2012 International Roofing Expo Recap
The 2012 International Roofing Expo in Orlando was a huge success! It was great to chat with some of our customers… Thanks to all who stopped by to see us! We also had a great time walking the show, visiting with our suppliers and seeing what’s new in the world of roofing tools and equipment. We’ve heard attendance was slightly up over the 2011 show in Las Vegas.
This year the New Product Pavilion and the Green Pavilion were combined into one showcase area, the Product Showcase, where the hottest industry trends and the latest new, cool, green and safety products were featured. The judges, comprised of industry experts, selected the “Best New Product” winners based on innovation, productivity and cost-effectiveness, while the “Best Green Product” winners were based on innovation, green/sustainability and overall value. The recipient of the “Best New Product” award was Metal Plus for its Ultimate Bracket, designed to enable metal roofers and solar installers to install their systems safely and efficiently. Second place went to Certainteed Roofing for its CertainTeed Apollo and Power Max solar systems. Third place was awarded to Tie Down Engineering for its Steep Slope Guardrail, an OSHA-compliant bracket that easily adjusts to five pitch positions.
“Best Green Product” was awarded to SofSurfaces for its SoftTile AP, a highly durable roof paver made of recycled content. Capturing second place was Lifetime Tool & Building Products for its Ultimate Pipe Flashing, a break-through design using a proprietary sealing method for flashing plumbing vent stacks and other penetrations on flat to very steep roofs. Third place went to MAXIFLO for the Maxi-Pro commercial flat roof ventilator. Congrats to all the winners!
Over in the Everhard booth, we had a chance to visit with Matt Mitchell who showed us a new tool they’ll be ‘rolling’ out in the near future. Their rollers are designed for roofing work including hot-air welding of single ply seams and EPDM seam sealing. We like this new, ergonomic design that appears to be much easier on the arm when used (see below). This roller will be a nice addition to our long list of seam tools.
We also had a chat with Paul Legerstedt and family in the Super Anchor Safety booth. SAS is a manufacturer of fall protection equipment for the residential home building industry. These guys have one goal: Eliminate the #1 cause of death and injury on the jobsite – falls from the roof. Paul spent a few minutes talking to us about the Max X-Line. This revolutionary product is helping roofers all across the country work safer and faster. How? By simply integrating the air hose into the middle of a 12 strand lifeline, you instantly cut down on the tripping hazards by half! Check out the video to see some tips for use.
There were dozens of other booths, products and conversations that made our trip to Orlando a success. We’re looking forward to the 2013 International Roofing Expo in San Antonio!
Come visit us at the 2012 International Roofing Expo!
We’ll be in Orlando February 22-24 at the 2012 IRE! Come see us in booth 1844 at the Orange County Convention Center, South Hall A. In addition to the products contractors use on the job every day, we’ll have a handful of items in the booth that address the most frequently cited OSHA violations. Come visit us and we’ll give you some information that can help you save money and work more efficiently!
| Show Hours: |
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| Wednesday, February 22 | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Thursday, February 23 | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Friday, February 24 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm |
OSHA extends temporary enforcement measures in residential construction
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will extend for six months its temporary enforcement measures in residential construction. The temporary enforcement measures, extended through September 15, 2012, include priority free on-site compliance assistance, penalty reductions, extended abatement dates, measures to assure consistency, and increased outreach. Fatalities from falls are the number one cause of workplace death in construction.
Over the past year, OSHA has worked closely with the industry, conducting over 1,000 outreach sessions nationwide to assist employers in complying with the new directive. OSHA will continue to work with employers to ensure a clear understanding of, and to facilitate compliance with, the new policy.
OSHA’s Web page also has a wide variety of educational and training materials to assist employers with compliance. Multiple easy-to-read fact sheets, PowerPoint and slide presentations, as well as other educational materials are available on the Fall Protection in Residential Construction page.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov or https://www.osha.gov/doc/residential_fall_protection/residential_guidance.html
New OSHA Standards for Roofing and Residential Construction
As most of you know, the new rules for residential fall protection are now in effect. This directive states that people working in residential construction must use conventional fall protection and can no longer use other methods such as slide guards when working at heights of over six feet.
OSHA is aware that implementing these changes may be difficult for some contractors. In early June, OSHA announced a three month phase-in period for this directive to give contractors time to comply to these standards. Sites found violating this directive between June 16, 2011 and September 15, 2011 were NOT to be fined if they were in compliance with the old directive. They were to be issued a hazard letter with compliance recommendations. Violations are subject to fines as of September 15, 2011.
OSHA Information and Compliance Assistance Material on Residential Fall Protection: http://www.osha.gov/doc/residential_fall_protection.html
OSHA has just released a residential fall protection slide presentation video for the residential construction industry. The information in the video will help contractors comply with the requirements of OSHA’s new fall protection standard. The presentation explains techniques that are currently being implemented by employers during various stages of construction such as the use of bracket scaffolds, anchors, safety net systems, safety harnesses and lines, and guardrails that pertain to activities such as installing roof trusses and sheathing, decking, roofing and installing walls. Safety methods for preventing injuries and deaths from falls are also included. OSHA hopes that this presentation will aid employers in protecting their workers to greatly reduce the number of fatalities this year.
For safety and fall protection products, please visit one of our websites:
OSHA announces three month phase-in for residential construction fall protection
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced a three month phase-in period to allow residential construction employers to come into compliance with the Agency’s new directive to provide residential construction workers with fall protection.
“We want to make sure that the residential construction industry has every opportunity to successfully come into compliance with the new directive,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “I am confident that this phase-in period will provide employers the additional time and flexibility they need to alter their work practices in accordance with the requirements of the new directive.”
The three month phase-in period runs June 16 – September 15, 2011. During this time, if the employer is in full compliance with the old directive (STD 03-00-001), OSHA will not issue citations, but will instead issue a hazard alert letter informing the employer of the feasible methods they can use to comply with OSHA’s fall protection standard or implement a written fall protection plan. If the employer’s practices do not meet the requirements set in the old directive, OSHA will issue appropriate citations.
If an employer fails to implement the fall protection measures outlined in a hazard alert letter, and during a subsequent inspection of one of the employer’s workplaces OSHA finds violations involving the same hazards, the Area Office shall issue appropriate citations.
OSHA has a wide variety of resources and guidance materials to assist employers in complying with the new directive. OSHA’s Web page includes many guidance products, including a fall protection slide show that recently received over 3,000 hits in one week. Employers are encouraged to take full advantage of OSHA’s free On-site Consultation Program. In addition, there is also a Compliance Assistance Specialist in most Area Offices, and employers are urged to contact their local Area Offices and use these services.
The new directive, Compliance Guidance for Residential Construction (STD 03-11-002), a detailed description of the phase-in policy, a presentation and other guidance materials about requirements for protecting workers from falls are available at http://www.osha.gov/doc/residential_fall_protection.html.
A Safety and Health Topics Web page, which provides a list of references to help employers identify fall hazards and possible solutions for eliminating such hazards, is available at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/construction.html
OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program offers free and confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
For a full listing of OSHA compliant products for every residential application, please visit:
www.bigrocksupply.com/osha.htm
