NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Skilled Trades (ORR# 2019-101 LR)

Plumbing Board (ORR# 2019-106 LR)

Electrical Administrative Board (ORR# 2019-110 LR)

Boiler Rules (ORR# 2019-115 LR)

Board of Mechanical Rules (ORR# 2019-126 LR)

Building Officials, Plan Reviewers, and Inspectors (ORR# 2019-109 LR)

The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, will hold a public hearing on the Skilled Trades rules and the following repealed acts State Plumbing Board Act; Electrical Administrative Board Act ; Boiler Act; Board of Mechanical Act and Building Officials, Plan Reviewers, and Inspectors Act.  The public hearing will be held on Monday May 23, 2022, at the 1^st Floor Forum in the Michigan Library & Historical Center, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, MI 48915.

The Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, repeals the State Plumbing Board Act, 2002 PA733, MCL 338.3511 to 338.3569; Electrical Administrative Board Act, 1956 PA 217, MCL 338.881 to 338.892; Boiler Act, 1965 PA 290, MCL 408.751 to 408.776 ; Board of Mechanical Act, 1984 PA 192, MCL 338.971 to 338.988; and the Building Officials and Inspectors Registration Act, 1986 PA 54, MCL 338.2301 to 338.2313.  The repealed Acts are outdated and do not provide uniform licensing, complaint investigation, and enforcement provisions for skilled trades licenses.  This places a burden on the bureau administering the Acts and creates an inefficient use of resources.  Additionally, many licensees who are cross licensed in multiple trades have expressed dissatisfaction with conflicting provisions, such as electronic communication and third-party continuing education tracking options and specifies violations for unlicensed activity as provided to other regulated professions.  Because these Acts were repealed, the bureau plans to rescind the licensing rules regulated under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act. The Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, streamlines the processes for all license types included while providing for modernized provisions, such as electronic communication and third-party continuing education tracking options, and specifies violations for unlicensed activity as provided to other regulated professions.  While the Skilled Trades Regulation Act repealed the five Acts that regulated certain skilled trades, this new Act includes provisions to regulate those same skilled trades

The proposed rules will be published in the May 15^th, Michigan Register.  You may download a free copy of the proposed amendments by visiting the Bureau's website at www.michigan.gov/bcc. 

Oral or written comments may be presented in person at the hearing May 23, 2022, or submitted in writing by email no later than 5:00 p.m., May 23, 2022, to the following email address LARA-BCC-Rules@michigan.gov.  If your presentation at the public hearing is in written form, please provide a copy to the Rules Analyst, at the conclusion of your testimony at the hearing.

If you have comments that you would like MIACCA to submit on your behalf, please send them to mjdsmith@miacca.org by May 20th @ 5:00 p.m.

HB 4705 Signed into Law

LANSING, Mich. - On May 2nd, Governor Whitmer signed House Bill 4705, which expands the Open Meetings Act to require certain state public bodies to create and maintain audio recordings of their meetings, expanding transparency and accountability. This brings the total of bipartisan bills signed to 811.

"Transparency and accessibility are critical to ensuring people trust their state government," said Governor Whitmer. "Expanding the Open Meetings Act to require audio recordings of public meetings will help Michiganders have more confidence in their public bodies. I will work with anyone to boost accountability by instituting robust standards of transparency consistently across levels and chambers of our government."

House Bill 4705 expands the Open Meetings Act to require public meetings of state licensing boards, state commission panels, and state rule-making boards to record meetings to allow for the capture of sound, such as an audio-only recording, a video recording with sound and picture, or a broadcast that is capable of being recorded. 

MIACCA has played an integral part in the process of bringing this bill into law for our contractors. 

Another successful legislative win for us as we
continue protecting the industry for you! 

The EPA recently imposed a completely unjustified ban on non-refillable refrigerant cylinders that increases costs on HVACR businesses and consumers, empowers China, and endangers technicians in the HVAC-R industry. We need Congress's help to reverse this damaging decision!

The ban applies to the cylinders that air conditioning techs use every day to transport hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants including R32 and R410A. If the ban holds, we'll be forced to rely on extremely heavy refillable cylinders with questionable quality control imported from China. Not to mention the ransition will impose significant, unnecessary costs on the broader HVAC-R industry including manufacturers, distributors, contractors, and technicians.

