wholly beneficial to go to the effort of shopping other suppliers in your area. Generally, metal suppliers appear quite eager for the opportunity to obtain new clients and are inclined to reduce their margins in order to secure them. When reaching out to new suppliers, it is best practice to schedule a time for one of their reps to come to your facility and discuss your needs in person. Doing this has a two-part effect; not only does it put a face to your company, but it also imparts the notion that your want of a new vendor is earnest and not an effort to simply ‘price check’ your current supplier. The more good will you can build between you and a vendors rep can have a direct correlation to how low you are able to negotiate their prices. When looking at suppliers it is also advantageous to not singularly fixate on the larger national firms.

Oft-times smaller, privately held suppliers are able to provide you not only with more favorable pricing structures, but also with better and more personalized customer service.

When in the midst of exploring vendor options and their price struc-

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This could solve the charging problem that has been slowing electric car adoption for years (if it works).

Kyle Robison

tures never lose sight of the context of the situation. Metal is a commodity item and prices are always negotiable.

One would be remiss to accept a primary quote from a new vendor.

When it comes to controllable expenses such as materials, it is important that one remains vigilant of market trends and acts quickly to exploit them. The amount of unrealized margin dollars can be staggering and will grow exponentially as markets continue to trend downwards.

Keeping oneself abreast of industry news can help predict future opportunities for adding profit. A good example of this forecasting model are the falling price of oil and the an-

nouncements of layoffs.

Events such as this in the oil market hint at a future lack of demand of steel tube products of which these oil industry companies are the primary buyers. With that sector of the steel industry taking such a loss, metal commodities will certainly show an adverse reaction and slide further downward. With a little thought and effort, it is possible to maximize operating profits and gain a better understanding of your controllable expenditures. So the real question is, if you haven't renegotiated your metal prices recently, how much unrealized profit must pass you by before you act? v Georgia Contractor

Brits are getting into electric cars more and more. Sales jumped up 366 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

Still, when the U.K. government surveyed consumers and businesses, they found the chicken-and-egg problem that haunts EVs elsewhere. Some consumers don’t want to buy an electric car without a full infrastructure for charging in place. But the business case for building that infrastructure is weak without more EV drivers on roads.

The U.K. plans to add plug-in chargers every 20 miles along highways, so drivers don’t have to worry about getting stranded on a road trip. And the country does already have thousands of chargers in place. But now they’re testing out

something new to make driving an EV even easier: electric highways that can wirelessly charge cars as they drive.

If the tests go well, the new highways would add to the existing network of plug-in chargers and make it even simpler to fuel up a Tesla than a standard gas-guzzling car. “This has the benefit of saving time and improving the distance that electric vehicles can travel,” says Nic Brunetti, a spokesman for Highways England. “The combination of both types of charging technologies could help to create a comprehensive ecosystem for electric vehicles.”

Illustration: James Provost An electric car can draw power by establishing resonant coupling between the electromagnetic field of the buried transmitting coils and that of the pickup coils under the car. Efficient resonance happens when the transmitter’s frequency is tuned to the pickup circuit.

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In a feasibility study, the government found that people would be more likely to drive electric cars if the wired roads were in place, especially if the charging networks spread off highways onto regular roads. And it’s also a way of responding to a shift that's already happening.

“An important part of managing the road network over the next thirty years will be preparing the infrastructure for a shift to new types of vehicles and technology," Brunetti says. "We need to plan intelligently for the future. Innovative technologies offer opportunities to make the best use of road capacity and to improve the road user experience.”

The system would use electric cables installed under roads to generate electromagnetic fields and send power to a gadget under a car. While it could potentially run on renewable energy (and maybe even be combined with something like a solar roadway), the government is still working out the details.

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High Friction Surfaces Gain Traction

By The National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) ach year, more than 25 percent of highway fatalities in the United States occur at or near horizontal curves, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In an attempt to save lives and prevent injuries, some 30 states across the U.S. are applying high friction surfaces (HFS) to improve skid resistance at locations with a high incident of vehicle crashes such as severe horizontal curves, steep grades, roadway intersections, railroad crossings, and crosswalks. As roadway surfaces polish, available pavement friction is reduced. High friction surfaces provide improved skid resistance, and maintaining an appropriate amount of pavement friction is critical for safe driving.

High friction surfaces are pavement treatments with high skid-resistant properties not typically provided by conventional materials. Through site-specific application, a thin layer of high quality, durable aggregates is bonded to the existing pavement surface with a liquid polymer resin binder, restoring and maintaining pavement friction in areas where safe pavement surface properties are critical. These aggregate systems provide a life-saving technology customizable to specific state and local safety needs.

The most commonly specified aggregate component of HFS is calcined bauxite, an aluminum ore that increases in physical hardness and stability when heated to a high temperature. Used primarily because it resists polishing, calcined bauxite retains its friction values and properties after years of wear. This aggregate is narrowly graded, passing #4 sieve and retained on #16 sieve. Aggregates

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“We’re at a very early stage of researching and developing a system that could potentially transfer power to vehicles,” says Brunetti. “We won’t know until such time as we have completed off-road trials to ascertain what technology could be used for this and whether or not it is effective.”

The first trials, set for later this year, will use a section of fake highway to test out the technology. After 18 months of testing, they'll decide whether to scale it up. If they do, they actually won’t be the first: South Korea already has a 15-mile stretch of electric highway in the city of Gumi. v

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must be clean and uniform in size for best results.

