In this Legal Insights episode, Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese shares why the new independent contractor rule will impact the roofing industry, some important dates to know and what contractors can do now to prepare.

Hurricane season is officially here and if each of the past two years have been any indication, it’s just a matter of time before roofing contractors will be counted on to help the response to extreme weather events.

RC Legal Insights expert Trent Cotney breaks down what roofing contractors should be doing now to make this storm season a successful one in this brief episode.

In this episode, Anna Anderson, CEO of Art Unlimited, digs into the latest search result reports and how roofing contractors can endure what is looking to be a slow start to the busy season.

Ten years ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) started a national event to spread awareness and help prevent fatal falls on construction sites. It not only identified the leading cause of jobsite fatalities across America, but highlighted the importance of getting the safety conversation started in roofing yards and warehouses, said RC Legal Insights expert Trent Cotney.

In this latest Legal Insights episode, Cotney talks about the impact a decade of staying focused on safety has made for roofing, and how far the industry still needs to go. Listen to the entire conversation here.

In this episode, legal expert Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese dives into how roofing contractors should create company policies for using artificial intelligence like Chat GPT.

California regulators recently changed their approach to lead in older buildings by implementing rules with the lowest-permissible exposure limit introduced yet. That has enormous impact for roofers and other renovation and restoration contractors across the state, and possibly beyond, according to Trent Cotney, partner at Adams & Reese.

“Although this may be isolated to California now, my concern is that it’s picked up nationally,” Cotney warned in this brief episode. “The standard is so low that it’s pretty much a giant dragnet for anyone doing repairs on older structures.”

Hear the entire conversation here.

Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have been talking about increased enforcement on construction jobsites for months. Now they have a new tool. Beginning March 30, OSHA will be able to issue the equivalent of U- or T-level visas, which provide immigration status to noncitizens while assisting with workplace safety investigations.

“From an employer’s standpoint, it’s bad news,” said RC Legal Insights expert Trent Cotney, partner with Adams & Reese. “Illegal immigrants that are working for you could see this as an opportunity to flip and potentially provide testimony that’s adverse to you in the event of safety violations.”

Listen to the entire conversation here.