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WASHINGTON – Te Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it is delaying full enforcement of its Confned Spaces in Construction rule in order to allow contractors time to acquire the necessary equipment to comply. Te rule, which takes efect Aug. 3, 2015, will be under a temporary en- forcement policy until full enforcement begins Oct. 2. OSHA says it will not issue any citations during this 60-day period to employers who make a good-faith efort to comply with the new standard. Employers are, however, required to show that their employees have been trained to meet either the new or the previous standard. Additional good-faith measures include equipment orders and scheduled training for employees on the new standard. Te Confned Spaces in Construction fnal rule was issued May 4, and many companies have asked OSHA for additional time to comply. | CAMBRIDGE, MA – Te extended easing of gains in residential improvement spending is expected to change course by early next year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIR A) released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Te LIR A projects annual spending growth for home improvements will accelerate to 4.0 percent by the frst quarter of 2016. "A major driver of the anticipated growth in re- modeling spending is the recent pick up in home sales activity," says Chris Herbert, managing director of the Joint Center. "Recent homebuyers typically spend about a third more on home improvements than non-movers, even after controlling for any age or income diferences, so increasing sales this year should translate to stronger improvement spending gains next year." "Other signals of strengthening remodeling activ- ity include sustained growth in retail sales of home improvement products and ongoing gains in house prices across much of the country," says Abbe Will, a research analyst in the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center. "Rising home prices means rising home equity, which should encourage improvement spending by a growing number of owners." | Confned Spaces Enforcement Delayed Until Oct. 2, 2015 LIRA: Home Improvement Activity to Pick Up COMPLIANCE MARKET FORECAST Continued on page 12 $100 $110 $120 $130 $140 $150 $160 $170 $180 $190 $200 HOMEOWNER IMPROVEMENTS FOUR-QUARTER MOVING TOTALS BILLIONS OF $ FOUR-QUARTER MOVING RATE OF CHANGE $121.0 2 3 4 2013-1 2 3 4 2014-1 2 (E) 3 (E) 4 (E) 2015-1 (E) 2 (E) 3 ( P) 4 ( P) 2016-1 ( P) 5.6% 2.1% 4.2% 7.2% 8.0% 8.9% 5.6% 2.2% 6.1% 10.0% 7.7% 6.5% 4.3% 3.5% 2.8% 4.0% $121.9 $126.0 $129.3 $130.8 $132.7 $133.1 $132.1 $138.7 $146.0 $143.4 $140.7 $144.7 $151.1 $147.4 $146.4 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 U.S. Census Bureau LIRA NAHB UPDATE Extra Time for Remodelers to Renew Lead Paint Certification Up to 380,000 Lead -Safe Certifed Renovators gained additional time to complete lead paint refresher training, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator signed a rule extending certain renovator certifca- tions under the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) pro- gram. Find out how the extension afects your certifcation at nahb.org/ leadpaint. Responding to on- going concerns from NAHB and afliated trade groups, biparti- san legislation to make much-needed improve- ments to the LRRP rule was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in May. The bill would reinstate the opt-out provision to allow homeowners without small children or pregnant women residing in the home to decide whether to require LRRP compli- ance; allow remodelers to correct paperwork errors without facing full penalties; and provide an exemption for emergen- cy renovations. It would eliminate the require- ment recertifcation training be "hands on," so certifed remodelers would no longer have to travel to training facilities out of their region for refresher training. LEADING INDICATOR OF REMODELING ACTIVITY — SECOND QUARTER 2015 Notes: (E) = Estimated; (P) = Projected. Historical data from the second quarter 2014 onward is estimated using the LIRA. Source: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University 10 July 2015 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com | ForResidentialPros.com IN BRIEF