b'UNCLESAM. " Here\'sHowtoMale O.S.H.AWo rlI " JEARN MYBREAD and butter If we are truly a target industry, asaroofingcontractor,theSte then meaningfulregulation should phensonRoofingCo.,St.Louis,focus on the ways to prevent burns Missouri with annual sales volumefrom"hotstuff"- - as,forexofapproximately$1.6million.ample, ankle high shoes with thick During our busy season we employByGeorgeStephenson,rubberor composition soles,adeabout55journeymanroofers,ap StephensonRoofingCo.,quategloves ,shirtswithfull prentices andhelpers.St.Louis,Missourilength sleeves, good housekeeping My company,as well as all otherpractices in the area being worked. contractors,strives toavoidworkInspite ofourrepeated offers, connectedinjuries among ourem OSHAadministratorshaveshown ployees.Quite apart fromthe hu nointerestinjointlydeveloping manitarianaspects,anylost-timestandardswhichwouldprovide injury on the job has serious eco meaningfulregulationinourinnomic consequences.Under Work Thisisthetextofthetalkpre dustry. men\'scompensationlawsthe em sentedrecently byGeorge Stephen 2. Provide regulations thatareployee\'slossiscompensablebyson,beforethe"Environmentalclear,certainand understandable. hisemployerwhetherornottheProblemsAffectingSmallBusi We can\'t operate if we don\'t know injuryoccurredastheresultofnessSubcommitteeoftheLaborwhat isrequired of us.Everyday negligenceonthe partoftheem Committee" of the House of Tepre I\'m submitting bids to perform roofployer.sentatives,U.S.Congress,withing work for a lump sum.How can Inaddition,thelossofeffi respectto theOccupational Safe IbidifIdon\'tknowmycosts? ci"encyandrelatedindirect coststy and Health Act (OSHA).In ad How can I know mycosts to comarising from the accident just aboutditiontoservingasPresidentofply with OSHA if the requirements doublethe dir\'ect costs from work theMidwestRoofingContractorsare vague and uncertain?A single men\'s compensationclaims.As aAssociation this year,Stephensonexamplewillsuffice. result,acontractorwithagoodalsoservesasChairmanoftheThe Construction Industry Safesafetyrecordisinamuch betterSafetyCommitteeoftheNationalty Standards published in the FedpositiontooperatehisbusinessRoofingContractorsAss\'n.eral Register in April 1971 require ata profitthanacompetitorwiththat floor openings be guarded by a poor safety record.astandardrailingandtoeboards As a company and as an indus whichmeetcertainstandards. trywe. haveworkedforyearstoThereis nomention of roofs. improve oursafety record - - andHowever,inDecember1971, wewillcontinue to do sowith or1. Workcloselywithdulyde JohnA.Proctor,ActingDirector withoutOSHA. signatedindustryrepresentativesof theOffice of Safety and Healt h Because the aim ofthe federalin an efforttounderstand the prob Standards,advisedusthat"the legislation is the same as our ownlemspeculiar to our industry.Anyintent . is to require guardrails goal,wedonotobjecttosuchmeaningfulregulationmustbeon roofs."In spite of this advice legislationinprinciple.Tothebasedonfacts.RightnowI\'m- - whichweconsiderclearlyextentOSHAdoesinfactresultcertainOSHAhasnostatisticalwrong- - complianceofficersininabettersafetytrackrecord,datapinpointingthemostlikelymostareasatpresentarenotreemployersbenefit along with theircauses ofaccidents inour indus quiringguardrailson roofs.employees.try.Wedo- - and would be de SomecomplianceofficerssugAt this juncture there is reasonlightedtoshareourinformationgest that inlieu of a fixed guardtodoubt thatOSHAwillhave anywith OSHA.rail,aropewarningsystemsix appreciableeffectinimprovingThe biggest source of injury infeetin fromtheroofperimeter be safety in the roofing industry.Inourindustryisnotfromfallinginstalled.Thepointisclear- -steaditmaysimplybeone morefromoneleveltoalowerlevel;rightnowIdon\'tknowwhatto bureaucraticnightmarewhich prothebiggestaccidentsourceinputin my bidforthisitemwhich ducesmountainsofpaperandin roofingisbumsfrom"hot stuff"representsasubstantialcost. creases construction costs.I hope- - tar,asphalt,bitumen,pitch.not.Iwouldlike tosee it work.Sometimes those bums are accom MyviewisthatOSHA,theInIthinkitcanworkifonly thosepanied by tripping or falling while ternational Roofers Union andthe chargedwithadministeringthehandling"hotstuff."Noother NationalRoofingContractors Aslawwillobservethesesimpleconstructioncrafthandlesthis sociationshouldjointlydevelop suggestions:sortofmaterial. (Continued on next page) 8SEPTEMl\'ER1972'