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Tag Archive: National Safety Month

  1. National Safety Month: Fall Safety and Prevention

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    Since the day we were founded in 1886, Knickerbocker Roofing has strived to play an active role in our community, providing comprehensive safety training and education. Specializing in slip and fall safety, our expert team is committed to enhancing overall safety in the roofing and construction sectors.

    While we focus on safety year-round, there is no better time to highlight our efforts and good safety practices than in June, National Safety Month. Organized by the National Safety Council (NSC), National Safety Month aims to raise awareness of safety practices in order to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities.

    This year, the first week of National Safety Month is centered on the theme “Stand Up to Falls” — particularly pertinent to our industry. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are one of the most common causes of work-related injury and death. In the construction, contractor, and roofing industries, workers are regularly at risk of falls. OSHA lists a variety of fall-prevention safety regulations, but regulations are often overlooked — or ignored for the sake of expediency.

    With over 75-100 ongoing employees, Knickerbocker is proud to be a pillar of our community. It is our responsibility to keep both our employees,  customers — and by extension, our entire community — safe from the dangers of slips and falls. This is a responsibility we take very seriously.

    National Safety Month: Fall Safety and Prevention

    To help keep your employees safe, here are a few tips pulled straight from the Knickerbocker safety playbook:

    • Train all employees in safety procedures regularly (at the very least, annually).
    • Require employees to use all relevant safety gear at all times while on-site — no exceptions.
    • Focus on individual safety aspects (ex: scaffolding safety) to ensure workers have thorough knowledge of various measures.
    • Require compliance checks by project supervisors.
    • Have independent safety consultants perform regular site inspections.
    • Upgrade to modern equipment whenever possible.
    • Maintain equipment carefully, thoroughly, and regularly.

    These are just a few of the common-sense safety procedures we adhere to at Knickerbocker Roofing, and we urge you to follow them as well. Knickerbocker Roofing is working hard to promote National Safety Month both locally and nationally, as we consider it part of our job to reliably protect our workers and the community at large.

    Don’t forget to follow our blog, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay up to date on company and industry news, or, to discuss your needs with a roofing specialist, contact us today.

  2. End-of-the-Year Recap: A Look Back at 2016

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    With the holidays upon us, we at Knickerbocker Roofing and Paving Co., Inc. are taking the time to look back on the past year’s accomplishments. To recap some of our most important news, we’ve highlighted blog posts that detail recent achievements and outline our commitment to sustainable, environmentally friendly roofing solutions. Take a look below:

    Blog Highlights

    Our Commitment to Sustainability

    As an advocate of green roofing systems, we thought it was important to share our knowledge on responsible building practices in honor of Earth Day this past year. In April’s blog post, we discussed the benefits of green roofs, or “living roofs,” which are partly or completely covered with a waterproof membrane, a growing medium, and vegetation. Besides providing an aesthetically pleasing, elegant but modern design, these roofs reduce energy consumption and improve water efficiency.

    In another post, we delved into the benefits of white roofs — roofs constructed from white materials with reflective coatings. Common materials include polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO). These materials push back solar rays and help keep the roof — and therefore the interior of the structure — cooler during hot months.

    Keeping People Safe Across Industries

    At Knickerbocker, we’re serious about client safety and are committed to providing reliable, practical solutions for all types of industries. For instance, we have extensive experience providing school roof inspections, repairs, and installations; in our August post, we encouraged schools to contact us for a free consultation in order to prevent issues and safety hazards during the school year. And if things do go wrong, we have a 24/7 emergency service hotline to address issues around the clock.

    During National Safety Month in June, we outlined the steps we take to provide optimal fall protection. Utilizing the OSHA Fall Protection in Construction guidelines, we continually improve our safety procedures and invest in the highest-quality fall prevention and protection equipment. As a participant in National Safety Month and OSHA Stand Down, we conduct regular safety meeting, discuss job hazards with employees daily, and hold an annual safety training program for all workers.

    Looking to 2017

    As the year draws to a close, we at Knickerbocker are evaluating 2016’s successes, and, as always, are looking for new ways to improve our processes and better serve our clients. We hope everyone has a great holiday season and a happy new year. We’ll see you here in 2017!

    For the latest on roofing industry updates follow us on our Twitter and LinkedIn accounts!

  3. Knickerbocker Reviews Fall Safety this June

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    Worker safety is always at the forefront of what we do here at Knickerbocker Roofing. We want our employees to be aware and alert of the dangers they face on a regular basis and to work with us to reduce the possibility of an accident, minor or major.

    National Safety Month and OSHA Stand-Down

    Each June, the National Safety Council observes National Safety Month. While every month should take a look at safety, this month concentrates on increasing the awareness of leading safety and health risks in venues including the workplace, home, local community, and traffic. By providing materials including posters, tip sheets, and more, the NSC aims to educate about the leading causes of injury and death, and to reduce them.

    Just as important in our line of work is the OSHA Stand-Down event, which took place this year on May 2nd through the 6th. With the nature of our labor, fall safety is very important – particularly because falls are the leading cause of worker death and serious injury in the construction industry. Each year, the Stand-Down event involves having a toolbox talk or safety meeting for fall prevention and protection. OSHA’s goal this year was to reach 5 million workers throughout the Stand-Down week.

    Fall Protection

    Every day, our teams utilize practices to prevent falls. On a regular basis, we conduct safety inspections of our worksites and our employee practices and provide correction when needed. Utilizing the OSHA Fall Protection in Construction guidelines, we are constantly revamping our procedures to exceed the standards they advise. On top of practices, we also ensure the usage of the latest in fall prevention and protection equipment and make sure that it is properly maintained.

    Our Involvement

    At Knickerbocker, we participate in both National Safety Month and OSHA Stand Down by conducting safety meetings, discussing specific job hazards our employees face on a daily basis, and implementing response plans. Ways we work to improve employee safety include:

    • Annual Safety training program for all field and supervisory employees
    • Project safety inspections by independent safety consultants
    • Utilization of modern equipment, maintained for safe usage by our mechanics

    In a high-risk industry, you need to pay constant attention to safety. For the well-being of our employees, as well as the peace of mind of our customers, here at Knickerbocker Roofing and Paving we promise to continue to be involved in keeping our employees safe, and continue the programs that have earned us awards including the American Subcontractors Association Safety Award and the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association Safety Award. Join us for National Safety Month – along with the rest of the year – in an effort to make safety important in all aspects of work and home.