The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today published “Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19” to help companies respond in the event of coronavirus in the workplace. The guidance was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

The document provides practical guidance for preventing the spread of COVID-19, also known as novel coronavirus, and contains information on safe work practices and appropriate personal protective equipment based on the risk level of exposure.

“Protecting the health and safety of America’s workforce is a key component of this Administration’s comprehensive approach to combating the coronavirus,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. “This guidance outlines practical ways that employers and workers can address potential health risks from the coronavirus in their workplaces.”

This guidance is part of the Department of Labor’s ongoing efforts to educate the workers and employers about the COVID-19 outbreak.

• In addition to the guidance, OSHA recently launched a COVID-19 webpage that provides infection prevention information specifically for workers and employers, and is actively reviewing and responding to any complaints regarding workplace protection from novel coronavirus, as well as conducting outreach activities.
• The Wage and Hour Division is providing information on common issues employers and employees face when responding to COVID-19, including effects on wages and hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act and job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs has also published guidance for federal employees and outlines Federal Employees’ Compensation Act coverage as it relates to the novel coronavirus.

For further information about Coronavirus, please visit the HHS’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

The Cabinet Makers Association (CMA) is pleased to announce that Dominic Rubino will be the closing keynote speaker at the organization’s 2020 national conference, which will be held March 4-6 in St. Charles, Illinois.

A professional speaker, facilitator, author, and business coach, Dominic Rubino is dedicated to helping woodworking professionals work less and earn more. Through his blog, articles, podcast, and videos Rubino has been teaching business improvement tricks to shop owners for almost two decades.

To leave the CMA 2020 event attendees with a memorable conference experience, Rubino will close the conference with insights about how business owners need a map to get their company to the destination. That map is a strategic plan that portrays what the company will look like over the next five years. Rubino’s presentation will outline specific steps to help attendees figure out WHO will do WHAT by WHEN.

Rubino’s presentation connects the overall event theme of “2020 Vision” and the associated sight lines of driving a car: looking in the rearview mirror to see where we have been, checking the blind spot to see what’s happening around us, and shifting gears to accelerate forward.  After that, according to Rubino, “The rest is just checking the map and making course corrections to get to your destination.”

​You don’t want to miss this event! For more information and to register, visit www.cabinetmakers.org/2020

The Cabinet Makers Association (CMA) will once again host a day of local shop tours on October 16, 2019 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The CMA event is in conjunction with the Wood Pro Expo Lancaster, which will be held October 17-18.

On October the 16th, the CMA event will begin with a networking breakfast before the bus departs for School Specialty in Lancaster. The next stop will be Meridian Products in New Holland, PA. Then the group will enjoy lunch at Shady Lane Smorgasbord in East Earl, PA. The day will conclude with a visit to a CMA member shop: Seven Trees Woodworking in New Holland.

The CMA hosts high-value events such as this to connect similar-sized shops with the purpose of sharing best practices and business acumen, while learning how other businesses do what they do. In addition to the shop tours, the events encourage networking by providing an opportunity to talk shop, share issues, and provide solutions. 
​
Registration for the full day ofCMA tours is $65 which includes group transportation, breakfast, and lunch. To register for the shop tours and the Wood Pro Expo, visit www.woodworkingnetwork.com/events/wood-pro-expo-lancaster. In 2018, the CMA event sold out, so early registration is encouraged to secure your spot.

The Cabinet Makers Association (CMA) announces that Guy Bucey will be the opening keynote speaker at the organization’s 2020 national conference, which will be held March 4-6 in St. Charles, Illinois.

To kick off the CMA’s second national conference, Bucey will share why you should “Stay in Your Lane” when it comes to being an effective leader. Bucey is the COO of Inova, a leading manufacturer and innovator in the furniture industry. Located in upstate New York, Inova focuses on the hospitality, contract, multi-family, student housing, and military markets. Bucey began his career at the company following his service in the Marines and quickly became a role model, known for demonstrating the power of teamwork.

“At Inova, we put a lot of focus on our leadership — we want to be mentors and teachers and not just people who are telling other people what to do. The exact term we use is ‘servant’ leadership,” explained Bucey. “We’re always working to cultivate, train, and teach other employees.”

Bucey’s keynote address coincides with the event theme which focuses on “2020 Vision” and the three sight lines of driving: looking in the rearview mirror to see where we have been, checking the blind spot to see what’s happening around us, and shifting gears to accelerate forward.
​
You don’t want to miss this event! For more information and to register, visit www.cabinetmakers.org/2020

Owners and managers of woodworking businesses challenged by a low number of job applicants and/or high employee turnover rate are encouraged to attend free College of Woodworking Knowledge seminar sessions featuring the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America at the AWFS Fair, July 17-20 in Las Vegas.

