We are conditioned to believe what we know and what we have been told.  It is interesting how one realization can reverse our opinion; one point of view can alter our perception.  How often the facts are all there (and we are aware of them on some level) but someone can come along and clarify what we already knew in a way that shows these facts in a whole different and revelatory light.

For instance, we have known for years that we are losing population in Massachusetts, and that on Cape Cod population growth has been slowing and fewer kids are enrolled in our schools.  But, up until October 26th, we probably didn't quite believe it.  After years of fears of overpopulation, increased traffic, and big box retailers, a demographer named Peter Francese created headlines around the Cape when he spoke at an Economic Summit hosted by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Francese pointed out that we are in fact losing population on Cape Cod, that our number of school age children is declining, and that we have warning signs in front of us that are pointing out the need to "rebalance our human ecology."  Mr. Francese suggested that we work on retaining our young people - who currently leave the Cape because of the lack of affordable housing, good jobs, and cultural elements that appeal to them.  Barnstable County has the oldest average age of any county in New England, so it's not surprising our young may look elsewhere to live.  Speaking of balance, while our student population is decreasing, our school spending is still increasing, creating a dangerous financial tilt in a bad direction.

Enough of the bad news, now for the good: Cape Cod has proven a very resilient market through the ups and downs of the last four hundred years.  The Cape is a highly desirable place to live with, an international cachet.  We have been given a wake up call that seems to have hit home.  We do need to rebalance our human ecology and pay attention to elements critical for a healthy economy such as: inclusive rather than exclusive zoning, smart growth, real workforce housing rental units, and regionalization of government services.  We need to work for what we want rather than fend off what we are afraid of.

Thank you, Peter Francese, for your much needed point of view. Now to figure in which respects Cape Cod is half full and in which it might be twice the size it needs to be.

Moulding was originally done on a shaper, but as it started to become a larger part of the product line, Paul acquired a Foley Profile Grinder and a 2x4 XL Moulder.  After this first step towards manufacturing custom moulding on a larger scale, he bought his first moulder in 1990, a Weinig Profimat 22N 5 Head to replace the outdated XL, and moulding production and quality took off!

In 1998, he moved the operation from Oak Street in Centerville to the Shepley yard at 216 Thornton Drive in Hyannis.  After a few equipment upgrades, Paul now uses a Weinig Powermat 1000 with 6 heads and HSK tooling (spindle-less).  Along with the grinder came a Opticontrol Digital Measuring Stand.  Their quality is unsurpassed.

In 2005, Paul purchased a Rondamat 960 for HSK tooling.  All of the templates are drawn on computer and produced on a CNC Router template maker.  Now they can grind knives with greater precision.

Currently, Paul G. Richard Millwork Co.  has three employees: owner Paul Richard;  his son, Jeremy Richard; and his son-in-law, Feleke Astakie.  All orders go through the Shepley Sales Teams.  

Visit www.pgrichard.com for more information, or talk with your Shepley sales team about your custom millwork needs! 

Rob Taylor has been with Shepley for 22 years. He is the senior Interior Trim Salesman. His team includes: Rick Lowe, Outside Sales; Scott Medchill, Lead Inside Sales. They cover the Upper and Off-Cape territories. You can contact Rob and his team at 508-862-6225 or email smedchill@shepleywood.com

The provisions in OSHA standards that require PPE generally state that the employer is responsible for providing the equipment. However, the standards don't always specify that the employer is responsible for paying for the equipment. That is until a rulemaking decision this week, where OSHA is affirming that employers must pay for required PPE, with limited exceptions for specific items that could also be worn off the job, such as winter clothing and safety shoes. The rule does not require employers to provide PPE where none has been required before.

In 1999, OSHA issued their initial proposal to require employers to pay for all protective equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE), with explicit exceptions for certain safety shoes, prescription safety eyewear, and safety boots. The proposal cited two primary reasons for requiring employers to pay for PPE. First, OSHA preliminarily concluded that the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act, or the Act) implicitly requires employers to pay for PPE that is necessary to protect the safety and health of employees. Second, OSHA preliminarily concluded that an across-the-board employer payment requirement would result in safety benefits by reducing the misuse or non-use of PPE.

OSHA further preliminarily concluded that requiring employers to pay for PPE was a logical extension of the undisputed principle that employers must pay for engineering controls. The proposal noted that most standards require employers to install engineering controls, such as ventilation devices, and to implement administrative measures, such as establishing specific regulated areas or danger zones, as the primary means for reducing employee exposure to hazardous conditions.  Since the Agency viewed PPE as another type of hazard control measure used to protect employees, there was no basis to distinguish PPE from other hazard controls such as engineering controls and administrative controls for purposes of cost allocation (64 FR 15408). OSHA also indicated that requiring employers generally to pay for PPE would be consistent with the Agency's approach of including explicit requirements in many health standards that PPE must be provided at no charge to employees. 

Although OSHA proposed the PPE payment rule primarily to clarify employers' obligations under its standards that require employers to provide PPE, the Agency also believed that the revised rules would improve protections for employees who must wear PPE. OSHA cited a number of reasons underlying this belief in the preamble to the proposed rule. First, the Agency believed that employers were more knowledgeable about hazards existing in the workplace, and were therefore in the best position to identify and select the correct equipment and maintain it properly. Second, the Agency believed that employer payment for PPE would reduce the risk of employees not using or misusing PPE by ensuring that employers maintain central control over the selection, issuance, and use of PPE. Third, OSHA believed that employees would be more likely to cooperate in achieving full compliance with existing standards if protective equipment was provided at no charge.  In the Agency's opinion, all of these considerations together would serve to increase the use and effectiveness of PPE, and thus reduce the incidence of injuries and illnesses that are caused by non-use or misuse of PPE.

For more information visit http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/constructionppe/index.html or contact Dick Hughes to conduct a site visit and make safety suggestions. 

Deb MacPhee can be reached at dmacphee@shepleywood.com or 508-862-6200

TIME: 12:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (complimentary lunch included)

WHERE: Shepley Marvin Showcase - Ben Franklin Drive, Hyannis

RSVP: Deb MacPhee at 508-862-6200 or dmacphee@shepleywood.com

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:  Architects, builders and designers are encouraged to attend this course.

Architects receive 2 AIA credits.

Fire Resistive Gypsum Systems

This is a discussion of fire testing on gypsum walls and ceilings, ASTM E119, hose stream testing, fire rated assemblies, and how gypsum based products perform under fire exposure.

Moisture Intrusion & Control

This is a discussion about strategies to minimize the risk of moisture intrusion and cause related issues including: construction scheduling, material storage, proper detailing, vapor migration, building maintenance and preparation for building occupancy.

 And don't forget - Shepley has gone wireless!

That's right! You can bring along your laptop and access the Internet and your email while working with your clients.

Our Shepley Andersen Showroom is located at 177 Thornton Drive in Hyannis. Unlike other showrooms, it is exclusively Andersen® products and offers the widest assortment of window and door displays in the area. Our team of Andersen experts consists of an award-winning Service Department, dedicated Andersen Product Specialists and a Quoting Department. We also offer job site take-offs. We'll come out to your site and measure all window and door openings and provide you with a complete quote.

 The Shepley Andersen Team (L-R): Bill Holzman, Katrina Finton, Karen Allbecker, Skip Weeks and Craig Fischer.