PHP Roofing Blog

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.

Most professions involve some sort of lifelong learning, but for many fields, continued education can be mandatory. Architecture is one such profession. Architects have to periodically renew their licenses – typically every one to two years – and most states have established Continuing Education requirements as a condition of renewal. In addition, the AIA requires Continuing Education for its members regardless of state requirements.

Sometimes, it seems as if the roofing construction industry is always lagging behind when it comes to adopting new technologies, but don’t tell that to the businesses that are using drones for everything from inspections to job progress documentation to marketing. Here are just a few of the ways drones are catapulting both the roofing construction industry and facility management to the forefront of cutting-edge technology.

The hospitality and entertainment industries are highly competitive. Everybody wants to have an edge by offering guests something their competitors don’t have – and to keep costs in check while doing it. That reality has led to businesses throughout the hospitality and entertainment industries enticing guests with creative uses for capital assets they already have while using the latest construction trends on the rooftop. Here are some of the best ideas we’ve seen in “roof-tainment:”

Properly installed and maintained rooftop equipment can be a great way to optimize otherwise unusable space – but the “properly installed and maintained” part is critical. Every component – the equipment, the roof supports, and the bases – has to work together the way it’s supposed to. Here’s what you need to know to make your roof supports an asset rather than a liability. 

If you’re a business owner or in charge of your facility’s roof management, the last thing you want is a phone call delivering the news that your roof has collapsed. After all, a roof collapse is no small problem. First, there’s the risk of injury to employees and/or customers. And then there’s the likelihood of a total operational shutdown. Even if the building is still usable, OSHA authorities won’t let you reoccupy the building until they’re finished with their investigation, and there’s no telling how long that could take.

OSHA has long regulated work done in confined spaces in the interest of minimizing risks to workers. On August 3, 2015, however, new OSHA regulations went into affect that will significantly impact the construction industry. Are you ready for the changes to come?

Commercial roofing can be a very fulfilling and profitable business. If you’re thinking of reaching for that gold ring by launching your own business as a roofing contractor, there are a few things you need to know about. Here are some of the most important roof management tips you should live by as a new contractor: