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Safety Tips by Cotney
Three Tips for Reducing Lightning Risks
By Cotney Construction Law. Lightning is a dangerous natural force. Annually in the United States, cloud-to-ground lightning occurs 20 to 25 million times and over 300 people are struck by lightning. During the past 30 years, about 50 people, on average, have been killed by lightning strikes every year, and many more ...
Four Tips to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe the virus is mainly spread from person to person between people who are within six feet of each other and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person ...
Two Tips for Foot Protection
OSHA does not force companies to purchase shoes for its employees but requires companies to ensure its employees are wearing the appropriate footwear. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that almost 5% of nonfatal workplace accidents requiring time off are foot related. On construction sites, footwear serves two purposes: ...
Four Tips to Reduce Falls in Residential Re-Roofing
Re-roofing exposes workers to the hazards of demolition work at heights. With the proper fall protection, the risk of serious falls may be substantially reduced. The following tips can help roofers keep employees safe from fall hazards: 1. Identify Fall Protection Needs. Before beginning the job, focus on identifying fall protection needs. ...
Four Important Tips to Reduce Struck-by Hazards in Roofing
By Travis McConnell, Cotney Construction Law. Struck-by injuries are produced by forcible contact or impact between an injured person and an object or piece of equipment, such as an automobile. Unfortunately, struck-by incidents are very common, extremely dangerous, and result in as many as 70 worker fatalities each year. The following ...
Six Important Tips for Maintaining Ladder Safety While Roofing
Ladders are present on virtually every jobsite and provide employees with convenient options to access upper levels. Unfortunately, the hazard of falling can pose significant risks to employees using ladders. Additionally, because non-compliant ladder use is highly visible, it is one of OSHA’s most frequent reasons for issuing citations. To protect employees, ...
Five Key Tips for Effective Hazard Communication (HazCom)
OSHA requires that the identities and hazards of chemicals be available to workers in the workplace. In fact, HazCom was the second-most commonly cited standard by OSHA in 2019. The following tips will help roofers comply with OSHA’s regulations and keep employees informed: Written HazCom programs are required by law. Each ...
Four Key Topics Roofers Should Address in their Safety Manuals
Manuals should clearly define training, monitoring, disciplinary consequences and safety requirements. 1. Plans for Conducting Safety Training While sometimes overlooked, corporate safety and health programs (“safety manuals”) should include plans for how employees will be trained regarding safety. These plans should cover, for example: (1) who will be responsible for conducting ...
5 Key Safety Tips for Employee Eye and Face Protection
According to OSHA, eye and face protection violations were within the top 10 most frequently cited hazards in 2019. This ranking is not surprising, given these violations are easily observable during inspection, from close and afar. However, eye and safety protection measures are also a very serious concern for employee safety. ...
5 Tips for Working Safely in the Summer Heat
Summer is peak roofing season. How are you staying safe and cool? 1) Appreciate the risks. The official start of Summer – and with it, ferocious heat – was on June 20th. Construction workers, especially roofers, are uniquely susceptible to heat-related injuries due to the nature of the trade. Excessive heat ...
