Facing Safety

With insurance coverage restrictions and limitations on the minds of most roofing contractors, worker safety becomes even more important as contractors try to keep losses to a minimum. But doing so requires hard work—on the part of management and labor. Professional Roofing asked three leading contractors what the top 10 most important challenges are to implementing an effective safety program; following are their responses.

Robert W. Bubenzer

President
Henry C. Smither Roofing Co. Inc.
Indianapolis

1. Inspect, don't expect. We all expect safety to be a high priority in our companies. Obviously, no one wants to get hurt or create unsafe conditions. It is important to conduct regular inspections through all levels of a company. Field operations always are a priority, but it is important not to forget office, shop and warehouse environments. I think contractors need to remember to conduct frequent safety walks and know a proper inspection takes time.
   
   
2. Top down, not bottom up. Ultimately, company culture is set from the top down. It's typical to set policy and procedures and implement them, and our challenge is to lead our safety efforts from management. In my company, we ask ourselves: Does the office get as much attention as the field operation? Is the office focused more on the bottom line or the economics of safety? The saying, "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," applies in the case of implementing a safety program. For example, we have joined forces with some of our competitors to form a safety group. We hired a safety-consulting company to provide us with "credits" we can use for anything from job-site inspections to safety meetings in the office. Another example of showing we care is we hired a nondenominational chaplain to act as a counselor to our workers. All his meetings with workers are confidential, but he does provide a log of how many workers have used his services. So far, he has been a popular resource for our workers.
   
   
3. Own versus rent. Another challenge facing roofing contractors is whether to use "canned" safety programs or develop a customized program. For example, should a contractor adopt forms and policies from other companies, organizations or businesses, or should he develop his own? Owning an integrated safety program is considerably more expensive, but it will give employees a sense of ownership in a safety program rather than considering it "just another program."
   
   
4. Walk the talk. I think company owners should make sure safety walks are conducted in addition to safety talks. Most of us conduct safety talks regularly. Safety walks, on the other hand, are "hands on" and an effective way to eliminate safety hazards. A walk can be done by management personnel or assigned to a crew member. Safety walks take time, and it will mean a lot to a crew if a company owner takes the time to show up on a job.
   
   
5. Hit the target. To know whether our safety program is effective, we have a target with measurable results. There are several standard ratios used in the industry to determine whether we are hitting our mark. Some things we analyze are experience modification rates, recordable incident rates, loss-time frequency, attendance at safety meetings, drug testing, etc. With our database of information, we are able to tell whether accidents are more frequent with a certain foreman or crew, specific to a labor classification or common to a phase of work and specific to roof systems. In addition, we can see whether our paperwork requirements are too cumbersome.
   
   
6. Sugar versus vinegar. Successful results come from positive reinforcement. Most safety programs tend to focus on the punitive, disciplinary aspects and not rewards. There are several incentive programs that have been developed, and rewards don't always have to be financial. We currently are in the process of developing an incentive-based program. Until the program is complete, we continue to stress positive attitudes, such as focusing on what was done right in addition to what was done wrong.
   
   
7. Power in numbers. It's a lot easier to move a boat if everyone is rowing in the same direction. Our goal is to make sure all the people in our company are on board with our safety program (from the office personnel to the crews). If a contractor has a union shop, he should ask himself whether the union membership and leadership buy into his program. If a union contractor is facing resistance from his crews with regard to safe work practices, he should become more involved with the union and invite union business agents to safety training meetings.
   
   
8. The only constant is change. Safety programs are dynamic. It takes a lot of time for a safety culture to develop and mature. Shifts in crew composition, changes in management teams and changes in roof systems installed all affect how well a safety program can be implemented.
   
   
9. No job is complete until the paperwork is done. Another hindrance to an effective safety program is keeping track of the training conducted, drug tests administered, safety meeting rosters, toolbox talk participation, CPR/first-aid certifications, driving qualifications, etc. We need to make sure all components of our safety program are fully integrated. In addition, if our safety program flounders, we may consider whether our record-keeping process is too complicated or cumbersome. We need to make sure we gather the correct information and know what we do with the information we gather.
   
   
10. Accountability. Finally, holding people accountable is crucial to a successful safety program. We try to make sure everyone knows his specific role and responsibilities and what will occur if they do not fulfill their responsibilities. We currently are developing a series of checklists specific to our program and job classifications.

Lindy Cutrona

Principal manager
General Works Roofing
Orange City, Fla.

1. Safety culture. We find it difficult to change the safety culture of our organization. We continually fight the "it can't happen to me" syndrome—employees all believe they basically are safe people. We try to use any incident we experience as a training tool.
   
   
2. Keeping the priority focus on safety. Typically, a company's focus is on production, such as what is going to happen on a job site, material problems, etc. We have to remind ourselves daily that safety is first. It's important to research safety incentives and other methods to instill a stronger safety focus, particularly with our field personnel.
   