The WCA is scheduled to participate in a pair of free seminars of the fair’s Culture & Workforce Track and one free seminar in the Teacher track.  The sessions include:

WCA – WIIFM: What’s In It For Me?
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17
Presenter: Patrick Molzahn, director of Cabinetmaking & Millwork, Madison College and secretary of the WCA
Whether you are in education or in industry, this session will provide ideas that you can use to implement the Woodwork Career Alliance credentialing system to create and manage a training program in your school or business. The presenter, who has used the WCA Skill Standards to shape his curriculum, will demonstrate how to improve your training program and discuss how members can take advantage of the WCA’s online library of videos, educational materials and other training resources to help you accomplish your goals faster and better.

Finding, Training and Retaining Workers
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thursday, July 18
Presenter: Patrick Molzahn, director of Cabinetmaking & Millwork, Madison College and secretary of the WCA
Where are all the workers? If only I could find someone with skills. These millennials just don’t have the work ethic we expect. Does this sound familiar? In a tight labor market, you need to get creative. This seminar will provide strategies to overcome many of the challenges you face recruiting and retaining quality employees.

Building a Training Program for Your Workers
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 19
Presenters: Scott Nelson, president of the WCA & Patrick Molzahn, director of Cabinetmaking & Millwork, Madison College and secretary of the WCA
Are you looking to create you own in-house training program? This ‘nuts & bolts’ session will show you how to get started and how you can access ready-made resources to make the job easier. The presenters will discuss how to assess new candidates on layout and measurement and how to customize your training template. Come to this session to learn:

• How to access quality training resources;
• How to develop and structure a training plan – including creating a template; and
• The benefits of doing in-house training.

In addition to those three free seminars, instructors of two WCA EDUcation™ institutions will present sessions in the Teacher track. John Stearns of the MiLL is scheduled to talk on Classroom Tool Safety, Teacher Curriculum and Resources, and How to Get Money for Your Program & Spend It Wisely. Mark Smith of Reed Cutler High School will discuss AutoCAD for the Woodworking Program and Marketing Your Program: How to Get Started.
​
To learn more and register for AWFS Fair seminars, visit awfsfair.org. 

When Oregon State University and the TallWood Design Institute (TDI) needed a machining solution to support creativity in their new A.A. “Red” Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Laboratory, they turned to Biesse Uniteam and its high performance Uniteam UT work center. When the new lab opens on May 14th, the UT machine will be used for student education, industry training, technical demonstrations, and applied research.
 
A partnership between Oregon State University’s Colleges of Forestry and Engineering and University of Oregon’s College of Design, TDI is the nation’s leading research collaborative focused on the advancement of structural wood products and mass timber design. “There are several large-scale CNC machines on the market that allow manufacturers to work with mass timber products such as cross-laminated timber (X-LAM) and glue-laminated beams (GLU-LAM),” said Iain Macdonald, Director of TDI.  “But essentially what we saw with the Uniteam UT machine was that it had the best all-round flexibility. This is really important for what we do - every project is unique, and we will be dealing with everything from scaled-down mockup buildings and product prototyping to full-scale structures for testing.”
 
Macdonald previously managed an R&D center for the wood products industry in Canada, and experienced some frustrations with the more limited capabilities of other machines. "When architecture students and practicing architects came to our workshops, they were all fired up to try out innovative designs and be very creative. They were sometimes disappointed when we had to tell them about the constraints of those machines.”
            
Macdonald said the experience of Emmerson Lab users is likely to be quite different. “Our new Biesse Uniteam UT machine will cut mass timber panels, straight beams and curved beams, so it will help us push the boundaries of what can be done with wood. We are really looking forward to being able to use all the capabilities of the machine to do some cutting-edge research projects, help industry understand what the technology can do, and show designers how the fabrication process works. To fulfill our research and development mandate, the UT machine was clearly the best solution for us".
            
According to Mike Johnson, Biesse Vice President of Sales, the Uniteam UT’s design has a unique advantage. “The Uniteam UT has the flexibility to quickly set-up for machining of both straight and curved Mass Timber or Laminated Beams, while also having the capacity to machine CLT panels up to 10’ in width. It combines a fast automatic clamping solution with a powerful 5-Axis electro spindle able to perform machining operations to the highest possible standards. The Uniteam UT machine is ideal for manufacturing companies requiring flexibility in fabrication as well as the needs of a research, training, and design institute like TallWood.”
           
Made possible by $6 million in funding from California-based Sierra Pacific Industries and named for Sierra Pacific's co-founder, the new lab has two missions. Half of it will be dedicated to state-of-the-art fabrication. The other half will house a structural testing facility, designed for building up to 3-story structures using mass timber products and destructively testing them for seismic strength, structural strength, and other characteristics. The 15,000-square foot advanced materials lab is one part of an $80 million investment to create the Oregon Forest Science Complex, that also encompasses the 80,000-square foot George W. Peavy Forest Science Center.