HEALTH & SAFETY

Roofers face many hazards, such as falls, burns, electrocutions, chemical exposures and hoisting accidents. Health and safety programs benefit everyone in the roofing industry -- workers stay alive and well, employers' costs are kept down for insurance and lost time on the job and customers are pleased that the job is completed smoothly and on time.

Through the years, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, state safety agencies and employers have set safety rules. An established and well-running safety program is a crucial complement to those rules. Such a program helps enforce the rules and standards and ensure cooperation from workers and management as well as provide a labor-management forum for working out new rules and procedures as needed.

The Roofing Industry Partnership for Safety and Health is a program sponsored by labor, management and the government. It promotes safety by offering roofing contractors a package of incentives designed to improve their safety performance.

In addition, the Roofers International Union has produced, through OSHA funding, a comprehensive set of safety and health materials for classroom instruction and for use by all members interested in health and safety issues. Read more...

FOR MORE INFORMATION, email johnb@unionroofers.com