Builders Association Research Articles

Hazardous chemical substances in construction

Objectives: To determine, inter alia, the profusion of hazardous chemical substances (HCSs) in the construction industry, which materials are perceived to be hazardous by contractors and the frequency of their use, and the preventative measures taken by contractors to prevent exposure to the human body relative to current South African legislation. Method: A pilot descriptive survey was conducted in May 1998 among members of the Master Builders Association (MBA) (Cape Peninsula) and the East Cape MBA to determine the status quo with respect to HCSs in South African construction. Results: MSDSs are not readily supplied; the amount of HCS training is minimal, and HCSs are stored in an arbitrary manner. Conclusions: Further research relative to HCSs is required. Implementation of processes and strategies will lead to healthy and safe management of HCSs. Tertiary institutions should address the issue of HCSs in their curricula. Industry associations and federations should raise the level of awareness and provide guidelines for the use of HCSs.

The HomeSafe Pilot Program: a novel approach to injury prevention in residential construction

Workers in the residential construction industry face unacceptably high risk of injury, disability and death. Attempts to implement comprehensive health and safety programs in this industry have met with little success. The HomeSafe Pilot Program is a novel residential construction safety program developed and sponsored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region VIII and the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Denver (HBA). Test subjects represent over 7475 persons employed in residential construction in the six county Denver Metro area of Colorado. The HomeSafe Pilot Program includes primary behavioral, engineering and administrative interventions to improve safe work practices in residential construction. It has some unique features of brevity, specificity and incentives not seen elsewhere in the construction industry. Its overall goal is to guide residential construction companies along a path of progressive development of comprehensive safety and health programs. The HomeSafe Pilot Program is introduced and compared to other safety and health program models developed by OSHA and the HBA. This study began in January 1997 and will continue through the millennium.

Mother Nature More Powerful Than Congres

The Johnson County Water District (JCWD), Kansas, submitted one contract per year for public bid on water main extensions. The JCWD then awarded the annual contract to one contractor. The Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Kansas City contended that each line extension should be separately bid and that state law does not permit aggregation of line extension projects in one contract. The trial court ruled for the HBA but the decision was overturned by the court of appeals.

Water Resource Development Fee Upheld

In 1987, the Scottsdale, Arizona, City Council passed an ordinance imposing a water resource development fee on new developments to raise funds for potential new water sources needed to meet projected population growth. The ordinance assessed a fee of $1,000 per single family unit, $600 per dwelling unit in a multifamily dwelling, and, for other uses, $2,000 per acre/ft of estimated annual use required in addition to the current annual use. Home Builders Association (HBA) of Central Arizona, representing developers who had paid the fee under protest, filed this suit claiming the ordinance was void. The trial court ruled for HBA and ordered that the fees be refunded.

Home Builders Association vs. St. Louis County Water Company: A cost allocation case

This case examines cost allocation issues in a regulatory environment. The St. Louis County Water Company (SLCWC) is an investor-owned, for-profit utility regulated by the Public Service Commission of Missouri (PSC). At the time of this case, SLCWC had filed a request for a rate increase with the PSC. The Home Builders Association of St. Louis (HBA) intervened in the rate process to request a change in the way SLCWC allocated indirect payroll costs to its Construction operations. At least three constituencies have a stake in this allocation problem: the HBA, the PSC, and the SLCWC shareholders and managers. In addition, the Public Counsel’s office of the State of Missouri has the role of seeing that the residential consumers are represented in rate proceedings. However, in this case the Public Counsel’s role is passive. Part A of the case first provides a background on the PSC and the process of rate regulation at the PSC. Next, background information is presented on the SLCWC and the allocation method currently in use. Finally, a description of the HBA and its concern over the allocation method is presented. The case asks you to consider this allocation process from the point of view of (1) accounting theory, and (2) each of the three major stakeholders. Part B of the case reviews three alternative allocation schemes: one proposed by SLCWC and two proposed by a consultant to the HBA. This part of the case asks you to consider these proposals and discuss whether they offer improvements over the PSC method. Part C describes the resolution of the case and summarizes the experience of SLCWC in the first year following the case. It also can stand by itself since it illustrates generic cost allocation issues that came to light after the rate case.

Utility Not Responsible for Relocation Costs Necessitated by Private Development

The St. Louis (Mo.) Water Co. provided water to St. Louis County and certain customers in Jefferson County. The company installed certain facilities such as water mains, distribution piping, valves, and fire hydrants in publicly owned rights‐of‐way. The Home Builders Association of Greater St. Louis and five developers sought to determine whether each developer or the water company must bear the cost of relocating when a particular developer's project required that water facilities be moved. The trial court ruled in favor of the water company. The appellate court said that the actions of private developers constructing their own projects not the actions of a government entity, caused the need for the right‐of‐way improvements and necessitated water facility relocations.

A Review of The Builders Association's Elements of Oz

This performance review of Elements of OZ, after describing the interactions between the production’s onstage action, recorded and livestreamed sequences, and innovative smartphone app, proposes that the production fundamentally explores process rather than artistic product: the making of the original MGM film, the percolation of the film throughout popular culture, and The Builders Association’s own unique method of live reenactment and reconceptualization