NRCA Resources

Participate in the 2010 IRE® and NRCA's convention events

The 2010 International Roofing Expo (IRE) and NRCA's 123rd Annual Convention will take place in New Orleans Feb. 19-23, 2010, and offer numerous events for attendees.

On Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 22 and 23, NRCA will hold a silent auction at its booth to benefit ROOFPAC, NRCA's political action committee.

Sponsored by GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., the auction will allow participants to bid on a wide array of items, including vacation packages, sporting events, jewelry, political memorabilia and more. All items for auction will be donated by NRCA members and friends of the roofing industry.

For more information, contact Bethany Field, NRCA's manager of public affairs, at (800) 323-9545, ext. 7594 or bfield@nrca.net.

In addition, NRCA University will offer educational courses during the convention. The following courses will be offered Sunday, Feb. 21:

• CERTA Train-the-trainer Authorization program: This course is a 10-hour accreditation program addressing how to teach torch safety. Through classroom instruction and hands-on torching activities, participants learn the latest industry best safety practices for torch-applied roof systems, as well as the teaching skills needed to train others about torch safety. After successfully completing the program, participants will be authorized to conduct CERTA certification training for roofing workers. Authorized trainers receive training materials, including an instructors guide and English and Spanish editions of the CERTA student manual and training video.
• Roofing Safety: OSHA 10-hour Program: This is the only Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour construction program specifically designed to help participants identify and avoid hazards they are likely to encounter on jobs. The class includes video segments of job-site scenarios that show typical hazards and their remedies. This information is essential for those who need to know current OSHA requirements for safety and health standards or verify these standards are followed. Upon completion, participants will receive an OSHA 10-hour safety training completion card.
• For Foremen and Superintendents Only: This program focuses on communication and management skills for field managers. Upon course completion, participants will be able to identify positive and negative communication approaches; recognize their own communication styles; improve their communication skills; articulate ways to increase crew productivity; increase their job management skills; identify steps to improve their leadership abilities; implement conflict-resolution with employees in discipline situations; and translate learning to on-the-job situations.
• Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z: This course is designed to increase awareness of fall-protection hazards and help participants become familiar with the specific equipment to use and work practices to employ to avoid these hazards. Participants will learn about OSHA's fall-protection requirements and understand the components of fall-protection systems. The course also features demonstrations of equipment and techniques for self-rescue and relief of suspension trauma.

For more information or to register, contact NRCA's Customer Service Department at (866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722) or info@nrca.net.

Also on Feb. 21, NRCA's Community Service and Disaster Relief Committee, Rebuilding Together® and the 2010 IRE will host Community Service Day, a chance for attendees to give back to the New Orleans community.

Volunteers will renovate a home for a family that is elderly, disabled or financially unable to support the renovation. The family will be identified closer to the event. You can donate money, products or materials and volunteer to help with the renovations.

Attendees can register online at www.theroofingexpo.com to volunteer their services. A $25 fee includes lunch and transportation. Manufacturers donating products and materials will be able to ship them directly to Rebuilding Together's warehouse in New Orleans. Donations also will be accepted after the show from exhibitors who have products in their booths.

For more information about donating, contact Brandi McElhaney, IRE's conference manager, at (972) 536-6392 or bmcelhaney@hanleywood.com.

NRCA offers Spanish language guide

NRCA has made available 2nd Language Success' Spanish in a Pinch, a set of 18 laminated translation cards containing more than 1,400 roofing- and business-related words, terms and phrases to assist in communicating with Spanish-speaking workers.

Housed in a three-ring binder, these customized, trade-specific cards include terms for roofing, general labor, construction safety, accident reporting, subcontractor screening, builder relations, I-9 immigration compliance, employment, payroll, drug screening, performance reviews, disciplinary action and medical benefits.

For more information or to order Spanish in a Pinch, visit shop.nrca.net; fax (847) 299-1183; or call (866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722).

NRCA University introduces free safety training program

NRCA University has introduced Profitability Through Effective Safety Programs, a daylong educational course focusing on a safety program's critical elements.

The course is free and addresses a risk-management approach to safety; identification of risks; job hazard analysis; risk transfer techniques and strategies; importance of an experience modification rate; essential role of training; effective safety training programs; incorporating bonuses and incentives to manage employee compliance; discipline policies that change behavior; job-specific safety programs; safety committee structure and purpose; and management's role in a safety culture. Participants will receive classroom materials and a resource guide in an electronic format developed specifically for the course.

Profitability Through Effective Safety Programs will be held on the following dates in 2010 in the following locations:

• Jan. 14 in Chicago
• Jan. 27 in Orlando, Fla.
• March 17 in Boston
• March 30 in Denver
• April 6 in Dallas
• April 8 in St. Louis
• April 28 in Raleigh, N.C.
• April 30 in Nashville, Tenn.
• May 6 in Philadelphia
• May 7 in Washington, D.C.
• May 19 in San Francisco
• May 21 in Seattle

For more information or to register, visit www.nrca.net/nrcauniversity or contact NRCA's Customer Service Department at (866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722) or info@nrca.net.

