Why Safety Matters

An excellent safety record helps ensure that the likelihood of an injury on the roof is greatly reduced. That means the contractor typically does not pay expensive insurance claims or partake in unwanted litigation. Ultimately, this saves money for customers.

Customers should want to work with a safety-conscious roofing contractor. A couple of things to look for is a contractor that has written safety programs and ongoing training of crews. The contractor should also have both scheduled and random safety inspections and provide state-of-the-art safety equipment for their crews.

Another thing to look at is the contractor’s Worker’s Compensation Experience Modification Rates (EMR). EMR is a factor that measures the difference between the insured’s (contractor) actual past injury experience and the expected or actual experience of the Roofing Class. It is a number used by insurance companies to gauge both past cost of injuries and future chance of risk, resulting in either a reduction (credit) or an increase (debit) in the contractor's insurance premiums. A low EMR is a direct reflection of an effective company safety program that prevents injuries and eliminates hazards. Proper management of injuries and return-to-work programs help mitigate injury severity and keep costs down for both the contractor and the customer.

A Safety-Conscious Roofing Contractor:

• Commits to excellence and completes the job on time because they work within a well-defined system that has minimized the opportunities for disruptions
• Identifies and attempts to eliminate the risks on projects
• Meets with the customer pre-job, throughout the job and post-job to discuss safety for the crews and/or the people who work inside the building

To evaluate your roofing contractor, investigate the following:

• Ask for a written copy of their safety program and information on their drug testing policy
• Research their OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) Incidence Rate. An Incidence Rate measures a company’s performance as determined by the number of injuries that occur for every 100 employees who work 50 weeks per year, 40 hours per week. The roofing industry national average Incidence Rate is 5.6 in 2017, while CentiMark's Incidence Rate was 1.68. Look for contractors that are consistently below the national average.
• Investigate OSHA Lost Workday and Lost Workday Severity Rates
• Learn the Worker’s Compensation Experience Modification Rates (EMR) as discussed in detail above. 1.0 is satisfactory, above a 1.0 indicates poor performance and below 1.0 represents good performance (the lower the number, the better). CentiMark's Interstate (NCCI) EMR for 2017 was 0.480.
• Ask who is responsible for the safety program, what their credentials are, the size of the department and if they have dedicated safety professionals in the field

The priorities of every roofing contractor should be to provide quality workmanship, ensure the customer’s property and employees are as safe as possible, and that all crewmembers go home safely every evening.

Contact us today to review your rooftop safety. Complete the form on the right.

Spring Cleaning for your Floors

Spring is here and that means spring cleaning. Don’t forget your floors.

The winter weather tracks in salt, moisture, dirt and debris into your facility. This can all be very damaging to your concrete or hard surface floors. It is important that you clean and maintain your floors to improve their durability, enhance non-slip characteristics, ensure optimal performance and keep them looking great. To determine what repairs or maintenance is needed, have a thorough floor evaluation conducted.

The floor inspection will identify areas of concern such as spalling, joint cracks or chips in your floor from equipment and forklifts. There are many patch and repair solutions to help with all these problems. Your maintenance needs will also be outlined with the inspection. Guidelines should be communicated for daily cleaning and routine maintenance based on your flooring surface. Not all floors will need the same level of care so make sure you are getting a plan that outlines products and equipment that are specific to your floor type and facility needs.

When selecting a flooring contractor to help with your inspection, maintenance and repair needs, partner with one who is willing to plan your projects based on your requirements. They should be paying attention to your operating schedule to minimize downtime to your business, employees and customers. If you have a plant shutdown planned for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, now is the time to get your flooring projects scheduled. This time fills up fast due to the high level of demand so know it is best to schedule now.

QuestMark, a division of CentiMark Corporation, can help with all your flooring needs. Our flooring professionals can provide a free inspection of your floors, evaluate your needs and deliver customized solutions specifically for your facility. In addition to delivering the solutions, we have crews throughout the United States and Canada that can complete any repairs, maintenance and even conduct on-site training for your in-house maintenance staff. Finally, there is also an online catalog that has all the do-it-yourself (DIY) patch, repair and maintenance products along with the tools and equipment needed to complete your projects. Shop now at www.QuestMarkFlooring.com/shop.

Don’t wait too long to get your spring cleaning scheduled for your floors and remember to plan ahead for your holiday facility shutdowns.