Although multi-component polymer resin binders are most typical, several varieties are used in HFS depending upon pavement surface type and condition. A good specification will always address the mechanical properties of the HFS binder along with limitations such as mixing, storing, and placement temperatures.

Proper binder preparation is critical.

Surface preparation begins with cleaning the pavement to remove oils, grease, and other matter to ensure an effective bond. Insufficient cleaning and drying may result in delamination of the binder from the pavement surface. HFS should not be applied to pavements with certain types of distress, and any cracking in the existing pavement will reflect through the surface. High friction surfaces are purely a treatment for increasing skid resistance, not a pavement preservation treatment.

High friction surfaces can be applied manually or by automated

equipment. Regardless of installation method, it is critical that a precise amount of binding agent is applied to achieve the proper film thickness and ensure successful adhesion to both the pavement surface and the aggregate. Mechanical or hand spreading of the aggregate occurs immediately following the binder placement and must ensure complete surface coverage.

After installation and initial curing, any excess aggregate is swept or vacuumed for disposal or reuse in another project.

The benefits of HFS outweigh the cost when compared to the value of preventing crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Generally ranging from $25 to $35 per square yard, their limited use as spot treatments in dangerous locations make HFS a relatively low cost option compared to expensive and time-consuming roadway reconstruction alternatives. Unlike reconstruction, HFS can be installed immediately. Project lengths are short, with treatments often being applied in just a few hours. Typically lasting be17

tween six and ten years, their performance ultimately depends on the initial installation process, condition of underlying pavement, amount of traffic, and winter maintenance practices.

Although the major cost factor in HFS is the bonding agent, calcined bauxite must be imported from overseas, making it an expensive aggregate. In April of 2011, FHWA funded the installation of eight experimental HFS sections on the National Center for Asphalt Technology’s (NCAT) Pavement Test Track to evaluate the durability of regionally available, less costly friction aggregate alternatives.

All eight sections were installed on the same day using a two-part polymer binder. Calcined bauxite was tested alongside granite, flint, taconite, emery, basalt, steel slag, and silica.

A full report of this study, NCAT Report 15-04, is available free of charge at http://ncat.us/infopubs/technical-reports.html.

Although several aggregates showed good performance, tests in the laboratory and on the NCAT Pavement Test Track confirmed that calcined bauxite is the superior HFS aggregate. Aggregates used in HFS must be highly re-

PROHIBITED EMPLOYER HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUM REIMBURSEMENT ARRANGEMENTS IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

By Warren E. Kingsley & Douglas A. Smith

The Dynamic Friction tester (DFT) is a lightweight and portable device that calculates surface frictional properties sistant to polishing and abrasion.

While the NCAT study showed that calcined bauxite is the premium aggregate, these results may provide agencies with more cost-effective, regionally available alternatives for projects where calcined bauxite is not necessary. Safety studies are needed to determine if these alternatives provide an acceptable level of pavement surface friction properties for HFS locations.

As the use of HFS increases for critical crash locations, so does the

need to better understand the dynamics of the tire-pavement interface. For these critical pavement locations, what is the relative importance of macrotexture, which reduces hydroplaning potential, and microtexture, the friction characteristic of the surface aggregate-tire interface? High friction surfaces provide a solution to pavements where loss of friction is a significant factor in crashes. Investigating these issues will ensure a costeffective use of this life-saving technology.v

What Premium Reimbursement Arrangements are Prohibited?

IRS guidance is clear that regardless of whether an employer reimburses an employee on a tax free or on an after-tax basis for the employee’s purchase of insurance (via the Health In-

NCAT technician Vickie Adams uses the DFT to spot–test pavement surface friction on the track.

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Understandably, the general focus on the Affordable Care Act (‘ACA’) the last few years has been on ACA constitutionality, the employer and individual mandates, operation of the ACA health insurance exchanges (the ‘Health Insurance Marketplace’ or ‘Marketplace’), and premium tax credits thereunder, and the impact of the ACA on provider networks. Employers, however, should be aware that Internal Revenue Service and other U.S. government agency guidance has struck down a previously benign practice that employers (particularly small ones) have used to provide health insurance coverage to a limited number of valuable employees (e.g., when the employer does not otherwise offer employees group health coverage): reimbursements to employees who purchase their own health insurance.

Historically, such reimbursement arrangements (referred to as ‘employer payment plans’) were a not uncommon practice of employers through which the premium reimbursements could be made on an income tax-free basis to an employee. Effective January 1, 2014, however, any such arrangements (even if done on an after-tax basis) subject an employer to a steep excise tax under the ACA ($100 per day for each affected individual), except in the case of certain small employers for a limited transition period (discussed below) that the IRS announced earlier this year. As a result, this is a practice that employers must end (e.g., no more agreeing to such one-off reimbursement arrangements for new physicians brought into a practice group, for U.S. employees hired by foreign corporations for company outposts in the U.S., etc.).

