Rooftop safety has been at the center of what roofing contractors turned entrepreneurs Jeff Murray and John Carroccia are all about at On Top Safety. As president, and vice president of innovation, respectively, each has had a vital role in getting the Buffallo-area roof-safey startup off the ground. And now they’re winning industry awards.

Both On Top Safety’s leading products – the Life Grab Ladder Stabilizer and Life Grab 360 Roof Bracket -- earned top honors as both a “People’s Choice” and “Expert’s Choice” award winner in different categories among products highlighted at the 2026 International Roofing Expo. The partnership started while John worked as a mechanic at Jeff’s roofing business, Murray Roofing, in Cheektowaga, N.Y. The 50-year-old company is among the largest EPDM and TPO installers in upstate New York with roughly 70 employees.

After an employee was injured in a fall, Murray developed a guardrail system that became the launching point for On Top Safety, a sister company. The guardrail system was their only product, but seeing the opportunity, the duo set to expand with innovation. From there, John spoke directly to workers in the field and learned what their chief safety concerns were, along with what they wanted to get out of their equipment. They took that research and began to develop products directed by the contractor feedback. Today, On Top Safety stands by its multiple lines of products that are ‘Designed by Roofers, for Roofers.’

RC: What role does roof safety play in your day-to-day operations? 

JM: Safety is at the forefront of everything we do, from daily operations to developing cutting-edge new products for both the roofing and construction industries.

RC: Do you have a particular philosophy when it comes to roof safety? 

JC: Our philosophy is simple: educate, educate, educate. Teaching crews about safety products makes them confident and excited to be protected. Also, giving crews perspective on the importance of working safely and how it could affect their family if they don’t.

RC: You’ve been at this for awhile, and falls continue to be a leading cause of roofer deaths and injuries. Does it ever get frustrating? 

JC: At times it can be frustrating to see people not have that safety-first mindset, like being wary of investing in safety equipment or not being in touch with what their crews need for safety. We believe that the continued implementation of our products will reduce injuries in this field.

RC: How did the idea for this business get it start?

JC: The birth of On Top Safety began because Jeff’s business encountered a fall. The perimeter guardrail system Jeff developed ensured that he and other roofing businesses would have a piece of mind that all crews would be protected with trusted, American-made safety equipment.

RC: What are some of your proudest safety-related moments? 

JM: Some of our proudest moments derive from our products being put to work out in the field. Our perimeter guardrail system has prevented many fatal flaws, as well as our Falcon Safety Cart, which prevents fall injuries with our patented shock absorption technology. From an award point of view, our LifeGrab 360 degree roof bracket is a multi-time IRE Expert’s Choice Award winner due to its 10,000lb rating, making it the strongest bracket on the market.

Also our LifeGrab Upper and Lower Ladder Stabilizers just won the 2026 IRE People’s Choice award for its ease of use and overall effectiveness for reducing ladder movement.

 RC: What’s your message to roofers in order to get more buy-in when it comes to roof safety?

JC: Investing in high-quality safety equipment is imperative to keeping the jobsite safe. In conjunction with proper education and toolbox talks on that equipment, it empowers crews to take safety seriously and ensure they go home safe at the end of every day.

 RC: What does the future of roof safety look like? 

JM: We see the future of roof safety being an environment that widely adopts a safety-first mentality by utilizing our products. We want to prioritize ease of use, quality and safety across  the entire industry, with many more products coming soon.