PHP Roofing Blog

It’s a moment every maintenance professional dreads – a building occupant calls to report a leak, and it’s up to you to investigate and to identify the source. You probably have your fingers crossed that it’s anything other than a torn roof membrane. But how do you find out? And, if it is, what do you do about it?

Not only is there more than one type of rooftop pipe support, there is also more than one way of attaching those pipe supports to the roof surface. But they all break down into one of two categories: penetrating vs. non-penetrating. Penetrating pipe supports attach mechanically through the roof membrane, while non-penetrating pipe supports sit on the surface of the roof and are anchored with ballast. And there are a number of benefits to that.

Complying with OSHA regulations isn’t always easy – or cheap. But neither are OSHA citations and their accompanying costs. In fact, with the passage of the 2015 budget, fines for violating OSHA regulations are going up for the first time in 25 years. The new budget allows for increases of up to 150% of current fines. However, the details still have to be hammered out.

Skylights are popular for a reason. They add an extra dash of beauty to any commercial building, and they’re a great source of free lighting. But there are also drawbacks, and, if you’re not aware of them, the costs can end up being far greater than the benefits. Whether you already have a skylight or are considering adding one to the design of a new roof, make sure you’re prepared to deal with the downsides: 

Everyone in the construction and/or facilities management industry is familiar with the need to comply with OSHA for worker protection and roof safety. But what a lot of employers don’t realize is that OSHA regulations have limitations – and that some states have passed laws that go above and beyond what the federal program requires.

The logic behind purchasing roof supports is pretty simple: Doing it costs far less money than not doing it. But some building owners need convincing. If you’re trying to negotiate purchasing rooftop supports with a building owner who’s trying to cut costs, here are some persuasive, bottom-line talking points to help you make your case. 

You’ve probably got a few funny stories about trying to talk to potential customers who really don’t understand what it is that you do. You might find yourself answering the same question 20 times, offering an in-depth explanation of a detail that is totally irrelevant to the success of the project, or offering reassurances that your recommendations aren’t just an attempt to drive up the price tag. Commercial roofers are no different.

Rooftops are dangerous places and various organizations have done their part to raise awareness and eliminate preventable deaths, and OSHA is no exception. In fact, there are over one thousand OSHA regulations addressing fall safety. That’s more than anyone can keep track of, and even OSHA knows that. That’s the motivation behind the agency’s fall prevention campaign: Not giving companies permission to ignore or violate regulations, but boiling it all down to easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement, common sense guidelines on rooftop safety. 

If you’ve decided that you need a roof replacement, you’re almost certainly seeing dollar signs. Once you request bids from roofing contractors, they’re seeing dollar signs, too, and they’ll use every tool they have to get you to sign on the dotted line. When it comes to roof management, a warranty is an effective marketing tool, and suppliers will talk about it with great pride during your negotiations. 

If you look at photographs taken during the construction of the Empire State Building, it’s obvious that worker safety has come a long way since the 1930s. Back then, it was commonplace for workers to dangle off the side of tall buildings without harnesses, and there were few, if any, hardhats to be seen on construction sites.