Organization InformationNews Releases
Wednesday, May 07, 2008 - NSRP Releases Hex Chrome Exposure Report
The Naval Shipbuilding Research Panel (NSRP) has released its NSRP Hexavalent Chromium Exposures Report. This industry wide survey was collected from shipyard operations and should be of interest to all in the ship repair industry.
Friday, May 02, 2008 - Blair Middle School Robotics Team Captures LEGO Trophy
The Robotics Team from James Blair Middle School won the SECOND Annual VSRF Ship Repair Industry Awareness LEGO Competition yesterday (4/30/2008), besting five other talented teams representing the middle schools of Meadowbrook, Northside, and Norview.
The competition was stiff, with few points separating the schools. Second Place went to Meadowbrook Team 2, with Meadowbrook Team 1 capturing Third.
Each team spent the last several weeks researching the ship repair industry and the many occupations necessary to accomplish this most important work. Since the primary customer of the ship repair industry in Virginia is the U.S. Navy, the repair work is vital to our national defense. Each team then utilized LEGO software to design a ship or portion of a ship. The design had to incorporate something innovative that was not found to currently exist through their research. The teams then produced a PowerPoint presentation on their project, which they then orally presented to a team of five industry and technical experts who were the judges in the competition. Thank you to Chris Challoner , Main Industries, Inc., Tyrone Goodman, Norfolk Public Schools, Buck Hodges, Auxiliary Systems, Inc., Frank Jemmison, Valco Piping Products, Inc., and Brian Miller, Earl Manufacturing.
Blair's winning design was a cruiser which incorporated a wind turbine as a supplemental power source. As part of the turbine design, they included a proximity sensor as a safety feature which stopped the turbine if a large object approached.
In addition to a $500 check won for their school, VSRA will send the Blair design to LEGO where it will be kitted. The school will then produce their ship in the LEGO pieces as their trophy. The second place team secured a $250 check for Meadowbrook.
The poise, innovation, and imagination of all the students were extraordinary. Our sincerest thanks to the teachers, mentors, and parents of all the teams. A special thanks goes to Dr. Stephen Jones and the Norfolk Public Schools for their strong support of this competition.
The First Place Blair Robotics Team members pictured above with VSRA President, Malcolm Branch are Pedro Cain, Joshua Carter, Mitchell Cleary, Walker Cleary, Deion Dean, Samantha Ford, Carson Merritt, Schyler Vedros, Chris Whetzel, and Khamani Williamson. Team Leader/Teachers are Mrs. Nanette Dean and Mr. Paul Abramson. David Burt with AMSEC, LLC served as Technical Advisor.
Second and Third Place went to Team 2 and Team 1 of the International School of Studies at Meadowbrook. Both teams were led by teacher, Mr. Alex Witowski. George Pyles with Metro Machine, Inc. served as Technical Advisor. Second Place Team 2 members are Jamile Adams, Brandon Allison, Richard Dizon, Briana Robinson, Alden Rohrer, and Denzel Thomas. Third Place Team 1 members are Eric Harris, George Plank, Nate Tedrow, and Griffin Watts.
Thursday, May 01, 2008 - 2008 SSRAC Registration and Proposal Submission
!!! PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME THAT WE KNOW YOU PLAN TO ATTEND !!! REGISTRATION/PROPOSAL MILESTONE IS 30 MAY 2008 1. The 2008 SSRAC meeting will be held 29 July - 1 August 2008, at the University Center, 12000 Alumni Drive, on the University of North Florida campus on the southern edge of suburban Jacksonville, Florida. Further information is available on the SSRAC web site at http://www.sermc.surfor.navy.mil/ssrac1/jul08mtg/jul08mtg.htm. 2. Attendees must be trade oriented and familiar with the Standardization Program and SSRAC objectives. Those who meet the requirements should submit a request to attend, using the 2008 SSRAC Registration Request Form (also available on the SSRAC web site at the web address listed above). 3. E-mail completed Registration Form to linda.mayle@navy.mil (preferred), or FAX to (904) 270-5729 NLT 30 May 2008. WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT REGISTRATION REQUESTS IN ANY OTHER FORM. 4. Each participating private industry partner organization is requested to limit attendee requests to one per subcommittee. 5. The Milestone for submission of change proposals using the official 2008 SSRAC Proposal Form is also 30 May 2008. Joey Cartwright NAVSEA SSRAC Coordinator SERMC Business Office Code 1250 Ph: 904-270-5722 joey.c.cartwright@navy.mil Linda D. Mayle Asst NAVSEA SSRAC Coordinator SERMC Business Office Code 1220/Standards Coordinator Ph: 904-270-5593 FAX: 904-270-5729 linda.mayle@navy.mil
Monday, April 28, 2008 - Ship Repair Courses at TCC - SIGN UP NOW!
