The Steel Framing Industry Association announced that Jay Larson, P.E., F.ASCE, formerly with the American Iron and Steel Institute, has been appointed secretariat of the newly formed SFIA Standards Committee.

On Monday, Sept. 30, Maryland became the first state in the eastern U.S. to implement a heat standard for workers. The standard applies to both indoor and outdoor work and kicks in when the “heat index” (a combination of air temperature and humidity) equals or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Batteries are increasingly being used in a vast array of applications, from consumer products and micromobility devices, known as e-bikes and e-scooters, to electric vehicles and utility-grade energy storage systems. As use of these devices has grown, so too has the number of fire incidents associated with them.

The Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association announced its new G300 Safety and Performance standard, which includes CO-shutoff technology to reduce the risk of injury from misuse of generators in enclosed spaces.

The American Iron and Steel Institute has updated AISI S310 (North American Standard for the Design of Profiled Steel Diaphragm Panels). The standard, first published in 2013, provides design provisions for diaphragms consisting of profiled steel panels, which include fluted profiles and cellular panel profiles.

Building departments and the hardworking professionals working within them are the silent defenders of our communities. By overseeing the permitting, inspection and occupancy authorization processes for new construction, renovations and repairs, your local building department plays a vital role in ensuring that projects are built to applicable building safety codes and standards.

Full details will be outlined on the SPFA website in two weeks, but here are the highlights.

The U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury announced the issuance of a proposed rule to strengthen regulations under the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which aims to ensure that access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits through health insurers is not more restrictive than access to medical and surgical benefits.