Industry News

Description: Inner Access Decks (Hatch Decks)– A platform unit designed and constructed to carry at least one person and allow access from the scaffold level below by opening a hatch embedded in the deck. Inner Access Decks are equipped with end hooks that engage the scaffold bearer, a hatch for access and may contain an integrated ladder. Inner Access Decks are generally rated for uniformly distributed loads. Items that should be considered when using this checklist as a tool for making purchasing decisions. Ultimately, the purchasing decision comes down to the purchaser. This list is not intended to [...]

The Rolling Towers/Mobile Scaffold: Inspection, Maintenance, and Use Tip Sheet The most common type of rolling tower/mobile scaffold is simply a single bay supported scaffold tower with casters. Mobile scaffolds may be constructed using tube and coupler scaffold, fabricated frame scaffold or modular type scaffold. As with any supported scaffold, however, it can be configured in many different ways. This tip sheet highlights some of the key items to keep in mind when inspecting, erecting, maintaining, and using mobile scaffold. Definition of rolling tower/mobile scaffold: A powered or unpowered portable, caster-or wheel-mounted supported scaffold. Worksite Inspection Users of [...]

On July 19, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2173 thereby making permanent the 5% retention cap on public projects originally enacted by SB 93 in 2011. MCAC requested the Governor's signature in a July 12, 2022 letter. Background: SB 293 (2011) capped public works retentions at 5% (from 10%) until January 1, 2016 and reduced the timeline of private and public progress payments from 10 to 7 days (no sunset date on the progress payments timeline). Then, AB 1705 (2014) came along and extended the public works 5% maximum retention withholding until January 1, 2018. Later, AB 92 (2017) [...]

New Edition of TMS 402/602 Masonry Code and Spec Published Courtesy of THE MASONRY SOCIETY Following a 6-year development schedule, The Masonry Society (TMS) has completed and published the 2022 edition of TMS 402/602 Building Code Requirements and Specification for Masonry Structures. This updated edition of TMS 402/602 includes numerous changes and additions such as completely revised veneer provisions that are more rationally based and a new Appendix on the use of GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer) reinforced masonry. Review of the new standards and changes made are available on a five-part recorded webinar series by The Masonry Society [...]

Several new laws and regulations significantly affect masonry construction businesses. Notable changes include an increase in employee sick leave from three to five days, implementation of a workplace violence prevention plan, an increase in the state minimum wage and minimum exempt employee salary, updates to the criminal history regulation, and a proposed indoor heat illness regulation. 1). Paid Sick Leave (SB 616) Starting January 1, 2024, Employees are now entitled to 5 days or 40 hours of paid sick leave (PSL). Previously, they were entitled to 3 days or 24 hours. Additionally, by January 1, 2024, [...]

ALERT! Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is Off-Again: Update as of January 7, 2025 As reported in the MCAC 4Q 2024 newsletter Issues on the Radar 2024: Year End Report, this issue remains a moving target with updates, literally, coming in days apart. Key takeaways: CTA applies to businesses with fewer than 20 employees and less than $5 million in annual revenue including corporations, limited liability companies, and any other entities created by the filing of a document with a secretary of state or any similar office in the United States. (Tip: Take an exemption test in the Small Business Compliance [...]

ALERT!Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is On-Again:Update as of Feb 20, 2025A February 18, 2025 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas means that beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) are once again back in effect.For the vast majority of reporting companies, the new deadline to file an initial, updated, and/ or corrected BOI report is now March 21, 2025. See FinCEN Notice, FIN-2025-CTA1, 2/18/2025.As previously reported in our January 7 Alert and the MCAC 4Q 2024 newsletter Issues on the Radar 2024: Year End Report (pg 5), this issue remains [...]

ALERT! Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Reporting is Off-Again: Update as of March 27, 2025 FinCEN Removes Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for U.S. Companies and U.S. Persons, Sets New Deadlines for Foreign Companies. On March 21, 2025 the U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an interim final rule removing the requirement for U.S. companies and U.S. persons to report beneficial ownership information (BOI) under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). In that interim final rule, FinCEN revises the definition of “reporting company” in its implementing regulations to mean only those entities that are formed under the law of a foreign [...]

ALERT! CALL TO ACTION Support SB 61 – Cap Private Project Retention at 5% MCAC proudly supports SB 61 (Cortese), which would cap retention on private construction projects at 5%. MCAC Support letter here. Now, we need your voice. ➡ Help Secure the Governor’s Signature on SB 61. The Mason Contractors Association of California (MCAC) urges members to take action in support of SB 61 (Cortese) — a bill that would cap retention on private construction projects at 5%, aligning with long-standing policy in the public sector. This is not new ground for MCAC. We’ve consistently advocated for fair retention [...]

BULLETIN! Reminder! Post Your Cal/OSHA 300A Log February 1 - April 30 Let's break it down... California law requires employers to post the Cal/OSHA Form 300A Annual Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses from February 1 to April 30 of the year following the year covered by the form. That means your 2025 Form 300A should be posted February 1 through April 30, 2026. Display it in a conspicuous area where notices to employees are customarily located. Make a copy of the form available to employees at each worksite and to employees that do not have a fixed establishment to which [...]