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surance Marketplace or otherwise), or whether the employer pays the employee’s individual insurance premiums directly rather than via reimbursement, such employer payment plans are considered group health plans that are subject to ACA health insurance market reforms. Furthermore, an employer cannot integrate an employer payment plan with the employee’s individual insurance policy to satisfy the health insurance market reform requirements. As a result, any employer payment plan inevitably fails to satisfy certain ACA requirements applicable to group health plans, such as (i) the ACA annual limit on out-of-pocket expenses and (ii) mandated cost-free coverage for preventative services. This ACA failure subjects the employer to a nondeductible excise tax under the Internal Revenue Code of $100 for each day of the plan’s noncompliance (i.e., each day the plan is in effect) for each applicable employee covered by the plan (e.g., $36,500 per person per year).

Transition Relief for Small Employers through June 30, 2015 The IRS (pursuant to recent IRS Notice 2015-17) has provided transition relief through June 30, 2015, for employer premium reimbursement arrangements of employers that are not ‘applicable large employers’ under the ACA. An applicable large employer (‘ALE’) generally is an employer that employed an average of at least 50 full-time (including full-time equivalent) employees during the preceding calendar year.

(For 2014 and 2015, an employer alternatively may determine whether it is (or is not) an ALE based on a period of six or more consecutive months in the preceding calendar year, rather than the entire preceding year.)

An employer that is not an ALE for 2014 is not subject to an excise tax for 2014 for any failure to satisfy ACA health insurance market reform requirements by maintaining any employer payment plan described above. Similarly, an em19

ployer that is not an ALE for 2015 is not subject to any excise tax from January 1, 2015, through June 30, 2015, for any failure to satisfy ACA reform requirements for any such employer payment plan. Beginning July 1, 2015, there is no such excise tax relief.

Is there an Alternative that is Permitted?

An employer is permitted under the ACA to simply increase an employee's compensation without conditioning the payment of the additional compensation on the purchase by the employee of (or the reimbursement for) individual health insurance policy coverage, provided the employer does not otherwise endorse any particular policy, form or issuer of health insurance. Such a ‘no-hands-tied’ compensation arrangement would not be a group health plan subject to the ACA health insurance market reforms (and simply providing employees with information about the Health Insurance Marketplace, or premium tax credits under the Marketplace, would not be considered endorsing any particular policy, form or issuer of health insurance). So an employer may provide a taxable increase in an employee’s compensation that the employee can use to purchase an individual health insurance policy, but the employer should clearly communicate and document that the employee may use the increase for any purpose the employee so chooses.

In addition, an employer reimbursement arrangement covering only a single employee generally is not subject to the ACA health insurance market reform requirements, but if an employer maintains more than one such arrangement (for different employees), all such arrangements are treated as a single arrangement covering more than one employee. So an employer with separate reimbursement arrangements with two or more em20

ployees would be treated as having a group health plan subject to the reform requirements and excise tax.

Finally, until further guidance is issued (and at least through the end of 2015), the IRS will not assert an excise tax for failure to satisfy any ACA health insurance market reforms for an arrangement whereby an S corporation pays for or reimburses premiums for individual health insurance coverage for shareholders who own more than two percent of an S corporation.

Reimbursements of Medicare and TRICARe Premiums Briefly, it should be noted that IRS Notice 2015-17 also provides that an arrangement under which an employer reimburses (or pays directly) Medicare Part B or Part D premiums for employees, or medical expenses for employees covered by TRICARE (i.e., U.S. military health care coverage), is an employer payment plan that is a group health plan subject to the ACA health

insurance market reforms if it covers two or more employees. Such arrangements cannot be integrated with Medicare or TRICARE coverage to satisfy ACA reform requirements, but potentially may be integrated with another group health plan offered by the employer to satisfy such requirements.

What Should employers do now?

There still is time for eligible small employers to eliminate any applicable employer payment plans and avoid the harsh excise taxes that otherwise will apply to them beginning July 1, 2015.

Employers should immediately arrange to stop these prohibited arrangements and modify any affected employment contracts. Also, in the case of an applicable large employer with an employer payment plan, time is of the essence to eliminate any such arrangement in order to cut off any accruing excise tax exposure. v

THE TOP FIVE SELF-AUDITS EVERY EMPLOYER SHOULD PERFORM

By Sarah H. Lamar | HunterMaclean Attorneys very Georgia employer is required to comply with workforce regulations dictated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Department of Labor, the Georgia Department of Labor, and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. Often, businesses are not aware that they are out of compliance, and those oversights can be costly. A business owner’s best means of preventing serious repercussions from government investigations and lawsuits is to conduct regular internal self-audits to identify and rectify issues before they are flagged by a regulating agency. Although there are many valuable self-audits, here are my top five:

E

Are workers correctly identified?

It’s crucial that workers are correctly identified as either employees or independent contractors. The U.S. Department of Labor, IRS, and Georgia Department of Labor all have specific guidelines for how workers must be treated based on this determination, and there are serious penalties for getting it wrong.

Independent contractors generally work only when their services are required and use their own materials, know-how, and methods for getting the job done. On the other hand, employees typically have a regular schedule, receive training and equipment from the employer, and report to a manager who often closely supervises not only the employees’ work product but also the means by which employees accomplish their duties. To label Georgia Contractor

September | October 2015

workers properly, employers must take into consideration all aspects of the job and how it is performed, as opposed to relying on a precedent set by other organizations or even the company’s own past practice. Further guidelines for making the distinction between independent contractor and employee may be found on the IRS, U.S. Department of Labor, and Georgia Department of Labor Web sites.

Are employees appropriately classified?

Once a worker has been identified as an employee, there are important considerations to be made under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA is the federal law that requires that employers pay employees minimum wage and overtime for all hours worked over 40 in a given workweek.