NRCA University to hold vegetative roof system conferences

NRCA University will hold Vegetative Roof Systems for Roofing Contractors: Your Rewards, Responsibilities and Risks, a one-day contractor-focused educational conference, in several cities.

The conference is based on the technical guidelines contained in The NRCA Vegetative Roof Systems Manual, Second Edition and addresses vegetative roof system benefits, terminology, waterproofing membranes, construction details, growth media and plant selection, building and energy code compliance, and business and legal issues. Participants receive NRCA's vegetative roof systems manual free.

The conferences will be held Nov. 19 in New York; Dec. 3 in Washington, D.C.; and Jan. 26, 2010, in Orlando, Fla.

For more information or to register, contact NRCA's Customer Service Department at (866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722) or info@nrca.net.

Attend ROOF INDIA 2010

ROOF INDIA 2010, Asia's largest roofing and allied technologies event, will be held April 23-25, 2010, at the Chennai Trade Centre in Chennai, India.

The three-day event will feature more than 120 national and international companies showcasing the latest in roof systems, architectural cladding, metal building systems and pre-engineered buildings, tensile architecture, vegetative roof systems, waterproofing, roof insulation, roofing machinery and more. A conference will be held April 23-24 in conjunction with the event; speakers will address industry-related technical issues.

The event is sponsored by NRCA, Germany's International Green Roofs Association, Belgium's International Tensile Membranes Association, China National Waterproof Building Material Industry Association and the Indian Association of Structural Engineers. NRCA members will receive a 10 percent discount on booth charges.

Companies providing technologies, products, services, consulting and solutions for roof landscaping will exhibit at the event.

Additionally, ROOF INDIA 2010 has announced the ROOF INDIA Design Awards for Tensile Structures, a competition open to architects, designers, engineers, companies and institutions that will be judged by industry professionals. The competition recognizes industry professionals for excellence in design, construction and application of completed tensile structure projects in India.

For more information about the event, visit www.roofindia.com or e-mail info@unitecexpo.com.

NRCA introduces new membership categories

NRCA has introduced two new membership categories: rooftop photovoltaic manufacturers and utilities and rooftop photovoltaic service providers.

The rooftop photovoltaic manufacturers and utilities category is designed for photovoltaic (PV) systems manufacturers and companies arranging for power purchase agreements that use rooftops to collect energy. The rooftop photovoltaic service providers category is designed for companies involved with rooftop PV systems, including inverter and controls manufacturers and integrators that have an interest in PV systems and could benefit from a closer relationship with the roofing industry.

NRCA's other membership categories include contractor; associate; architect, engineer and consultant; industrial and institutional; international; and manufacturer's representative.

For more information or to join NRCA, click on the Join link at www.nrca.net or contact NRCA's Membership Department at (800) 323-9545 or membership@nrca.net.

NRCA offers safety resources

NRCA offers the NRCA Pocket Guide to Safety, a 100-page, pocket-sized, spiral-bound guide for laborers, mechanics, foremen and anyone else on roofing job sites.

The NRCA Pocket Guide to Safety is available in English and Spanish and addresses safety, first aid and emergency treatment, weather, personal protective equipment, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

Additionally, NRCA offers The NRCA Safety Manual, Second Edition. New for 2009, the manual contains updated and expanded explanations of OSHA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation regulations along with industry practices developed and compiled to improve worker safety at roofing job sites.

The manual features color graphics and photographs, as well as newly revised sample forms, letters and programs suitable for customization. Topics such as fall protection, asbestos, fire safety, hazardous materials and driver safety have been supplemented with the latest federal agency requirements so roofing contractors can maintain their operations in a state-of-the-art manner.

For more information or to order either publication, visit shop.nrca.net or contact NRCA's Customer Service Department at (866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722) or info@nrca.net.

NRCA offers retirement program

The NRCA Retirement Program allows NRCA members to provide retirement benefits for their employees and themselves. The program offers flexibility with a package of administrative and investment management services at a cost that may be significantly less than an individually managed plan.

Administrative services provided by the retirement program include a quarterly management report, updated balance for the current quarter, summary annual report, 5500 tax-return preparation, updated census information and annual participant statements.

The NRCA Retirement Program's development is overseen by an advisory committee consisting of NRCA members who have experience managing retirement plans. Participating companies receive quarterly newsletters updating them on fund performance, as well as monthly and quarterly performance evaluation reports.

For more information about the NRCA Retirement Program, contact Harry Ryder, NRCA's associate executive director of finance, at (800) 323-9545, ext. 7545 or hryder@nrca.net.