Specifically, the ban will result in the following: American manufacturing jobs will be lost Increased weight means more injuries and long-term strain on technicians Those unable to lift, pull, or carry the new, imported 50-pound containers will have difficulty finding jobs or continuing to work in the industry Added $2 billion in costs for U.S. companies to setup refillable cylinder fleets Another form of price inflation, and some American families may not be able to service their AC units Small businesses will have to pay more for cylinders Contractors will need to reconfigure trucks to fit the new cylinders, adding another unnecessary cost as well as increased vehicle weight, strain, and maintenance over time. Bad actors from China will flood the market with poorly constructed cylinders The already stressed cooling supply chain will be even further constrained—putting vulnerable populations at risk EPA claims that this ban will protect the environment and stop illegal HFC imports; however, there is little evidence to support this claim. Similar bans have been enacted elsewhere in the world and smugglers have quickly adapted by smuggling HFCs in various types of containers. An effective solution to this problem would be to improve border security practices, increase importer tracking requirements, and raise enforcement and consequences for the improper handling of HFC refrigerants. This includes both illegal trafficking by foreign companies and illegal venting and disposal by unscrupulous individuals. These entities seek to undercut law abiding U.S. manufacturers and HVAC-R contractors respectively. Congress needs to get involved.  Take action now! Our industry needs to work together to ensure the well-being of contractors, technicians, suppliers, staff and clients. MIACCA supports ACCA's ongoing legislative efforts and encourages you to sign this letter (click link above) to be sent to your policy makers today.

Bureau of Construction Codes Update

Executive Director, M.J. D'Smith was in attendance at the following commission and board meetings, on behalf of our MIACCA members.  Here is her report of those meetings.

Board of Boiler Rules - April 5, 2022

Election of Officers:  Officers will remain the same. Chair-Michael Horton, Vice.Chair- Chris Lanzon and Secretary-Garrett Jackson

Audit Findings: Director Keith Lambert discussed the audit report.  He brought up the amount of boilers that have yet to be inspected and the timeliness of completing inspections.  This audit did not separate the Insurance company inspections v the State's. 

Are penalties enforced?  They do not have the resources to enforce the $500/day 30 days in jail penalty that is stated.

CSD-1 Reporting:  It was pointed out that CSD-1 certifications are not recognized by the State. The Michigan Boiler Rules, Rule number R 408.4027 states that an individual must have specific classifications (parts 5 or 6) on their mechanical license to perform CSD-1 boiler services.

Owners need to be aware that CSD-1 inspections need to be done.  The word to get these reports posted in the boiler room needs to be expressed.

Invoicing/Inspection Practices: Boilers are under the building owner.  The state has no way to contact those who have moved or sold the business to follow up with inspections.  The BCC would like to find a way to tie the boiler into the actual building, via deed/title.  May work with Real Estate division to investigate legislation changes.

There is currently $175k in outstanding invoices, mostly from boiler certifications that are waiting to be paid.  It was pointed out that the Chief of Detroit will be giving a 30-60 day notice and then take the party to court.  The State of Texas, along with others has a separate enforcement division making it easier to collect.

Boiler Division Report:  A new inspector was just hired for the U.P.  He is located in Escanaba and will cover the entire U.P. for now.  SE MI will be in need as the inspector is leaving April 15th due to pay, benefits and vehicle expense.  Michigan is competitive with other states, including CA, but the BCC will be reevaluating this.  They currently cannot compete with the insurance companies.

Public Comment:  MIACCA Member, Ken Misiewicz of Pleune Service Company, stated the need for the board to restructure the notifying the owners first of a violation to bring it first to  the company, as with other commissions/boards.  The ability for the company to contact the owners and fix the violation first can smooth out customer relations and establish trusting work relations.  

Next Meeting: July 26, 2022

Construction Codes Commission - April 13, 2022

Election of Officers: The vacant position of Vice Chair was filled by Mark Lee.

Code Update: The Michigan Energy Code parts 10 and 10a public comments are currently being reviewed.  There will be a public hearing on this, the 2021 residential code and  skilled trades act.

BCC Update: Director Lambert briefly talked about the audit.  He stated that the BCC will be promoting the skilled trades workforce at a job fair event at the Earle Heratio Center on May 12th.  The event will be held live 9-3 and again virtually 3-7 that day.  He stated that more information will be forthcoming.