In addition, the FLSA provides for certain ‘white-collar’ exemptions from these requirements. It is the employer’s burden to prove that these exemptions apply. The decision to make an employee exempt from the minimum wage and overtime regulations must be made intentionally based on specific facts and an understanding of the FLSA – not just because it has always been done that way.

Identifying an exemption can be complex, and job title alone is not enough to qualify an employee for an exemption. Workers must meet certain guidelines regarding their duties and must be paid a minimum salary of at least $455 a week, which is generally not subject to deductions for the quantity or quality of work. (Note that The U.S. Department of Labor has re-

cently proposed increasing this minimum salary to $970 a week). Three main white-collar exemptions exist.

The ‘executive’ exemption applies to supervisors and managers, but not working foremen, whose primary duty is managing two or more full-time employees or their equivalent (for example, four part-time employees). The term ‘primary duty’ generally means more than 50 percent of the employee’s time is spent on the exempt activity. The ‘administrative’ exemption applies to office employees who use their independent judgment and discretion on matters of significance relating to the operations of the employer’s business or its customers.

Typical administrative exempt employees include the CFO, office manager, or human resources director.

This is probably the most misunderstood exemption of all. Just because someone works in an office, like a secretary, does not mean she is exempt, even if the employee receives a salary as opposed to an hourly rate of pay.

The ‘professional’ exemption covers degreed professional employees such as engineers, CPAs, doctors, lawyers, and architects as long as they actually perform exempt work. Remember, titles don’t matter. The ‘janitorial engineer’ is still the housekeeper! There are additional exemptions for creative professionals, computer professionals, outside salesmen, highly compensated employees who make at least $100,000 a year, and still more industry based exemptions.

Fact sheets are available on the U.S. Department of Labor Web site to help clarify these exemptions. Incor21

rectly classifying a worker as exempt can result in legal disputes over actual time worked and years of back pay for overtime hours. Cracking down on improper exemptions is a priority for the IRS and the U.S. Department of Labor, which is very active in investigating employee complaints of misclassification.

Are all Forms I-9 complete?

The Form I-9 is required for every new employee working in the United States. The purpose of the I-9 is to ensure the employee is who he/she says he/she is and is authorized to work in this country. Each employee must fill out section 1 of the I-9 on his/her first day of work, and the employer must complete the remainder of the form within three days. Business owners should conduct a self-audit to ensure that they have fully executed and completed Forms I-9 for all employees and that the information contained therein is accurate.

The Form I-9 is a complicated two-page document, and it is easy to make mistakes in filling it out. Government, through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), can fine businesses for each erroneous form.

Even simple mistakes can aggravate the fine and turn an incorrect form into a serious legal violation. In fact, any individual who signs section 2 of the form on behalf of the company is doing so under penalty of perjury. Ultimately, criminal penalties can apply if the employer is found to have knowingly hired illegal workers. It bears noting that in more than 20 years of legal practice I have never found 100 percent I-9 compliance in any government or self-audit!

These are all federal considerations, but here in Georgia there is an additional requirement to use the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic Employment Verification System, commonly known as E-Verify.

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Employers with more than ten employees are required to use this online system, which checks federal government databases to determine whether an employee is eligible to work in the United States. E-Verify can make identifying immigration problems faster and easier, but it also adds a layer to already complex immigration regulations.

Is the job application complete and legal?

Business owners should also self-audit their application forms, both online and paper versions.

There are many questions employers are legally barred from asking under the Americans With Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Immigration and Nationality Act, among other federal statutes.

The application should not ask about an applicant’s age, other than asking if the applicant is under 18 in order to comply with child labor laws.

Asking about an applicant’s race, sex, religion, and family obligations is also improper. In addition, an application must not inquire about existing medical issues that may impact the applicant’s work or whether the applicant is pregnant.

In Georgia, it is still legal for private employers to ask if the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime, though there is a national ‘ban the box’ movement to abolish this practice.

Governor Nathan Deal recently signed an executive order that prohibits questions about criminal history on applications for state jobs, except for certain safety sensitive positions.

Is the employee handbook adequate?

An employee handbook can not only provide valuable information to employees about company practices and procedures, but also offer many av-

enues of legal protection for the employer. However, if the employee handbook is not prepared thoughtfully with input from an employment attorney before implementation, the handbook can end up being the company’s Achilles Heel. In this regard, many federal employment laws require certain written policies be included in an employee handbook, such as a policy under the Family and Medical Leave Act, an FLSA pay deductions policy, a ‘Safe Harbor’ policy under the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, and an Unlawful Harassment Policy under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Additionally, if employers intend to limit worker privacy and reserve the right to search employees’ things, subject them to drug tests, read employee e-mail, and more, it’s essential that these intentions be clearly stated in writing so that workers do not have a false expectation of privacy in the workplace.

Finally, it is critical that the employee acknowledge receipt of the handbook in writing. An employee handbook offers little protection if the employer can’t prove that the employee received it. The acknowledgment of receipt should be placed in each employee’s personnel file. A periodic self-audit will reveal whether any acknowledgments are missing.

Although these self-audits take time to complete, performing them as a preventative measure is far preferable to being exposed in a government audit or lawsuit where damages, penalties, attorney’s fees, and significant time, aggravation, and even bad press can result. I suggest consulting with your company’s employment attorney and getting started today!

