Labor Law Tools Introduced

The U.S. Department of Labor announced two new tools, the FirstStep Employment Law Advisor and the Employment Law Guide, to assist businesses in complying with labor regulations.

The FirstStep Employment Law Advisor is a new e-tool, available at www.dol.gov/elaws that helps employers determine which laws administered by the labor department apply to their businesses.

The Employment Law Guide describes the department's main laws and regulations in plain language for employers needing introductory information to develop wage, benefit, safety and health and discrimination policies for their businesses. It is available online at www.dol.gov/asp/programs/guide.htm and in print by calling 1-866-4-USA-DOL.

ASLA Seeking Award Entries

The American Society of Landscape Architects has released its 2004 Awards Call for Entries available at www.asla.org/awards/2004/brochure.htm.

The deadline for receipt of the entry form is April 30 and submission materials must be postmarked by May 14. The jury will convene June 18-20 and ASLA will notify award recipients shortly thereafter. Award recipients and their clients will be honored in a ceremony followed by a luncheon at the ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo on Oct. 30 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mold Standard Being Developed

The first draft of a baseline mold survey document produced by the ASTM, "Standard Practice for Transactional Screening of Readily Observable Mold in Commercial Buildings" has been released to the ASTM's subcommittee members for ballot.

Providing a standard screen for the surveying of mold within buildings is at the hub of the standard. The subcommittee of E50.02 consists of volunteers with backgrounds in law, engineering, architecture, environmental and property condition assessment, insurance, banking and real estate.

The goals of the task group are to establish a standard practice for screening commercial real estate for readily observable mold, improve the quality and consistency of mold screenings and ensure that the practice of conducting mold screenings is appropriate, reasonable, and reflective of current good industry practice.

Elevating Standards for Civil Engineers

The American Society of Civil Engineers released a report called "Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century: Preparing the Civil Engineer for the Future."

The report outlines a plan to broaden and deepen the "body knowledge" required for future civil engineers. Civil engineering is the first of any engineering discipline to develop a proposal to elevate educational prerequisites for future practicing engineers. The report recommends that a graduate degree, or the equivalent of 30 credits, and practical experience be required in addition to an undergraduate degree before a civil engineer can sit for the licensure exam and practice professionally.

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