2010 HBASC Annual Convention June 20-24

The Home Builders Association of South Carolina 2010 Annual Convention will be June 20-24 at the Marriott Resort & Spa, Hilton Head Island, SC. For more information go to www.hbaofsc.com or contact Vee Daniels at vdaniel@hbaofsc.com

Posted on February 17th, 2010

New Bond Will Improve Contractor's Cash Flow

SCHBSIF can now accept a surety bond in lieu of the 25% cash deposit currently required. This is available to both new and current members of the Fund. Bond approval is subject to applicant’s credit score and/or financial position. For example: assuming you qualify for the bond, and your 25% deposit is $5000, your annual bond premium would be $250. This would free up cash in the amount of $4750(5000 – 250). Please contact your SCHBSIF insurance agent for more detail on your specific situation.

Posted on December 3rd, 2009

Some Contractors will not get license renewal notice

It has been brought to my attention that certain groups of SC Licensed Contractors were not sent notices that their license was due to renew. As I understand it the state agency will not send any further notification to these contractors.

You may want to call your insured contractors and ask them to physically check the expiration date on their license to make sure theirs is current and avoid any late fees or retesting.

Also if your contractor has moved, it is a requirement of the licensing board that licensed contractors notify the state of their new address within 10 or 15 days of the move.

Posted on November 18th, 2009

NO RATE CHANGE FOR 2010

NO RATE INCREASE FOR 2010
4 YEARS REUNNING!!!!

For the 4th year in a row, SCHBSIF has not increased our renewal rates.

Our rates have remained consistent since 2006.

For some classifications rates have been lowered from what was charged in 2006.

Your customers deserve our expertise and proven consistency.

Posted on November 12th, 2009

SC Supreme Court decision Hardee vs McDowell

Supreme Court ruling will require contractors to obtain a new certificate at the start of every job to be afforded protection from the Uninsured Employees Fund.

Additional Documents: Supreme-Court-Hardee-vs-McDowell.pdf

Posted on May 1st, 2009

Resources to help you respond to Chinese Drywal Inquiriies.

Some drywall imported from China during the residential construction boom is alleged to contain high levels of sulfur and/or other contaminants. Homes with affected drywall are alleged to have a rotten egg smell, and air conditioning coils, copper components, and certain electrical and plumbing components have a blackened appearance. The problem originated in southwest Florida, but concerns about Chinese drywall are spreading as more is learned about other markets where the product was sold and similar complaints surface in other cities.

The media in Florida has been keenly interested in this issue, and now national media outlets such as CNN and ABC's Good Morning America have run segments as well.

As a result, you may receive inquiries from members, consumers or the media about the use of Chinese drywall in residential construction in your community.

NAHB has created the resources below to help you address this issue with consumers and the media; and provide guidance to your members on how to approach this issue with their customers:

* Chinese Drywall Media Talking Points
* Chinese Drywall Q&As
* Chinese Drywall Customer Relations Overview

Please note: feel free to share these with members, however, they are an internal NAHB resource and should not be shared with external parties such as reporters.

Contact NAHB Public Affairs at 800-368-5242, ext. 8447, if you have any questions, suggestions or would like assistance with your local media or public relations efforts.

Posted on March 24th, 2009

Veteran City Lobbyist Tapped as Top Comp Administrator: Top [02/27/09]

The South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission has tapped a veteran lobbyist for the state Municipal Association to become the panel's executive director amid continuing turmoil over a 2007 standoff with Gov. Mark Sanford over his mandates that the panel use the American Medical Association (AMA) impairment guides.

Posted on March 2nd, 2009

SC Supreme Court Decision-Certificates of Insurance

A recent SC Supreme Court ruling (Barton Decision) now will require all certificates of insurance to be signed to be valid.

Additional Documents: Certificate-of-Insurance--Good-.doc

Posted on March 2nd, 2009

OSHA Residential Fall Protection Requirements

The following is an update on the revised OSHA revised residential fall protection requirements by Danny Dilworth Loss Control Manager. This article will also appear in the February issue of the ‘Builders Journal’.

I have also attached file describing the new Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction as per OSHA.

OSHA Revises Residential Fall Protection Requirements

As a part of their continuing effort to reduce occupational deaths and injuries, on December 30, 2008, South Carolina OSHA revised their compliance guidelines for residential fall protection. The changes are now in effect and apply to all residential building in South Carolina. This article will highlight the more significant changes but will not be able to cover all possible effects of the revised guidelines. The revisions apply to the alternative safe work practices that may sometimes be used instead of conventional fall protection (guard rails, harnesses, or covers).
The most important change is that an employer must now show that conventional fall protection is infeasible before using alternative procedures. Typical reasons that conventional fall protection may be infeasible include: no room for guard rails, lack of a suitable anchor point for safety harness use, wall is being built at the edge where the guard rail would be, etc. Acceptable reasons do not include comfort or ease of work without conventional fall protection. This means that you must use conventional fall protection whenever it is possible to do so.
Also, the definition of residential construction has changed. OSHA’s definition of residential construction is now the same as the SC Commercial Code. For work to be residential, it must be on a residential structure not more than 3 floors in height and not have more than 16 units in an apartment building. Anything that you build that does not meet the definition of residential construction will have to meet the OSHA construction fall protection requirements as they apply to commercial construction. If you build a clubhouse in a development (or other building no one will live in), it will not be considered residential construction.
Most of the alternative safe work practices that you may use when conventional fall protection is not feasible are unchanged. All of the alternatives require that workers using alternative safe work practices be trained in the work practices to be used and that access to the work area is limited to the trained workers.
At this time, there is no data to show when trusses or rafters can support conventional fall protection while installing sheathing. Therefore, until such data is available, you may install roof sheathing using alternative safe work practices such as slide guards. Be aware that slide guards whether used for roofing or installing roof sheathing must be at least six (6) inches nominal in height.
Wall openings, floor holes, and roof openings more than six (6) feet above the lower level must be covered or guarded as soon as the sheathing has been installed around the opening.
More information about the revision to the residential fall protection guidelines will become available as we see exactly how SCOSHA enforces it in the field. I will update you when that happens. If you have any questions about this or any other jobsite safety issues please contact Danny Dilworth, Risk Control and Safety Manager, SCHBSIF at 803.309.9603

Additional Documents: OSHA-Fall-Protection1-09.pdf

Posted on February 5th, 2009