This is not the column I had planned to write for the October 2005 issue of Roofing Contractor. October 2005 ushers in changes to the roofing standards put forth in
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has estimated that 33 percent of construction trade fatalities are due to falls from heights and 6 percent of these falls originated from a ladder. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's 1994 study, more than 90,000 people in the United States received emergency room treatment for ladder-related injuries and 300 died. Underwriters Laboratories estimates that over 222,000 portable ladder accidents requiring professional medical treatment are reported every year in the United States.
Make it a point to spend a little more time training employees in customer service. Most business owners pay lip service to customer service, but most don't really regard it as an important business function. Most contractors don't even pay lip service to it. They think the only thing that counts is that their people know how to work with the tools of the trade. But a surly employee can cost you many jobs.
Much is written here and in other forms of media around the roofing industry about large projects and large roof-contracting firms. The reality, however, is that the roof-contracting industry in this country remains largely fragmented. The majority of the roofing jobs, commercial and residential, are performed by a large number of relatively small contracting firms.
When planning parties, business owners should be mindful of state laws that hold employers who host a party where alcohol is served liable for injuries caused by the negligent or reckless acts of employees who may leave the party intoxicated.
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