Sarah Lamar is a partner in employment law at HunterMaclean. She can be reached at (912) 236-0261 or slamar@HunterMaclean.com v Georgia Contractor

Reason to CelebRate Westside Works Exceeds First-year Expectations, Seeks to Build on Momentum in Year Two

By Allen Allnoch

A crowd of more than 250 people turned out for the One Year Anniversary Celebration at Westside Works.

It was easy to spot many of the graduates who attended Westside Works’ anniversary celebration on July 10, 2015.

Bearing bright yellow vests from construction job sites, each was a walking testament to Westside Works’ resounding success in its first year.

Westside Works was launched by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, CEFGA Integrity CDC, and New Hope Enterprises with the goal of creating employment opportunities for residents of Atlanta’s Westside community.

Specifically, one of the initial goals was to train and place at least 100 residents into construction jobs within the first year.

With 144 placements from ten graduating classes, the construction program easily surpassed that goal. Construction Group #10, whose graduation coincided with Westside Works’ year anniversary, had 100 percent of its 19-member class placed into full-time employment.

In all, more than 180 Westside neighborhood residents were trained, certified, and placed into full-time employment in the first year. In addition to construction, Westside Works offers career training in healthcare, automotive, culinary arts, September | October 2015

and office administration.

“It’s an amazing thing to see all these people walking through the doors with their families,” said Frank Fernandez, Vice President of Community Development for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, as he watched a sizeable crowd mingle over lunch at the anniversary celebration. “To see the impact the program has had on their lives—that’s really cool.”

Rontavius Sanford is one of those first-year construction graduates. Now employed by Cleveland Electric, he works on the new Atlanta Falcons Stadium site and has made it a point to return often to Westside Works and encourage students who are still in training.

“It’s changing a lot of people’s lives,” Sanford said. “I know it’s been a blessing to me. It’s put me in a great position, so I try to come back every chance I get and talk to the students. I told [Westside Works staff ], ‘I’m going to bug y’all. You just don’t know how important this has been to me.”

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Mark Hornbuckle, founder and CEO of HB Next, which provides the program’s curriculum and instruction, was pleased to see workers such as Sanford use their lunch break to attend the celebration.

“Sometimes people don’t want to look back, they just move on,” Hornbuckle said. “We encourage our graduates to stay connected, because this is their community and we want them to help continue to build it. So it’s good to see so many of them back today.”

The notion of community development is a key component of Westside Works – and it happens both on a micro and a macro level. The former is evident at every construction group graduation, when graduates speak of family-type bonds built during the intensive four-week course. The graduates leave Westside Works not only with a set of valuable credentials, but also with a group of friends for life.

Then there’s the impact on the community at large. Jobs breed stability, both economically and relationally; over time, it can transform entire neighborhoods. Already in the first year, more than 2,500 Westside neighborhood residents registered at Westside Works and more than 1,500 of them attended orientation and received resume assistance, career assessment, training or some form of referral.

“It definitely has had a great impact on the Westside community in its first year,” said Fernandez. “It’s off to a fantastic start, and to me, the next year is about building on that foundation and being able to do it more and better. We want to impact even more lives and connect even more people to jobs.”

Because it was a brand-new initiative, Fernandez said one of Westside Works’ biggest challenges in its first year was “basically building the plane as it took off.” He added that Westside Works’ partners—the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA), Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, Integrity Transformations Community Development Corporation (Integrity CDC), New Hope Enterprises, and City of Refuge —responded beautifully to that challenge.

“We built flexibility into our process to account for that,” said Fernandez, “and everybody on the team, from CEFGA to Integrity to New Hope, has been great in terms of being on the same page and being responsive to what we’re seeing in the community.

That to me has been the most striking thing, and a big part of our success.”

Like Fernandez, CEFGA Board Chairman and Senior Project Manager at Holder Construction, Ryan Byars, also has been impressed by the pro-

gram’s success.

“It’s amazing to see the amount of energy and the number of graduates who have come back, and to know that they’ve all been working hard and representing Westside Works and CEFGA really well,” Byars said. “You can just feel the momentum that has been developed in this first year.

“It’s almost palpable,” Byars continued, “what has been set in motion through the vision of Arthur Blank and the Foundation, and through Frank Fernandez and [CEFGA President & CEO] Scott Shelar. They’ve been able to create what now seems to be a perpetual motion operation, one that will hopefully continue for years to come.”

Entering its second year, Westside Works is very much committed to its investment in Atlanta’s Westside, and is also seeking to expand the program into other communities.

Shelar, CEFGA’s President & CEO, said Westside Works is indeed primed to build on that first-year momentum.

“We knew Westside Works would be a success,” Shelar said. “But it has even exceeded our expectations. In terms of quantity, we beat our estimate of 100 residents placed in the construction industry by 28. In terms of quality, both graduates and employers are very pleased. It’s been a wonderful first year, but I really believe we are just getting started. We are excited about our second year and the future of Westside Works.”

For more information, please visit www.cefga.org or www.westsideworks.org v Rontavious Sanford says “(Westside Works) is changing a lot of people’s lives.” I know it’s been a blessing to me. It’s put me in a great position, so I try to come back every chance I get and talk to the students. You just don’t know how important this has been to me.”