   
3. Fall protection for tile roofing is a challenge. Our field personnel fight fall protection. Our typical tile roof system installation is in a residential setting with little to no emphasis on project safety by any other tradespeople. The environment is casual—at best. We must check daily to ensure our crews use fall-protection equipment.
   
   
4. Easy-to-use, affordable safety equipment. We're always looking for "improved" equipment that is easy to use and affordable, particularly for use in the tile roofing applications. Ropes on a roof deck knock down stacked tiles, creating additional hazards for people working below. Again, our crews fight safety precautions and complain harness use is more dangerous than using nothing.
   
   
5. Safety training. We strive for interesting safety training formats, and it can be tough. Sometimes, our employees zone out during a training program, and finding ways to make training fun is a challenge. The best training we've found is job-specific safety training and daily meetings to review safety issues.
   
   
6. Safety plans in estimates. Training estimators to have knowledge about different job conditions pertaining to safety and adequately covering those costs in our quotes is the first step in providing adequate protection. Often, estimators think they have included costs for a specific job. But when a job is being prepared to begin, we find all the safety requirements have not been included in the cost estimate.
   
   
7. Language barriers. With more non-English-speaking personnel being employed by our company, it is a challenge to properly train them. We're concerned about loss of clarity in translation. Sometimes, we think we've covered a topic and the message has been sent and received, but we find out later it hasn't. We always have an interpreter, but we continue to be concerned about loss of clarity in translation.
   
   
8. Personal fall restraints. Personal fall-restraint systems must be used properly—simply wearing a harness doesn't do the job. We strive to train all crew members to monitor one another and remind someone if he releases himself from a safety line. This seems to be an effective way to ensure proper usage. Training in this area needs to be ongoing.
   
   
9. Manpower. It can be difficult to have adequate personnel check each job site daily to ensure all required safety precautions are in place. With numerous types of roof applications in process at any given time, this can be a challenge. We use checklists to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
   
   
10. Safety first. After all I have mentioned, I come back to the most daunting challenge: explaining, "It can happen to you!"

Barbara Dalsin

President
M & S Roofing Inc.
Blaine, Minn.

1. The hardest challenge in implementing a safety program is to get "buy in" from field workers. The attitudes of "it won't happen to me" or "I can take care of myself" often keep workers from believing in the need for taking safety measures. Many workers still have macho attitudes and ignore safety to demonstrate they are tough. For some, the idea of taking a few extra minutes for safety is a complete waste of time—time they think they don't have or are not willing to give up. Changing attitudes is the hardest challenge in implementing and maintaining a viable safety program.
   
   
2. The second hardest challenge is following through with safety procedures. It is relatively easy to write a program and distribute it to all company employees. Making sure the program is followed, equipment is used and reinforcement administered can be difficult. It takes time, persistence and energy to make the program an integral part of the company fabric.
   
   
3. Reinforcement of the culture of safety is necessary if a company is going to be successful. Development of a fair, easily administered system of rewards and discipline can be difficult. I think it is important to reward individuals for their personal safety and for the safety of a crew. This reinforces the idea of looking for risks and being responsible for the greater good.
   
   
4. To fairly reward employees for good safety practices, it is important to track results. This can be a challenge because it takes time and consistency to set up a tracking program and continue to monitor it.
   
   
5. Finding new, creative ways to inform employees about safety concerns and conduct training requires extra thought and initiative. To keep reminding employees of ongoing issues without boring them can try the patience of the most creative person.
   
   
6. Finding the right people to oversee a company's safety program is a real challenge. It is important to find someone with good communication skills, an understanding of the need for safety and the desire to succeed.
   
   
7. Our world is so filled with details, meetings, reports and telephone calls that finding the time to understand the need for safety procedures, taking the time to implement a program and following up can be overwhelming. This especially is true if your company is small with limited resources and staff. Finding the time and making a commitment to take the time necessary to inform, train and follow up can be a real challenge.
   
   
8. Costs not only in time but in dollars also can challenge even a large company. Training, equipment and employee time can be expensive. It is important to realize safety is an investment in the well-being of employees and a company's future.
   
   
9. With the growing cultural diversity in our labor force, language can be a challenge when implementing a safety program. Materials must be translated. Training in more than one language and simply doing toolbox talks can be difficult.
   
   
10. The final challenge is staying informed about changes in rules and regulations affecting employee and customer safety. It is impossible to read everything and know all that is going on regarding safety on federal and state levels. Membership in NRCA and use of NRCA resources can help roofing contractors meet these challenges.

Wrapping up

Operating a company is complex, and ensuring worker safety is an additional dimension that must be addressed. It seems as though contractors face similar safety challenges, but by sharing their experiences, they can improve their respective safety programs. If your safety program has unique or particularly effective components, e-mail professionalroofing@professionalroofing.net and share your advice. Others may be able to learn from you.

Ambika Puniani Bailey is editor of Professional Roofing and NRCA's director of communications.