Flashings

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CRRC named EPA certification body

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) a certification body for roofing products for EPA's ENERGY STAR® program. CRRC now will offer ENERGY STAR certification as an additional service to its Product Rating Program.

The ENERGY STAR program was enhanced in January. Previously, manufacturer partners self-tested products and reported the results directly to EPA to receive ENERGY STAR labeling for their products. The enhanced program requires partners to work with EPA-recognized certification bodies and test their products through EPA-recognized laboratories.

When manufacturers choose CRRC, their ratings will be listed on the CRRC Rated Products Directory and applying and qualifying products will be listed on the ENERGY STAR Qualified Roofing Products list. This will allow manufacturers to market their products effectively to contractors and consumers.

Additionally, CRRC announced its CRRC-1 Standard for the measurement of roofing products' initial and aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance values has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute.

The standard is now an American National Standard that can be referenced in building codes and rating programs. It was adapted from CRRC's Program Manual and describes sample preparation and test procedures; helps ensure consistency in preparation and measurement of roofing properties; and improves reliability of industry test procedures.

SBA offers new features on website

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has redesigned its website, which now features new content; improved navigation; and SBA Direct, a tool that allows visitors to personalize their browsing experiences according to business type, geography and needs. SBA Direct also offers information about running a business, such as how to get started, business growth strategies, and how to comply with current laws and regulations.

The website also features SBA's small-business search that improves search results' accuracy and relevancy; improved navigation that offers website users easier access to information; integration of content from business.gov; interactive location-based maps that help users quickly find small-business resources in their areas; and user-rated content that allows site visitors to determine the most useful and relevant information to feature by small-business topic.

OSHA eliminates slide guard use

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an instruction eliminating the option to use slide guards in residential construction on roofs with slopes of up to 8-in-12 (34 degrees). Employers now must use safety nets, guardrails or personal fall-arrest systems on residential construction projects where the slope is greater than 4-in-12 (18 degrees) and the potential for a fall from one level to another is 6 feet or more.

An exception can be made if an employer can show the prescribed fall-protection methods are either infeasible or present a greater hazard. The employer then must develop a written, site-specific fall-protection plan. Enforcement of the new instruction will begin June 16.

NRCA is filing suit against the agency to prevent it from implementing the new rule. For more information about the issue, go to www.nrca.net.

Dow Roofing Systems ceases TPO and PVC sales

As of Jan. 31, Dow Roofing Systems LLC, Midland, Mich., stopped selling TPO and PVC roof membranes and accessories in North America. Dow Roofing Systems, which aligns with Dow Building Solutions, was formed through the acquisition of Stevens Roofing Systems in 2008. Dow Building Solutions' strategy is to focus on its insulation and adhesive solutions along with ongoing development of differentiated roofing innovations for the future.

TIEMPO™+2000 TPO membranes and accessories; VIENTO™ PVC membranes and accessories; and TERMICO™ polyisocyanurate insulation are among the products no longer sold in the North American market. However, all existing warranties for these products continue to be honored.

"The Dow Roofing Systems product line represents a small percentage of our overall building solutions business, and we are confident that we can better serve the roofing industry by refocusing our efforts on our core business portfolio," says Scott Young, Dow Roofing Systems' president and general manager.

Details

Zhu Dongqing

What is your position within your company?
President of China National Building Waterproof Association

What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
I once climbed up on a newly built warehouse with a 60,000 m² metal roof area. It was laid with profiled steel sheet and had a devastating amount of leakage. The patchwork cost $300,000—the highest cost I've ever known.

Why did you become a part of the roofing industry?
The roofing industry didn't embrace me until I graduated in 1982 and got the job with China National Building Waterproof Materials Co. Ltd. God knew that'd be my lifelong career.

What was your first roofing experience?
In 1982, I helped install an asphalt roof system on Shanghai Stadium. Because of the defective ventilation design, the waterproofing layer was plumped up, forming multiple air pockets, with the biggest one being 10 m² or so.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A college professor

What is the most high-tech thing in your house?
A Nokia N8 smartphone

List three words that best describe you.
Generous, open-minded, optimistic

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
The Caribbean

What three condiments are always in your fridge?
Sesame paste, chili sauce and mustard

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Things placed in random order

What quality do you most like in a person?
People who are trustworthy and genuine

If you could invite any three people (dead or alive) to dinner, whom would you invite?
The first one would be my father, the man I respect most. Then, my wife and daughter.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
The most challenging work I have is facilitating China's enforcement of its roofing contractors system, which hasn't been applied yet. However, the individual contractor systems such as waterproofing, insulation and civil engineering division contractors, are strong.

People would be surprised to know …
When my daughter Sabrina was 6 years old, I would accompany her to cello lessons. I knew nothing about music at that time. My little girl's hand was too tiny to reach the correct positions, and she often would cry because of her teacher's criticism. So I began researching the cello. Weeks later, I had a chart with information about the notes and pitch changes, as well as its four strings, seven positions and more than 100 phonemes. Sabrina has made great progress and has since won first prize in the Beijing cello contest.

NLRB releases Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that, once finalized, will require employers subject to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to post a notice in their workplaces informing employees of their rights under the NLRA. The notice employers would be required to post is the same as one federal contractors already are required to post and can be viewed at www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/employeerightsposter11x17_final.pdf.

Under the proposal, sanctions for employers who fail to post the notice include being charged with unfair labor practice; having the time limits for filing other unfair labor practice charges against the employer extended; and having the board consider the failure to post the notice as evidence of unlawful motive in other unfair labor practice cases.

NLRB will receive public comments about the NPRM until Feb. 22; it will publish a final rule implementing the requirement at a later date. The requirement will not become effective for employers until a final rule is published in the Federal Register.

Create a solid code of ethics

When creating a code of ethics for your organization, it is important to make sure you and your employees are committed and able to stand by the policies. Following are tips to help you generate a strong ethics code:

• Don't copy a general policy. Generic ethics codes taken from books, the Internet or outside consultants won't address the specific issues your employees face. Take time to write a policy specific to your company's situation and needs.
• Enlist your employees. When an organization's employees are allowed to have a say in or even help write the policy, it will reflect real issues instead of theoretical dilemmas.
• Seek ideas outside your organization. Ask customers what rules they would like to see your company's employees follow. Ask other organizations in your industry what has worked for them.
• Educate employees. Plan to train your work force about the policy's specifics. Regularly reviewing specific parts of the code will show you're serious about it.
• Update when needed. As technology changes and your organization develops, it is important to address new issues and update rules accordingly. Schedule policy reviews to keep things relevant and up to date.

Source: Adapted from The Manager's Intelligence Report, December 2010 issue.