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Georgia Contractor

Photos by Allen Allnoch September | October 2015

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LARGE DIAMETER OPEN-END PIPE PILES CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

By Frank Rausche, PhD, PE | Scott Webster, PE | Ben White, PE any things in deep foundations get bigger and bigger and that is particularly true for open-ended pipe piles. For decades, they have been driven to deep penetrations and GRL has monitored their installation, tested them dynamically, and analyzed them for driveability on offshore, nearshore, and on-land projects. The National Cooperative Highway Research Program Synthesis (NCHRP Synthesis) (i) defines Large Diameter Open-End Driven Pipe Piles (LDOEP) as either concrete

M

or steel pipes with diameters of 36 inches (910 mm) or more. For offshore oil platforms, 48 to 96 inch (1220 to 2440 mm) diameters are common, and have been successfully used following American Petroleum Institute (API) specifications. Lately, windfarm monopiles of more than 200 inch (5000 mm) diameters have been considered. LDOEPs are also used in port construction, and occasionally on bridge foundations, when heavy equipment and material can be economically transported.

In favorable soils, installation may be by vibratory hammer, however in most cases an impact hammer is needed to reach design penetration and to evaluate capacity by dynamic testing. Bearing capacity evaluated during pile installation, however, may not fully represent the pile response in the static service condition. The high inertia of the soil prevents plugging during driving. The pile ‘cookie cuts’ its way into the ground, making installation to design penetration relatively easy but reducing end bearing during driving. In fact, even the internal fric-

tion will not exhibit its full static potential during driving because of the up-and-down motion of the pile during installation. Not surprisingly, dynamic methods generally predict lower capacities than anticipated from static considerations. During static loading, however, internal friction may be enough to resist the end bearing acting over the whole pile bottom area. So while the contractor is happy about the installation progress, the pile designer is often concerned about the low apparent soil resistance.

To make things worse, designers occasionally install ‘constrictor plates’ (with a center hole to allow water and soft soil to escape) inside piles at a location where they would generate ‘end bearing’ effects without causing too much of an installation problem.

The uncertain condition of the soil plug under the constrictor plates and its effect under dynamic conditions, unfortunately, complicate the driveability assessment and evaluation by dynamic load testing.

The NCHRP Synthesis makes clear that designers and construction professionals need dynamic analysis and testing methods both for LDOEP job preparation and for construction control. Static load testing, while the indisputable method for static soil capacity determination, is usually not a feasible alternative due to cost and time constraints. Moreover, driving stresses and pile integrity assessments, not possible by static testing, are often very important due to the limited number of LDOEP’s used in a foundation. Dynamic tests during installation are the best means of assuring that installation meets specifications. Fortunately, dynamic Brown, D.A., and Thompson, W.R., Design and Load Testing of Large Diameter Open-Ended Driven Piles; A Synthesis of Highway Practice; NCHRP Synthesis 478, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C, 2015

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September | October 2015

methods perform well, particularly when local conditions and experiences are taken into account.

GRL was recently involved in a number of challenging LDOEP projects, most notably the Kentucky Lakes Bridge where the load test program included static, dynamic, and rapid force pulse tests on 48 and 72 inch (1220 and 1830 mm) diameter pipe piles. The challenges of evaluating static bearing capacity of LDOEP by dynamic methods were addressed in part by employing advanced modeling in the CAPWAP® software, in particular using radiation damping in lieu of the standard Smith model.

Other considerations for successful dynamic testing of LDOEPs include: (i) Dynamic tests during restrike have high benefit/cost ratio and are highly recommended, since low dynamic testing capacity results during driving are more frequently due to disturbed soil than a moving plug. ( ii ) Excessive energies loosen the soils, resulting in low dynamic resistance. Try to limit energies and, during data analysis, use superposition of early with late restrike resistance distributions.

Reduce high energies by cushioning to improve chances of measuring the full end bearing. (iii) The unit resistance at the plugged LDOEP pile toe will be less than that for the small area against the steel only (when performing driveability analysis with GRLWEAP, use only 50 percent of the anticipated unit end bearing). (iv) When investigating potential toe damage, realize that all dynamic methods assume uniform stresses over the pile cross section. However, a large diameter pile encountering obstructions or sloping rock can have very high local stresses at the toe.

Thus, for non-uniform resistance conditions, consider lower allowable average driving stresses at the toe.

Research is ongoing in many parts of the world, and we all need to stay

informed about progress in this important deep foundation specialty. Fortunately, dynamic testing provides a cost effective option that can be successfully implemented into many LDOEP projects.v

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•

Lessons Learned

ECS Corporate Services LLC

• •

Observations and Lessons from the School of Experience:

DRILLED SHAFTS

This Lessons Learned deals with drilled shafts, sometimes called drilled piers or caissons. While the term ‘caisson’ denotes a different historical construction methodology, the terms drilled shafts, drilled piers, caissons, and drilled caissons are all pretty much interchangeable.

However the industry has standardized the name to be ‘drilled shafts.’

Drilled shafts like other deep foundation systems extend the load of a structure through soft or otherwise unsuitable soils to bear on deeper, firmer material. Drilled shafts can be constructed to over 100 feet below the ground surface. They are constructed using large drill rigs, most commonly employing large diameter augers from two feet to in excess of 12 feet. There are also a variety of tools available to advance a shaft, core through rock, perform belling (widening of the base of the shaft in cohesive soils to carry larger building loads), and clear the bottom of loose materials left from the drilling process.

