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As the official magazine of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA), a non-profit organization, this publication carries authoritative notices and articles in regard to the activities of the Association. In all other respects, neither the Association nor the publisher of Welding & Gases Today, Data Key Communications, are responsible for the contents thereof or the opinions
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GAWDA Consultants Archive
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Feb 1. Member News
MEMBER NEWS IWDC Sets All-Time Annual Spend Record The annual spend of Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative, Inc., (IWDC) member companies through their co-op exceeded $216 million in 2017, smashing a prior record established in 2014 by more than $12 million, the co-op reports. Frank Kasnick, president and CEO, says the IWDC also set six separate all-time monthly records [...] -
Jan. 15th Supplier Connections
Supplier Connections What’s ‘hot’? What have they got? Check out these suggestions for new products and services that can help you get a leg up on business in the New Year. What’s hot for 2018’s marketplace? What new things have suppliers and manufacturers got on hand to help gases and welding supplies distributors make money or save money [...] -
Consultant Corner
TSA Eyes Hazmat Shipment Tracking. By Richard P. Schweitzer, Esq. Like a bad penny, sometimes a bad idea comes back for reconsideration in Washington. In the early 1990s, Congressman Douglas Applegate of Ohio proposed legislation to create a centralized computer database to house information on all shipments of hazardous materials by truck. His idea was for every [...] -
Liquid Nitrogen for Cryotherapy Medical Gas?
By Thomas L. Badstubner Cryotherapy saunas are becoming more popular. GAWDA members and major gas companies are providing liquid nitrogen to cryotherapy saunas. Since this application is relatively new in the United States, there are some unexpected regulatory issues for suppliers of liquid nitrogen. Here are a series of questions and answers that will provide a [...] -
Which Ways Are the Shifting Political Winds Blowing?
Experts’ Insights About the New Administration By Diane Stirling How will the actions and decisions of a Donald Trump administration affect the welding and gases distribution industry? What initiatives will the new president launch that could change the business climate for GAWDA distributors and suppliers? What’s in store for trade policies, regulatory issues, health care insurance and [...] -
How to Know and Abide By DOT Drug and Alcohol Rules
By Michael Dodd U.S. Department of Transportation drug and alcohol regulations, and how they apply to our GAWDA members, can be one of the more difficult areas of regulatory issues to understand. There are two main sections in the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations that discuss the drug and alcohol regulations: 49 CFR, Parts 40 and [...] -
DOT Issues Final Rule on Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
By Richard P. Schweitzer, PLLC The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has finally published its long-awaited final rule to establish an online clearinghouse of data for CDL drivers who test positive for drug or alcohol use in violation of DOT requirements or who refuse to submit to a DOT drug or alcohol test. The rule [...] -
Preventing Medical Gas Mix-ups
Save lives with four simple steps Since 2000, there have been no fatal incidents involving medical gas mix-ups resulting from incorrectly connected cryogenic medical gas containers. However, in the previous 17 years, 12 people died and many more were injured as a result of medical gas mix-ups. This result is due, in large part, to the highly [...] -
DOT Prohibits Coercion of Drivers
Gawda Members May Be Subject to this Coercion Rule as a Carrier, Shipper or Customer of Freight The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published a final rule prohibiting motor carriers, shippers, receivers, or transportation intermediaries from coercing drivers to operate commercial motor vehicles in violation of certain provisions of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations [...] -
DOT Proposes New Safety Fitness Standards
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has stated that its proposed rule to revise its Safety Fitness Determination procedures for motor carriers (which includes all GAWDA members operating truck fleets) would allow the agency to assess approximately 75,000 carriers a month. By comparison, the FMCSA states it is currently able to investigate only 15,000 [...]