Friday, April 25, 2008 - EPA Increases Transparency of Regulatory Development
EPA is making federal environmental regulation more transparent by providing on-line information as soon as the agency begins the development of a new rule.
Starting today (4/14/08), EPA is using Action Initiation Lists (AILs) to notify the public about new rules and other regulatory actions. AILs will be posted on the EPA Web site at roughly the end of each month; each will describe those actions that were approved for commencement during the given month. Formerly, the public had to wait for EPA's Semiannual Regulatory Agenda, which is updated only every six months, to learn about new regulatory actions.
The AILs provide summaries, agency contacts, and other information about the rules EPA has approved for development. For example, the March 2008 AIL announces the agency's plans to issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for greenhouse gases in late spring. This notice will solicit public input as EPA considers the specific effects of climate change and potential regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from stationary and mobile sources under the Clean Air Act. The March AIL also announces the agency's plans to propose a rulemaking that builds on EPA's existing renewable fuels standard program. The expansion of the program was mandated by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.
The February and March 2008 AILs are now available. EPA expects to release the April AIL around April 30.
Action Initiation Lists: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/search/ail.html
EPA's Semiannual Regulatory Agendas: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/search/regagenda.html
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - Eastern Virginia Energy Conservation Conference
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - New OSHA Compliance Assistance Products
Below please find the following OSHA compliance assistance products that may be of interest to the shipbuilding and repair industry from the first half of FY 2008. For more information, see the New Compliance Assistance Products page on the OSHA Compliance Assistance Web page at www.osha.gov/complianceassistance.
Publications Page
- Redesigned Publications Page (Nov. 2007). This page allows users to find OSHA publications in several ways, including by the publication number or keyword, from an alphabetical listing, by industry or topic, and by publication type.
eTools
- Ergonomics eTool: Solutions for Electrical Contractors. Installation and Repair and Prefabrication Modules (Oct. 2007) (developed through the OSHA and the Independent Electrical Contractors Alliance)
- $afety Pays (Jan. 2008)
Fact Sheets
· Hazard Alert: Combustible Dust Explosions (Mar. 2008)
. Personal Protective Equipment Payment Standard (Nov. 2007)
· Remarks by Assistant Secretary Foulke Summarizing the Personal Protective Equipment Payment Standard (Nov. 2007)
· Seasonal Influenza Vaccination—Important Protection for Healthcare Workers (Nov. 2007)
Posters
- Combustible Dust Poster (Mar. 2008)
Safety and Health Topics Pages
- Combustible Dust (Mar. 2008)
II. Products Developed by Alliance Program Participants
The following products were issued by OSHA’s Alliance Program participants as part of the Alliance Program in the first half of FY 2008. For a complete listing and links to the products, see the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products page at www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/alliance_products.html.
Safety Alert
OSHA’s Alliance with the Shipbuilders Council of America, American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Shipbuilding Association, National Shipbuilding Research Program, and American Society of Safety Engineers
- Electrocution and Shock Hazards in Shipyard Employment
Monday, April 21, 2008 - TWIC Frequently Asked Quesitons
The US Coast Guard issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding its enforcement of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program.
