PHP Roofing Blog

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. 

Last winter delivered record-breaking snowfalls for much of the country, and many places have already seen the first snowfall of the 2015 fall/winter season. While meteorologists are still scratching their heads as the “Godzilla El Niño” and the “Siberian Snow Monster” battle for control of our weather, there’s one thing we do know: Any amount of snow or ice can take a toll on both your commercial rooftop (flat roofs are especially vulnerable) and your rooftop equipment supports.

We all know the importance of “preventive medicine” – those dreaded annual checkups and biannual dentist visits – but many of us don’t take any action until there’s a problem. It’s a gamble: Sometimes we win, saving time and money while escaping negative consequences. Other times, though, what would have been a small problem takes advantage of that time to develop into a big problem, costing much more in both time and money than if it had been nipped in the proverbial bud. 

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. 

It goes without saying that working in commercial roofing is a risky occupation, but do you really know how risky? The actual numbers may surprise you. Of the top 10 riskiest jobs, roofing comes in at number six. Workers in the roofing industry are three times more likely to have a fatal injury than workers in other industries, and about 50 roofers are killed on the job each year.

Rooftop pipe supports don’t get the respect they deserve. They might look like they don’t do much, but if the pipes or ductwork they support fall and land on your roof, the damage could be catastrophic. It could even shut down your business! So, when you buy rooftop supports, it’s important to know that the ones you choose can do the job. The safest way to do that is to go with pre-engineered supports.

In today’s complex business world, it’s impossible for anyone to know everything. Business owners are no exception. They’re experts on the products or services they offer, and how to keep their businesses running efficiently and profitably, but most aren’t experts in roof management. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous companies that take advantage of that lack of expertise, especially when it comes to commercial roofs. 

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.

Climate change has become a hot topic over the last few years – it seems to always be in the news – and we’ve heard a lot about how rising temperatures will affect our world. But we’re just now beginning to understand the specific implications for different industries. The roof construction industry, in particular, has some work to do to accommodate a warming planet. That work falls into two categories: risk mitigation and environmental impact.

Most stores put their Halloween decorations out weeks ago, and some have even stocked their Christmas aisles. While that may be a little early for some shoppers, it’s a clear sign that like it or not, winter is on its way. And if you work in facilities management that means you’ve got some roofing maintenance to do.