By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. Don't be blindsided by your upcoming OSHA inspection. Here are some tips for getting prepared. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) averaged approximately 32,000 inspections, and State-operated plans averaged 42,000 per year in the three prior years to the pandemic in 2020. Though inspections were ...
By Trent Cotney. In April 2022, OSHA created its National Emphasis Program that focuses on indoor and outdoor heat-related hazards. Across the nation in recent weeks, we have seen record heat. These alarming temperatures are not merely an annoyance. They can put thousands of workers at risk. The Occupational Safety and Health ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. Avoid OSHA violations and keep crew members safe by improving your company's safety culture. As professional roofing contractors, we are always thinking about safety — yet our industry is still one of the most high-risk. OSHA statistics show seven of the top ten cited violations and ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. Learn about some roofing contractors' traditionally used tools that expose their workers to silica and the practiced control methods to limit exposure. OSHA began enforcing the silica standard for the construction industry in September of 2017. The critical provision with the most significant impact on the ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. Learn more about the importance of fall protection rescue plans and how to implement them. Falls are among the most common workplace injuries in our industry year after year. Rescue plans are often overlooked as fall protection components, but rescue plans are necessary for Roofing Contractors. ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. This article aims not to give legal advice but real-world information and guidelines on safety and health requirements in construction contracts and assist roofing contractors when reviewing the safety section of your contracts. Contracts are essential to the construction process and may be defined ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. This article will look at the economic aspects of safety in roofing, including costs, benefits, return on investment (ROI), investment optimization, and evaluation. Although efforts have been made to improve safety, many barriers remain, and those influenced by economic considerations are particularly dominant. The dynamic characteristics ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages employers to engage their employees in health and wellness. By engaging in their own wellness, employees tend to work more productively, have less stress, and have a better quality of life. They benefit from a lower risk ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. Learn about the most common musculoskeletal disorders in the construction industry and how to avoid them. Some 33% of all work-related injuries and illnesses in the construction industry are due to musculoskeletal disorders. These injuries involve repetitive movements and affect tendons, muscles, nerves, cartilage, joints, and ...
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. Ladders, scaffolding and emergency plans. In the second part of our safety checklist for roofing work, we reviewed OSHA safety standards for working around roof perimeters and openings. Stepladders and extension ladders are used on roofing project sites. Improper use of ladders poses ...