Drilled shafts are vertical excavations that are constructed typically using temporary or permanent steel liners (‘in the open’), or drilling slurry. They can be constructed with or without steel reinforcing. Instrumentation can also be installed in a shaft prior to concrete placement to monitor the loads and displacement of the shaft as building loads are imposed on the shaft. In addition, load tests are often performed on one or more drilled shafts to confirm that the shafts can support the design loads.

The earliest high capacity drilled shaft foundation systems were pioneered 28

inating an additional construction activity. This alone can be a tremendous savings in cost and time.

They can be a substitute for driven piles due to their ability to be drilled through soils that prevent pile penetration.

They can be installed immediately against structures when vibration and noise would be objectionable using driven piles.

When drilled shafts are constructed in the open, the soil or rock conditions can be directly observed and physically tested by personnel, or by robotic shaft inspection devices.

should be considered. In addition, boulders or other large obstructions in the materials to be drilled may be problematic to shaft excavation. Because the depths of drilled shafts typically vary from the design depths, the volume to be excavated may be larger or smaller. It is important that the specifications are written such that add/deduct pricing is

•

Due to the availability of multiple equipment types and drilling tools, drilled shafts have few limitations in size or depth. However high mobilization costs and limited site access are considerations when deciding on foundation types.

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Besides having the advantage of often being the most economical foundation system, along with other advantages, drilled shafts are very common in tall buildings, bridges, interchanges, and many other heavy structures.

based on the gross volume excavated, not the volume of each shaft.

Finally, it is very important that the geotechnical engineer, structural engineer, and drilled shaft contractor work together as a team during both design and construction. We hope this Lessons

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This foundation type does not require a concrete cap, therefore elim-

When evaluating drilled shafts for a project, difficulties with soil cave-in

Learned will be helpful when planning your next project. v

CLP: Closing the Skills Gap One Job at a Time in cities such as Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit near the beginning of the 20th Century, due to the need to support high rise building loads. While drilled shafts are used for a variety of building types, including bridges, low rise construction, and retaining walls, they are most commonly associated with high-rise buildings, or very heavy industrial applications.

One of the primary advantages of drilled shafts constructed in the open (typically utilizing temporary or permanent steel liners) over other deep foundation systems is the ability to physically observe and test the bearing strata prior to the placement of concrete. This allows not only verification of the suitability of the bearing materials, but also allows hand cleaning to remove detrimental materials or debris. Because of the inherent danger in lowering people into often narrow and/or deep shafts, the industry is moving away from lowering people into open drilled shafts. These days, robotic shaft inspection devices (SID) as well as other remote controlled quality assurance devices are available to

evaluate drilled shafts without sending personnel into the shaft.

The other common drilling technique is to fill the drilled hole as it is advanced with slurry (often called ‘drilling mud’). Slurry consists of a thick liquid (typically a mixture of soil combined with admixtures and water) which holds the sides of the shaft open until the slurry is replaced with concrete. The types of admixtures used in today’s ‘advanced’ slurry have dramatically increased the types of soils in which drilled shafts are a viable deep foundation method. While this drilling method is certainly safer then shafts constructed in the open, it does reduce the confidence somewhat that suitable material has been achieved.

Drilled shafts usually have a compressive axial load at the top and a reaction along the sides of the shaft (in some soil types) and at the bottom. The reinforcing steel in the shafts can be designed to resist bending and tension loads as well. In comparison with other types of deep foundations, drilled shafts have the following advantages: Georgia Contractor

Closing the Skills Gap – what does that mean?

To CLP it means providing workforce solutions to our customers and creating opportunities to put people to work every day. We change lives of our customers and workers by doing one thing and doing it well: skilled trades staffing! We provide qualified workers to customers throughout Georgia and the entire United States. We partner with some of the largest and best construction companies to provide safe, reliable employment opportunities to thousands of workers each day.

CLP is proud to align with CEFGA as its placement program leader. We take certified students and work with our customers and CEFGA members to place these students as temporary workers or as temporary to permanent employees, affording you the cost benefit of testing a workers skills set and match for values prior to signing that person on permanently.

This model creates win-win for both the employer and the employee. We invest in the students training and meeting our customer’s priorities and objectives remains our clear directive.

The CEFGA System, a construction Workforce Development Plan for Georgia, is shown below:

AWARENESS WEBSITES, OUTREACH, MEDIA TRAINING/EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEVEL SKILLED TRADES PROGRAMS PLACEMENT/EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT THROUGH CLP, LABOR UNIONS, AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY TERRY DAUGHERTY | CLP RESOURCES 8975 Roswell Road Suite 207 Atlanta, GA 30350 678-710-0826 678-710-0829 fax 404-987-9325 cell tdaugherty@clp.com www.clp.com September | October 2015

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Rice to Succeed Retiring CFO John Ulacia, Brings Strong Technology Management Background to Dexter + Chaney

G EORGIA C ONTRACTOR

BREAKING

NEWS

Dexter + Chaney Unveils Powerful New Spectrum Workflow Technology to Streamline Complex Construction and Financial Management Functions into Simple, Quick, Automated Processes Dexter + Chaney developer of Spectrum® Construction Software, is pleased to announce its new Spectrum Workflow functionality, which streamlines construction and business management operations by automating complex processes into simple, user-definable tasks. Dexter + Chaney unveiled the new technology at its 19th annual Connect 2015 Users’ Conference held April 23 –24 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle.

