GLFEA Breakfast Meeting
MIOSHA To Delay Implementing Portions
of New State Steel Erection Rule

Detroit, Sept. 27, 2002 - Sections of the MIOSHA Steel Erection Standard, Part 26, were updated effective Sept. 18, 2002, but the implementation of some of the standard's new provisions won't happen until the New Year. At a Sept. 27 breakfast meeting, the Great Lakes Fabricators and Erectors Association outlined the new rule's key design and fabrication issues.

"It (the revised standard) is safer, and as time goes by it's going to be more economical to use," said Gerry Mendek, GLFEA Safety Director and chairman of the safety committee of the Great Lakes Construction Alliance. Almost 100 design professionals, contractors, and other construction professionals attended the breakfast seminar at the Westin Detroit Hotel in the Town Center in Southfield. Mendek expressed delight at seeing many new faces in the audience, saying people in the construction industry need to "get together and start talking to each other about how we can make this work for us."

At the suggestion of the GLFEA, MIOSHA will delay applying new provisions covering design and fabrication of components until Jan. 1, 2003. The component requirements of the standard will not apply to projects for which a building permit was issued or steel erection began before Sept. 18, 2002. The employer must provide supporting documentation at the jobsite for these exceptions.MIOSHA Part 26 rules affected by the implementation delay include:

2616 (1) installation of shear connectors;
2626 (1), (2) column anchorage;
2628 (4) (5) column splices and perimeter cable;
2629 (1) double connections;
2634 (1) (a) open web joists stabilizer plate;
2634 (3) joists 60 ft. or less in length;
2634 (8) (a) field bolting joists;
2643 (2) four anchor bolts per column;
2643 (2)(5) girt and eave strut - frame connection.

Tripping hazards caused by shear connectors have long been an irritation, said Mendek, who has been a member of Iron Workers Local 25 for more than 30 years. To avoid these kinds of tripping hazards, the new Part 26 rules require that shear connectors may not be attached to the top flanges of beams, joists, or beam attachments in such a way that they project vertically or horizontally across the top flange of the member, until after the metal decking or other walking or working surface has been installed. Neither may they be installed from within a controlled decking zone (CDZ), which is only for the installation of the deck.

To protect against falling, the revised standard requires that holes and openings in roofing and flooring be decked. Decking holes are to be cut immediately before use, or perimeter cable must be used around the holes, Mendek explained, in accordance with requirements specified in the standard. He said if fall protection was planned for in the design and fabrication stage, beams could be designed with holes in them and stanchions could bolt right onto the beams with cable on them for perimeter cable and fall protection.

Temporary Fall Protection

Temporary fall protection is often used on construction sites, Mendek said. There are many different types of fall protection and various installation methods and they aren't always installed correctly. A member of the audience suggested that fall protection be built in up-front, with all companies using the same standard, noting that would helpful for ironworkers who may work on different projects, for different companies, each using something different for fall protection. Mendek encouraged a task group to be set up after the meeting to work on this issue.

Column anchorage and erection stability has been another problem on the job site, Mendek said. The new standard requires all columns to be anchored with a minimum of four anchor bolts. The column-to-base plate weld and the column foundation must be designed to resist a minimum eccentric gravity load of 300 pounds. Columns are to be set on level finished floors, pre-grouted leveling plates, leveling nuts, or shim packs to adequately transfer the load. Mendek said violations of these requirements are commonly seen on jobsites. The structural engineer of record has to approve any anchor bolt repair, replacement or field modification, and the steel erector needs to be notified by the controlling contractor prior to the erection of the column involved.

Revisions to Part 26 now require that the concrete used in footings, piers and walls must have attained at least 75% of its design strength, before steel is anchored to it. Training and information should be provided to all employees about this requirement, Mendek advised, and a company policy and procedure should be developed for repairing anchor bolts.

Column splices must be designed to resist a 300-pound eccentric gravity load placed 18 in. from the top of the column, the revised rule states. Perimeter columns may be erected if they extend at least 48 in. above the finished floor level, and they must have holes or other devices in or attached 42 in. to 45 in. above the finished floor level and the midpoint, so that perimeter safety cables can be installed before the next tier is erected, "except where constructability does not allow.

Regarding double connections, the new Part 26 rules require that when two structural members on opposite sides of a column web or a beam web over a column are connected sharing common connection holes, at least one bolt with its wrench-tight nut must remain connected to the first member, unless a shop-attached or field-attached seat or equivalent connection device is supplied with the member to secure the first member and prevent the column from being displaced and the potential for structural collapse. The use of half pins to temporarily secure double connections, an acceptable practice for many years, is no longer considered acceptable, Mendek said.

"Yes, it was a good idea," he acknowledged. "But it was risky, and it still is risky. This is an unsafe practice and shouldn't be used."

Erection of open web steel joists receives a lot of attention in the updated standard. Failing to stabilize joist structures correctly during construction is the reason for a lot of collapses, Mendek said.

"I think most of the fatalities in our industry are caused by failure, on joist jobs, with the stabilization requirements," Mendek said. That's particularly true, he added, when the building structure is loaded up with decking and other materials before it is properly stabilized. The standard specifies that steel joists or joist girders are not to be placed on any support structure unless the structure has been stabilized. Also, load distribution during construction must be planned to not exceed the carrying capacity of any joist. Mendek commented that during construction the thought is often, 'Let's get this stuff up as quickly as we can,' "and that's where we get into some overloading conditions."

'Qualified' & 'Competent'

At the request of one of the meeting attendees, Mendek partially clarified the difference between a "qualified person," someone who has the training and education, but is not a decision maker, and a "competent person," someone who has the authority to direct correction or make a decision based on the particular situation. Exactly who is deemed to be such a person seems unclear since the term does not always refer to the same person when used variously throughout the steel erection process.

"There isn't a universal qualified person," said GLFEA Executive Director Jim Walker. "There is a qualified person for a particular application, and maybe that's one of the areas of confusion. One of the things about MIOSHA standards is that they address minimum requirements. As a united industry, people who are concerned about being cost effective and safe within the steel construction industry, we are free to come together and develop a standard that we can apply … what we deem a competent or qualified person to be, as long as it exceeds existing standards."

Concerned with the process by which standards are created, the GLFEA has entered into an agreement with MIOSHA regarding the training of safety officers and the development of future standards. Mendek and Walker, both on the Advisory Committee for MIOSHA Part 26, are interested in feedback regarding such issues. The new Part 26 steel erection standard may be found on the Internet at the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services' website: www.michigan.gov/cis under the heading, "Workplace Safety and Health."