To schedule a free floor inspection, contact QuestMark today! Complete the form on the right.

Risks on Roofing Projects and Keeping Roofers Safe

Safety and injury prevention are the responsibility of every roofing contractor. Prior to the start of any roofing project, safety plans should be reviewed with both the customer and crews. A goal for every roofing crewmember is to return home safely to their families every evening.

Roof falls are one of the most serious dangers on construction sites. The key to fall hazard awareness is training and the use of fall protection. Pre-job planned inspections, scheduled and random safety inspections help minimize risks from falls and decrease problems.

Risks on Roofing Projects:

Ladders: The set-up of a ladder and proper climbing are keys to prevent ladder falls. Set the ladder up on a level surface; maintain a distance of 10 feet from power lines; avoid obstructions and high traffic areas; and, use the 4:1 ratio.

Before stepping on the ladder, remember to: Stop, Think and Remind yourself it only takes a split second to fall. Do not become complacent!

When climbing a ladder, always maintain 3-point contact: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand on the ladder at all times.

Personal Fall Protection:
There are two types of personal fall protection - fall arrest and fall restraint. Any fall arrest or restraint system is only as good as the training and the quality of the equipment.

Fall Arrest System - protects an individual after a fall and, if used properly, prevents the worker from hitting the ground.

Fall Restraint System - prevents the worker from falling, when properly used. The system hinders the worker from being able to reach a fall hazard by allowing the roofer to work up to the edge of the roof but not able to go over the edge. The equipment used is a full body harness, a lanyard or rope grab along with an anchor point.

Warning Lines:
Warning lines are established to create a working perimeter for crews. The bright yellow flags provide the crews with a clear indicator of the distance to an unprotected roof edge. Warning lines also serve as clear indicators of access/egress to the roof and set up a walkway with a clear travel path to the work area. They can be used to flag off skylights and other identified hazards on the roof.

Warning lines are made of rope, wire or chain. A flag must be visible every six (6) feet, erected at a minimum of six (6) feet from the fall hazard and 34-to-39-inches from roof level.

Guardrails can also be used around the roof’s perimeter and can be a permanent solution if necessary. If guardrails are in place than the use of warning lines is not necessary.

Skylights:
Skylights are an often overlooked roof hazard and need to be identified. Skylights may have a coating or spray foam application over the top making them difficult to identify. Domed skylights may have internal cages that do not meet applicable standards or have the capability to support twice the expected weight load. Flush mount skylights may be improperly covered or not covered at all. If you are unsure or unable to fully inspect roof areas with skylights, treat the area as a fall hazard.

Cost-effective solutions to prevent falls through skylights include: installing a permanent skylight screen or cage, guardrail system or warning line system.

Summary:
Fall hazard awareness, proper equipment and continuous training help prevent roof falls. Roof fall hazards include unprotected edges, bad decking, open holes, unprotected skylights and falls from ladders.

Safety is the top priority for all workers on the roof.
With pre-job safety inspections, a written safety plan, inspections during the job and proper adherence to safety plans and training, roofer safety increases. All these factors help maximize safety and minimize injury and deaths.

Contact us to review your options to make your roof safer.

How do you Manage your Roofing Projects?

As we enter the peak roofing season, customers are constantly looking for ways to help them manage their roofing projects.

Things to look for:

•  Before and after photos of your projects including aerial overviews of your facility
•  Ongoing status reports and timelines of progression to project completion
•  Warranty information
•  Safety information
•  Historical information regarding each roof such as progress pictures of roof construction, permits and local codes
•  Budgeting programs
•  Portfolio organization based on roof life expectancy
•  Account information
•  Work Authorization forms

CentiMark has a tool just for you – MyCentiMark.com.

MyCentiMark.com is an online project management tool providing you accountability, accuracy and transparency to all your CentiMark projects. Everything you need to make informed decisions and stay on top of all your projects, both past and present. By logging into MyCentiMark.com you have the ability to track and see all the information you need for your ongoing projects along with the historical records for all your past roofing projects to include progress photos, permits and local codes.

MyCentiMark is available to you anytime, anywhere. Just log in through our secure site using your invoice number and company name. The first time you log in you will be prompted to set up a user name and password.

MyCentiMark.com is for national customers with multiple locations across the United States and Canada where MyCentiMarkLocal.com is for regional customers.

Visit MyCentiMark.com today or contact us for additional information.