The Spectrum Workflow feature, fully integrated throughout Spectrum, allows users to define and enforce specific rules and tasks—creating automated, simple, streamlined processes for their organization. Spectrum Workflow utilizes intelligent workflow technology, allowing tasks and approvals to be routed to specific people, groups, or even defined roles within the organization. Tasks can be sequential or parallel, meaning that they can be sent to one person before being sent on to the next person, or to an entire group where one member or all members need to complete the task, depending on how the workflow step is defined.

Users can quickly approve, reject, or mark each step that has been completed. The full history of each transaction processed is tracked and stored, creating a detailed audit trail. Setting up workflow definitions is simple and once in place, they guide tasks efficiently from creation to conclusion. All people involved with a particular task or process are alerted when their attention or action is needed. This provides a smooth movement of data within the organization, along with a powerful added layer of oversight to ensure that no data is overlooked and no tasks fall through the cracks.

“In this day and age, few companies are overstaffed. The intelligent workflow designs that power our Spectrum Workflow functionality can help streamline processes and ensure you are not missing any important tasks or steps,” said Spectrum Product Manager Geoff Falk. “Workflows also help document and enforce segregation of duties throughout the organization, while still providing enough flexibility to handle the exceptions that come with every rule.”

Spectrum Workflow integrates with the powerful Info Bar in Spectrum, giving users their own Workflow section where their tasks and processes can be addressed, while providing the ability to drill deep into data without the need to utilize multiple screens or menu systems. Spectrum users also have their own My Current Workflow Assignments app on the intuitive Spectrum Dashboard where they can access assigned tasks and drill down into data.

Perhaps most important is that Spectrum Workflow is completely customizable to each organization’s specific needs.

Workflows can be easily changed to address special needs or situations as they arise. Authorized users can also override pre-defined workflows or re-route tasks and approvals when necessary.

“Our clients have asked us for specific tools to help them enforce and automate processes in their companies,” said Dexter + Chaney co-founder and CEO John Chaney. “While over the years we have built many of these into Spectrum, the development of dedicated, definable workflows with Spectrum Workflow brings all of these tasks together in a uniform, manageable system that will help further automate users’ daily processes and procedures.”

Dexter + Chaney has been providing complete construction management software for more than 33 years. From the office to the field, from accounting to project management, Dexter + Chaney software is used by more than 1,000 companies. Their clients come from all segments of the industry—heavy/highway and utility, general contractors, electrical, mechanical, and specialty subcontractors—and are companies of all sizes, from locally owned subcontractors to some of the world’s largest construction firms. Dexter + Chaney’s web-based software applications allow customers to get work done anywhere using any device with a web browser and without the need to download any software. For more information about Dexter + Chaney’s products and services, contact Wayne Newitts, Marketing Director, Dexter + Chaney, 9700 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, Washington, 98115-2347; phone: 800-875-1400; e-mail: info@dexterchaney.com; web: www.dexterchaney.com.v 30

Georgia Contractor

Dexter + Chaney announced the appointment of Brian Rice as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer. Rice replaces retiring CFO John Ulacia, who is retiring after 20 years of steering the company’s financial and operational growth.

Rice brings a proven track record in executive-level software and technology company management to Dexter + Chaney. Rice was previously the CFO/COO at LexBlog, a social media and content marketing firm focused on professional services companies. Prior to LexBlog, he served as the Chief Financial Officer at NetMotion Wireless, an enterprise software company, where he oversaw significant revenue growth as the company’s first CFO. Rice began his career in public accounting with Ernst & Young, working in both the Seattle and Paris offices. He graduated from the business school at the University of Wisconsin with a BBA Accounting degree.

“We’re pleased to be able add Brian to our management team. He has a strong financial and operational leadership background that will serve Dexter + Chaney well as the company continues its significant growth,” said Dexter + Chaney President Norbert Orth.

Rice said he sees a lot of opportunity for Dexter + Chaney in the years ahead and that the company has positioned itself well in the construction software marketplace through its ongoing commitment to embracing new technology and providing continual updates to Spectrum.

“This is a company that has all of the ingredients to continue to have success and grow on hand and I’m excited to get back into the enterprise software field,” Rice said. “I have some pretty big shoes to fill in succeeding John Ulacia, but I look forward to working with the excellent team in place at Dexter + Chaney and contributing to this company’s future growth.”

Rice added that he was particularly attracted to the company culture at Dexter + Chaney. “Caring about their customers and working directly with them on a daily basis is something that just comes natural here. It’s not just lip service. This is what makes good companies great and a big reason why Dexter + Chaney has grown like it has over the years,” Rice said. v

Document Construction from the Palm of Your Hand with EarthCam’s Site Map Cam WHAT: Today, EarthCam launched Site Map Cam—a free app that helps users document conditions and track progress from the palm of their hand! Site Map Cam delivers professional results quickly, thanks to the iPhone’s powerful GPS technology and HD camera. Simply upload a site plan, align to the app’s integrated map and start taking pictures—it’s as easy to use as Instagram!

WHY: Whether you’re breaking ground on a construction project or traveling to the zoo, EarthCam invites you to keep track of everything with its app. Have questions about the pipes you installed months ago? Want to relive visiting the polar bear exhibit? Search through geotagged photos with Site Map Cam! v

September | October 2015

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Georgia Contractor