Thursday, April 10, 2008 - 2008 SSRAC Meeting Announced
The following information was received from the Navy announcing the details of the 2008 SSRAC meeting. 1. The 2008 SSRAC meeting will be held 29 July - 1 August 2008, at the University Center, 12000 Alumni Drive, on the University of North Florida campus on the southern edge of suburban Jacksonville, Florida. 2. Attendees must be trade oriented and familiar with the Standardization Program and SSRAC objectives. Those who meet the requirements should submit a request to attend, using the attached Registration Request Form (also available on the SSRAC web site at http://www.sermc.surfor.navy.mil/ssrac1/jul08mtg/jul08mtg.htm). E-mail completed forms to linda.mayle@navy.mil (preferred), or FAX to (904) 270-5729 NLT 30 May 2008. WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT REGISTRATION REQUESTS IN ANY OTHER FORM. 3. Each participating private industry partner organization is requested to limit attendee requests to one per subcommittee. The seven subcommittees of the SSRAC are: Environmental/Safety/Health Hull/Preservation Machinery/QA Piping/Boiler Electrical/Electronics 4-E/Phraseology General (non-trade-specific issues) The subcommittees review proposals on issues relating to their technical/trade specialties and provide recommendations to the Steering Committee with supporting rationale. The Steering Committee acts on the recommendations of the subcommittees and handles issues that either cannot be resolved by the subcommittee or are beyond the scope of any one subcommittee. 4. No conference fee will be charged. 5. Milestone dates for the meeting are as follows: a. 30 MAY 08: Final registration deadline. b. 30 MAY 08: Final submission of proposed agenda items to SSRAC Coordinator utilizing an official Microsoft Word SSRAC Proposal Form (attached and also available on the SSRAC web site at www.sermc.surfor.navy.mil/ssrac1/meetings.htm. Please be sure to indicate whether the proposal is considered to be "Major" or "Minor" and whether or not there is a cost impact. Submissions should be e-mailed to linda.mayle@navy.mil but may be FAX'd to (904) 270-5729 in the event the use of e-mail is unavailable. The SSRAC Coordinator will take action on minor administrative changes, but all "major" proposals will be given a SSRAC Number and will be referred to the appropriate subcommittee for action. The milestone for proposal submission must be strictly adhered to. No submissions will be accepted at the meeting except in the case of safety/health related issues. c. 27 JUN 08: SSRAC Coordinator will provide draft agenda to scheduled attendees, identify subcommittees, designate subcommittee chairmen, and provide proposed changes and backup data. Prospective attendees will be notified when the information is available on the SSRAC web site. d. 29 JUL 08: Convene SSRAC meeting. Joey Cartwright NAVSEA SSRAC Coordinator SERMC Business Office Code 1250 Ph: 904-270-5722 joey.c.cartwright@navy.mil
Thursday, April 03, 2008 - Standard Items Changes Available
The following eamil was received from NAVSEA. It announces Change 1 to both FY-08 and FY-09 Standard Items.
1. The purpose of this e-mail is to issue Change One (CH-1) to the FY-08 NAVSEA Standard Items (SI's) and Change One (CH-1) to the FY-09 NAVSEA SI's. These changes affect the following SI's:
FY-08 (CH-1), EFFECTIVE FOR FY-08 NUCLEAR SHIP AVAILABILITIES, CONSISTS OF:
009-32, Cleaning and Pumping; accomplish - Changed per Technical Warrant Holder (SEA05P23), with concurrence of SEA08, to expand it for nuclear use. This is the original FY-09 version, with a new 3.1.27, a revised NOTE (54), and new Lines 3A and 5A, Table 4.
FY-09 (CH-1), EFFECTIVE FOR FY-09 CNO AVAILABILITIES AND CMAV AND EMERGENT AVAILABILITIES ISSUED AFTER 01 APR 2008, CONSISTS OF:
009-03, Toxic and Hazardous Substances; control - Rewritten by Environmental/Safety Subcommittee ad hoc meeting (2007 SSRAC Meeting Action Item).
009-24, Authorization, Control, Isolation, Blanking and Tagging Requirements; accomplish - Administrative change to 3.7 (2007 SSRAC Meeting Action Item to standardize tag verbiage, overlooked in the original FY-09 issue).
009-32, Cleaning and Painting; accomplish - Changed per Technical Warrant Holder (SEA05P23), with a new 3.1.27, revised NOTE (54), and new Lines 3A and 5A, Table 4.
009-88, CHT and Mogas Tanks, Spaces, and Piping; certify - Changed by Environmental/Safety Subcommittee ad hoc meeting, adds requirement for a "diagram" of affected CHT system piping and a "list of spaces affected" to 3.1.3.1.
Please also make a "pen-and-ink" change to the dates of 009-69 and 009-85 to read 19 JUL 2007 (administrative oversight in the original FY-09 issue).
Activity SSRAC Coordinators are responsible for advising contractors under their cognizance of this change.
2. The revised SI's have been posted on the SSRAC web site and are available to view or download at http://www.sermc.surfor.navy.mil/ssrac1/standard.htm.
3. The requirements of this e-mail do not authorize any change in terms, conditions, delivery schedule, price, or amount of any existing Government contract.
Joey Cartwright
Code 1250
NAVSEA SSRAC Coordinator
Office (904)-270-5722
joey.c.cartwright@navy.mil
Thursday, April 03, 2008 - OSHA Ergonomic Guidelines for Shipyards Available
OSHA's Ergonomics Guidelines for Shipyards are Online. To access the guidance document, please click the following link… http://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/shipyard-guidelines.html
Excerpt from OSHA's Press Release:
The guidelines emphasize various solutions that have been effectively implemented by shipyards across the country to decrease work-related musculoskeletal disorders. An "Implementing Solutions" section offers examples of ergonomic solutions that may be used to control exposure to ergonomics-related risk factors in shipyards.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 - Workforce, Wage and Training Survey Results Released
