Pit & Quarry, January 2013

IndUsTRY snAPshoT Industry briefs Vulcan develops product calculator for Apple devices Vulcan Materials Co has launched a product calculator app for Apples iPhone iPod Touch and iPad mobile devices The Vulcan Materials Product Calculator is a tool that allows users to estimate the construction materials needed for building and paving projects The app is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App store ARTBA predicts U S construction infrastructure growth The American Road Transportation Builders Associations ARTBA annual forecast suggests that the U s transportation construction infrastructure market will show modest growth in 2013 According to ARTBAs forecast this segment will increase 3 percent to 1305 billion in 2013 The associations chief economist Alison Premo Black says growth is expected in highway and street pavements private work for driveways and parking lots as well as airport terminal and runways JJB Silverhawk buys San Diego area quarries JJB silverhawk LP has purchased two southern California quarries from McGrath Jamacha Road LLC and McGrath Willow LLC for undisclosed amounts The quarries located northeast of san diego in the cities of El Cajon and Lakeside had been family owned since the 1940s Metal nonmetal mines cited in impact inspections MshA issued 150 citations and 10 orders during special impact inspections conducted at three metal nonmetal mines and 13 coal mines during september The mines inspected were Pioneer natural Resources UsA Inc s Glass Rock operation in ohio heidelberg Cements Waco Plant in Texas and Molycorp Inc s Mt Pass Mine Mill in California Main hails appeals court decision as miner victory MshA Assistant secretary of Labor Joe Main called a U s Court of Appeals rejection of a worker discrimination case a resounding victory for miners and their right to identify hazardous conditions that put themselves and others in danger Main made his comment in reference to a case in which the U s Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit rejected an appeal of Cordero Mining LLC The case stems back to May 2010 when a shovel operator with 28 years of experience as a miner filed a complaint with MshA alleging that Cordero Mining terminated her employment in retaliation for her repeated safety complaints The miner claimed her unlawful discharge had a chilling effect on the willingness of other miners to raise safety issues at the mine 10 PIT QUARRY January 2013 www pitandquarry com