PHP Roofing Blog

The OSHA inspector who unexpectedly showed up at your site just wrapped up the closing conference and left the property. Now you’re sitting there with a bunch of notes about citations the inspector plans to file and wondering what to do next. Here’s what you need to know after an OSHA inspection:

When summer temperatures soar, roofing maintenance is not on anyone’s list of fun things to do. But the many factors that can damage a roof don’t take the summer off, so you can’t, either. You do, however, have an obligation to offer your workers as much protection as you can. While there are no specific OSHA regulations that cover heat-related illness, several companies have been cited under the General Duty Clause, which requires employers to provide safe working environments. 

Rooftops are inherently dangerous places. The reports are out there: Falls from high places are one of the most common accidents in the workplace. These falls can also be extremely costly. According to OSHA, the incurred claims costs of falls from elevation average approximately $54 million per year. Medical care accounted for roughly 2/3 of those benefits.

Protecting your roof and your workers means knowing when you need expert help. That requires recognizing both the type of problem you have and the seriousness of the situation, and that can only happen when you’re carrying out regular inspections of your rooftop supports and know what to look for.

Safety should be a primary concern in all areas of a commercial building. And your roof is an especially important area to implement safety protocols. In addition to building maintenance personnel, other individuals including contractors and repair people, security guards, insurance agents, inspectors, and window washers may all need access to your roof from time to time. Having a rooftop safety protocol in place will help prevent unnecessary accidents and their accompanying financial costs.

The modern commercial rooftop has become a very crowded space recently. One major concern of commercial building owners and the facility management firms that keep them operating is that with this increase in rooftop traffic comes an increase risk. It’s simple: more equipment on the roof means more roofing maintenance will be required – by more people – to keep it operating as it should. Developing a roof safety plan is a must for any commercial or multifamily residential building owner.