Assist members to protect workers, improve environmental performance, and ensure
regulatory compliance while also educating roadway users and other stakeholders on work zone safety.
EMPOWERING
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
NAPA continues to support members engaged in zoning and permitting of asphalt mix plants. In 2022, we added resources to our members-only outreach toolkits to help plant owners better communicate the innocuous nature of asphalt mix plant operations, including stack emissions.
At the request of USEPA to help their federal and state agency permit writers understand the accurate nature of asphalt plant emissions, NAPA developed an Asphalt Mix Plant 101 overview of mix plant operations and emission sources, presenting it to a wide range of federal permit writers.
COUNTERING
REGULATORY
OVER-REACH
While NAPA aims to work collaboratively with regulatory agencies, we also must take a strong stand against environmental agency over-reach. In partnership with the Asphalt Pavement Association of Michigan, NAPA is submitting an amicus brief condemning the state’s excessive air permitting requirements based on the state’s lack of statutory authority regarding environmental justice polices.
RESEARCHING STORMWATER RUNOFF
Researchers and media remain interested in asphalt pavements’ impact on stormwater quality. While some municipalities and institutions question the safety of such runoff, the science just doesn’t come to a similar conclusion, especially regarding asphalt pavement itself.
In a follow-up to NAPA’S sponsored 2021 study, the University of Florida completed a multi-year research endeavor to investigate actual leachate from RAP stockpiles. This first-of-its-kind study reinforced the innocuous and inert nature of RAP stockpile leachate.
However, increased media attention of the impact on pavement stormwater quality of tire-wear particles (TWPs) requires additional industry attention, not just on TWPs themselves, but also including rubber-modified asphalt (RMA) pavements. NAPA will continue to monitor and investigate stormwater runoff associated with such tire-wear pavement materials and will lead efforts to minimize or eliminate potential adverse impacts.
KEEPING OUR COOL
Preventing heat illness keeps workers safe and facilitates crews completing jobs on time. NAPA is
working with the industry to understand and mitigate hazards associated with working in hot environments, like outdoor construction. We formed a task group to develop guidance and are actively seeking additional
industry partners to finalize and implement it.
PREVENTING SUICIDE
Inspired by Board member Vince Hafeli and coinciding with the national rollout of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, NAPA launched a new webpage of mental health awareness and suicide prevention resources for industry leaders and workers. It includes resources for getting immediate help and helping others, event notices, and resources for providing education and support within your company.
“The most powerful tool we have is acknowledging and discussing this topic so others will open up to conversation and feel secure expressing themselves.”
Vince Hafeli, Ajax Paving Industries of FL
PROMOTING WORK ZONE SAFETY
Safety always comes first. And safety starts with intention. In the fall, we presented results from a survey on work zone design to the North Central Asphalt User Producer Group meeting.
In the second #WatchForUs social media contest, employee-owned Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc. took the grand prize for incorporating a variety of outreach, from dispersing 300 hardhat stickers for their crews to engaging 108,000 community members through social media posts. Read about their efforts (and get more ideas from other contest participants) in Asphalt Pavement magazine’s July/August issue
We also extended the work zone safety social media movement beyond April, to include Watch For Us Wednesday updates. These posts represented some of NAPA’s most-viewed social media posts in July, August, and September!
NAPA #WatchForUs
posts earned
Jim Mitchell, Superior Paving Corp