News and notes from the National Roofing Contractors Association.

NRCA Executive Vice President Appears on CNBC

On March 12, 2003, William Good, NRCA executive vice president, discussed the effects rising oil prices and limited asphalt availability may have on the roofing industry in an interview on CNBC’s “Closing Bell” television program.

Good speculates that as oil supplies decline, the roofing industry may experience an asphalt shortage and sharp rise in asphalt prices. Because many roofing products are petroleum-based, an oil shortage would be devastating to the industry.

The labor strike in Venezuela, which supplies one-quarter of the industry’s heavy crude, has led to a serious disruption of asphalt availability. Further, the war with Iraq, a secondary oil supplier, could potentially cause a devastating asphalt shortage. Recently, the roofing industry has struggled with economic slowdown and may experience more dramatic declines in business if asphalt supplies are unavailable. To read an NRCA Special Report on asphalt availability, visit www.nrca.net.

NRCA Issues Comments to DOL

On Nov. 4, 2002, NRCA submitted comments to the Department of Labor about its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to revise the hearing conservation program for the construction industry. Currently, the general industry noise standards provide greater protection for workers than construction industry standards.

NRCA suggests that DOL’s Occupational Noise Standard, which was designed to protect the hearing of workers in general industries, would be difficult to apply to the construction industry. To read NRCA’s comments, visit www.nrca.net.

NRCA Releases Metal Inspection Manual

NRCA has released its “Manual for Inspection and Maintenance of Low-slope Structural Metal Panel Roof Assemblies: A Guide for Building Owners.” The manual provides recommendations for building owners and their representatives that will enhance the performance of structural-metal-panel roof assemblies. It stresses the importance for building owners to implement scheduled roof system inspection and maintenance programs. The information presented is a consensus of professional roofing contractors and focuses on critical, basic procedures that help optimize structural-metal-panel roof assemblies’ service lives.

The manual is available for $20 to members and $25 to nonmembers. To order the manual, contact NRCA InfoExpress at 866.ASK.NRCA (275.6722); fax 847.299.1183; or visit NRCA’s virtual store at http://shop.nrca.net.

Contractors Help Find Missing Kids

News outlets provide daily reports about children who have been abducted from playgrounds, parking lots and their own beds. And recently, Elizabeth Smart, whose abduction made national headlines for weeks, was found and safely returned home. The media focus on the plight of missing and exploited children in the United States has alerted the public to the issue of finding these children as soon as possible.

To do its part in finding missing children, NRCA partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) through the Project Recovery campaign in November 2001. The campaign involves placing 18- by 24-inch or 18- by 12-inch magnetic posters of missing children on roofing contractors’ service vehicles. According to NCMEC, one child in six is found when someone recognizes his or her photo and notifies authorities. The posters, which are designed by NRCA, include a photograph of the child and biographical and contact information. Once a child has been located, a “FOUND” sticker is sent to place over the poster, which alerts a community to the program’s success.

Since Project Recovery’s inception, it has helped locate more than 20 missing children from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Texas. Now, NRCA is asking for your support of Project Recovery to help expand its reach to new areas. You may choose to make a donation, pay a $30 flat rate per poster or become a sponsor.

To become part of Project Recovery or receive more information, contact Christina Koch, NRCA’s manager of public relations, at 847.299.9070, ext. 7531; fax 847.299.1183; or e-mail ckoch@nrca.net.

NRCA Roof Application Training Programs

What would you say is your company’s single most important asset? If you’re like most roofing professionals, your answer is, “employees.” And certainly you realize having a properly trained work force is the key to your company’s long-term success. But are you doing all you can to provide your workers with state-of-the-art training programs?

NRCA can help. For the first time, NRCA is extending a buy-one-get-one-free offer for all its Roof Application Training Programs. The 16 training modules enable you to train your employees in-house when it is most convenient for you and are excellent resources for new employees, as well as experienced workers. Once your workers complete a module, NRCA will, upon request, generate personalized certificates so you can recognize and reward students’ achievements.

With each module, you receive an instructional video, student manual and instructors guide, as well as testing and evaluation materials and guidelines for on-the-job and in-shop instruction. Six modules also are available in Spanish.

Take advantage of NRCA’s buy-one-get-one-free offer and your company will experience worker training at its finest, with the technical accuracy, regulatory compliance and quality only NRCA provides. For more information about NRCA’s Roof Application Training Programs, please contact NRCA InfoExpress toll-free at 866.ASK.NRCA (275.6722), e-mail infoexpress@nrca.net, or visit shop.nrca.net to view a clip of each training module.