The catastrophic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, raised the country’s focus on safety regulations and how companies need to work in order to protect their employees and the public. A second derailment was just reported in the western part of the state over the weekend. 

While there are more regulations in place for railway safety in the United States than for fall protection, roofing contractors and others in the construction trade need to pay attention to these incidents and what happens in their aftermath, said RC Legal Insights expert Trent Cotney.

“I think we’re seeing some systematic problems with our transportation,” said Cotney, a partner with Adams and Reese, in this brief video chat with RC Publisher Jill Bloom. “Some of it is outdated equipment and some of it could be lack of training.”

Similar to transportation workers, roofers are exposed to potentially harmful chemicals on a regular basis, and companies need to be up-to-date with their hazardous materials policies and procedures.

“Some of these chemicals would have ended up in construction materials,” he said. “You’re going to see more regulation coming out after this accident.”

Get more details by viewing the full conversation here, or visit our podcast page and download the episode to listen to it anywhere.