Next Meeting: July 20, 2022

MIACCA's Website has a fresh new look!  Executive Director, M.J. D'Smith has revamped the site with new images, color scheme, content and streamlined easy to navigate menu items.  She has also added a new webinar page that offers free video training. Please review our Contractor Directory.  As a member benefit, you are entitled to free advertising  on our website.  This is utilized by the public seeking Professional HVAC Contractor Services.  If you need to update or add your company logo, please email it to mjdsmith@miacca.org for addition to your listing. Don't see your company advertised?  No problem, click the Become a Member button below and join MIACCA today for this and many other member benefits when you join.

MIACCA Submits Written Comments on Proposed Michigan Uniform Energy Code

On March 16th, MIACCA submitted written comments The proposed Michigan Uniform Energy Code.  The proposed changes will incorporate the new ICC 2021 code that will now require testing of ducts inside conditioned space. MIACCA's submissions below, provide reasoning to eliminate the these requirements.

MIACCA - 2021 MEC R403.3.4 w docs.pdf

MIACCA 2021 MEC R403.3.5.pdf 

MIACCA 2021 MEC R403.3.7.pdf

This is just another example of how MIACCA is advocating for our Michigan Contractors

Hiring Practices   Tuesday, March 22, 2022 (12:00 PM Central) 60 minutes | Complimentary | Advance registration required   This webinar will focus on Hiring Practices, including key trends and issues that many organizations struggle with as they operate in an environment of accelerated change. From candidate and employee expectations around flexibility and remote work to reducing turnover by elevating the hiring process, the Big Quit of 2021 and the search for talent, the hiring process presents numerous challenges. After identifying some key trends and best practices, examples from the trenches and a live Question and Answer period will round out this presentation.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND Human Resources Professionals Managers and Supervisors Risk Managers

March is National Ladder Safety Month Almost every home in the United Sates has one, and chances are you have used one personally either at work or at home. From changing out a lightbulb to getting on top of a roof, ladders are a common piece of equipment used in almost every home or building and appear to be harmless — and yet according to Injury Facts, thousands of people are killed due to falls from a ladder or scaffolding work. In fact, falls are the second leading cause of death next to highway crashes. Understanding the different types of ladders as well as safe ladder practices are key to preventing falls and other potential injuries. Here are some helpful tips to always keep in mind when using a ladder provided by OSHA: Read and follow all labels/markings on the ladder. Avoid electrical hazards! – Look for overhead power lines before handling a ladder. Avoid using a metal ladder near power lines or exposed energized electrical equipment. Always inspect the ladder prior to using it. If the ladder is damaged, it must be removed from service and tagged until repaired or discarded. Always maintain a 3-point (two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand) contact on the ladder when climbing. Keep your body near the middle of the step and always face the ladder while climbing (see diagram). Only use ladders and appropriate accessories (ladder levelers, jacks or hooks) for their designed purposes. Ladders must be free of any slippery material on the rungs, steps or feet. Do not use a self-supporting ladder (e.g., step ladder) as a single ladder or in a partially closed position. Do not use the top step/rung of a ladder as a step/rung unless it was designed for that purpose. Use a ladder only on a stable and level surface, unless it has been secured (top or bottom) to prevent displacement. Do not place a ladder on boxes, barrels or other unstable bases to obtain additional height. Do not move or shift a ladder while a person or equipment is on the ladder. An extension or straight ladder used to access an elevated surface must extend at least 3 feet above the point of support (see diagram). Do not stand on the three top rungs of a straight, single or extension ladder. The proper angle for setting up a ladder is to place its base a quarter of the working length of the ladder from the wall or other vertical surface (see diagram). A ladder placed in any location where it can be displaced by other work activities must be secured to prevent displacement or a barricade must be erected to keep traffic away from the ladder. Be sure that all locks on an extension ladder are properly engaged. Do not exceed the maximum load rating of a ladder. Be aware of the ladder's load rating and of the weight it is supporting, including the weight of any tools or equipment. While some of these dos and don'ts may seem obvious, it's important to keep things in perspective. According to National Ladder Safety Month, every year over 100 people die in ladder-related accidents, and thousands suffer disabling injuries. The good news, however, is that ladder safety is becoming a key safety topic among employees in the construction industry. Don't miss the 2018 Stats as reported by National Ladder Safety Month for spreading the news about the safety dangers ladders can create and how to work safely both on and around ladders. While falls from ladders are a growing concern, it's also reassuring and important to remember that ladder-related injuries and fatalities are completely preventable.