The ENERGY STAR Challenge is a national call-to-action to improve the energy efficiency of America’s commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more.  The Challenge for Industry recognizes industrial sites that improve their energy efficiency by 10% within 5 years.

Who Can Take the Challenge for Industry?

Any manufacturing site can take the Challenge for Industry. However, to receive EPA recognition, you need to be an ENERGY STAR partner.  Not an ENERGY STAR partner?

Join today!

Why Take the Challenge for Industry?

Be part of the solution by reducing greenhouse gases caused by energy use.  Companies and sites that step up to the Challenge:

• Demonstrate their commitment to protecting the environment by pledging to improve energy performance with ENERGY STAR
• Leverage the most recognized name in energy efficiency to motivate sites
• Utilize ENERGY STAR resources and communication tools
• Create momentum for energy initiatives by establishing a public goal
• Establish energy management practices for tracking and benchmarking energy performance that will help drive results.

Sites that achieve a 10 percent reduction in energy intensity within 5 years and whose parent company is an ENERGY STAR partner are recognized by the US EPA for their commitment to protecting the environment by fighting global climate change. The site earns:

• Official framed certificate from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program documenting savings
• A profile on the ENERGY STAR web site
• Letters from EPA to the company’s CEO and to the site’s US Senators and Congressional Representatives highlighting their accomplishments
• Materials for communicating the site’s ENERGY STAR Challenge achievement to employees, stakeholders, customers, and others

For more information on how your company can participate in the Energy Star challenge, visit the Energy Star site here.

Source: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=industry_challenge.industry_challenge

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Green or environmentally friendly buildings and initiatives have been in the news for quite a while and their popularity seems to keep rising.  Now, there’s a way to make constructing green buildings fun!

Now Retrofit, an online game from engineering software provider, Autodesk out of California, allows you to build an environmentally sound structure, more sustainable than the structure originally depicted.  Log on and build your own green building. The game’s focus is simple, to raise awareness about sustainable building practices.

Going Green? Go online & play now!

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In March 2009, OSHA proposed fines against Service Manufacturing Group Inc. in Buffalo, NY for uncorrected and recurring hazards.  The company agreed to address all of these violations, but failed to provide proof. 7 months later in October 2009, OSHA did a follow up inspection and found that 8 out of the 12 violations were not addressed.  OSHA then issued 8 failure to abate  notices totaling $100,500 in fines.  After a more recent inspection and additional  $6,300 in fines were issued totaling an overall cost of $106,500.

Here are the violations that were cited:

• Uninspected overhead cranes, lifting slings and fire extinguishers
• Failure to electrically interconnect containers while dispensing flammable liquids
• Missing gauges to ensure proper air velocity in paint spray booths
• Failure to medically evaluate an employee’s fitness to wear a respirator
• Failed to close unused openings in electrical boxes and cabinets
• Lacked an educational program on fire extinguisher use and limitations
• Did not post citations in the that were issued as a result of  OSHA inspections

“Each of these conditions can have a serious impact on the health or safety of workers at the plant,” said Arthur Dube, OSHA’s area director in Buffalo. “The ongoing failure to rectify these hazards continually exposes workers to potential fire and crushing injuries. These conditions must be addressed promptly, completely and effectively.”

Seton is the Source for Safety.  We have a great selection of  OSHA Compliant signs, tags and labels.

To read more on this article visit OHS Online

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Lens Cleaning comes in all shapes, sizes and formulas. When choosing a formula or a cleaning station that is right for your workplace, consider the following:

Formulas

• Silicone based solutions are ideal for enhanced anti-fogging and anti-static protection.
• Non-silicone based solutions typically are for work conditions that require product purity and/or prohibit the use of silicone, such as spray painting.

Stations

• Permanent stations are designed for heavy dirt and high-traffic areas where maintenance is available.
• Disposable stations are ideal for dirty area where maintenance is minimal or not available.

Check out seton.com/eyewear to meet all your cleaning needs.

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 Manufacturing output expanded in February for a seventh straight month. Factory output has provided one of the few areas of strength for the economy. Still, the growth in manufacturing activity slowed compared with January and fell short of economists’ expectations.

In addition, construction spending fell for a third straight month in January. And though personal spending rose slightly more than expected, Americans’ incomes scarcely budged. In part, that was because Social Security recipients didn’t get their usual cost-of-living boost.

Read the rest of the article here.

Thanks for reading, from Seton.com.

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Finally,  some good news out of Washington regarding housing construction. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come…

From the AP:

WASHINGTON — Housing construction posted a better-than-expected increase in January which pushed activity to the highest level in six months. The solid gain raised hopes that the construction industry is beginning to mount a sustained rebound from its worst slump in decades.The Commerce Department said Wednesday that construction of new homes and apartments rose 2.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 units. That was better than the 580,000 annual pace that economists were forecasting.

Construction Sign

Read the entire article: The Associated Press: Housing construction up 2.8 percent in January.

Visit Seton.com for construction-related signage, asset ID and other products.

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