Cardiovascular Health in the Construction Industry

Construction work is demanding, and long commutes, difficulty creating a workout routine, physical exhaustion and muscular-skeletal injuries can create risk factors for cardiovascular health, according to constructionexec.com. Additionally, construction workers have a higher incidence of tobacco use, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease is a chronic health condition that may occur with other health conditions, including depression, diabetes and chronic musculoskeletal disorders. The American Heart Association reports 25% of construction workers are obese, 25% use tobacco, almost 50% do not get enough exercise and one in 25 have diabetes. So creating healthy workplaces for these workers is crucial.

The American Heart Association has been working to help the construction industry understand the prevalence of cardiovascular health risk factors with its Hard Hats with Hearts initiative. Construction companies have been expanding heart health programs and education, offering free access to health coaches and providing free biometric screening.

Following are some steps industry leaders can take to help educate workers and prevent cardiovascular problems.

• Offer adult and infant CPR training in your organization to increase the odds of survival in case of sudden cardiac arrest.

• Consider the benefits of providing automated external defibrillators at job sites.

• Encourage healthy eating with nutritious food choices in vending machines and heart-healthy snacks and beverages during meetings.

• Initiate a workplace warmup program focusing on dynamic movement of large muscle groups rather than static stretch and flex programs.

• Implement a biometric health screening program for employees and dependents.

• Ensure cessation programs include all forms of tobacco, including vaping.

• Participate in a regional Hard Hats with Heart initiative to learn more about incorporating heart health and cardiovascular disease prevention into your company’s program.

• Share information with employees and dependents about blood pressure reduction and heart disease and stroke prevention, such as risk factors, warning signs and how to seek help during medical emergencies.

Source: NRCA

National Roofing Week- June 5-11

Each year, National Roofing Week increases awareness about the significance of roofs to every home and business and shares the good deeds of the industry.

Empire Roofing has been highlighting our staff throughout the week in recognition of National Roofing Week. 

Monday June 6- We wanted to showcase some of our staff giving back to our community. We had a blast with the Good News Club at Glen Park Elementary. Our team provided pizza and refreshments for over 200 students. Not one slice was left! Thank you to everyone that took part and represented Empire Roofing.       

Tuesday June 7 - Highlighted in the video below is a project completed in March 2022 in Keller, TX.

Wednesday June 8 - We featured Caico Davila who joined the Empire team over 23 years ago. He talks about the evolution of Empire Roofing over the years and our passion for the work we do.

Thursday June 9 - We ensure our crews are the best of the best by conducting regular, in-house trainings.

Happy Retirement, Terry Linke!

Mrs. Linke… Signing Off!

30 Years of unmatched dedication and loyalty to Empire Roofing for Mrs. Terry Linke. Today, we wish her a much-deserved farewell and Happy Retirement! 

Terry Linke began her career with Empire Roofing in 1992 as our receptionist. Her talents began to emerge as she learned and began to understand the commercial roofing industry. Through the years, Terry became - and has remained - an integral part of Empire, leading various teams in Service, Purchasing, and is retiring as the Office Manager.

“Terry Linke has been the heart and soul of Empire Roofing, Inc for the past 30 years . As she moves into a new chapter in life (retirement), she will be missed by so many people. She has been a mentor and a teacher to many over the years. I've never met a person so dedicated to her job and to the people in the field . She has always had a “can do” attitude . I can also say she always kept me focused and on my toes. I, along with hundreds of  Empire Roofing employees, will forever be grateful and honored to have worked with her over the last 30 years. 

We love you and will miss you, Terry .”

- Ronnie McGlothlin, President of Empire Roofing

Recap of April's Roofing Day in D.C.

Roofing Day is an annual opportunity for the roofing community to gather and present non-partisan issues affecting our industry. Everyone from contractors to suppliers come together for face-to-face time with our elected Congressional Representatives and Senators.

The three top issues presented this past April included:

• Immigration Reform to meet workforce needs

• Investment and reform of career and technical education

• Workforce funding and innovation issues

“I strongly recommend others consider attending such an event in the future. It allows one to meet with your Senator and/or Representative to express your thoughts on the issues being presented and other issues that may be close to you and your business. I will attend again and again.”

- Allen Lancaster, Vice President

Metalcrafts A Tecta America Company

These issues are ongoing and need consistent support. If you were unable to attend, contact your local representative and keep the pressure going to help make positive changes for our industry.

Roofing Day 2023 will take place April 18th and 19th.

Empire Roofing 2022 EMR .59 Rating

We recently received our 2022 EMR rating. But what does EMR mean? EMR stands for "Experience Modification Rating,"

and everyone starts with base of 1.0 meaning baseline essentially 0. 

The EMR rating is what the workers compensation insurance companies use to track and rate the risk of the Contractors that have workers compensation insurance. 

If your EMR rating is less than 1.0 like 0.99 or lower then this means you have a very good EMR rating and you have few or no major claims or injuries reported in at least the last 3 years. 

A Roofing Contractor has to have had Workers Compensation Risk Insurance for at least 3 years before they can be rated, so newer contractors with less than 3 years of experience are still considered risky - until they can prove they are safe companies and adhere to safe OSHA practices and other regulations.

An EMR rating is important because if your roofer has a higher EMR rating than 1.0 this will often be reason for many bigger companies to disqualify the Roof Company - because the bigger the company that owns the roof that is being worked on, the bigger the chance that if a worker if is injured, they will sue the owner when and if the Contractors Workers Compensation limits are exhausted.

Most commercial Real Estate and local government building and roof owners will require a 1 to 2 million general liability and a

500k Workers Compensation insurance requirement, as a minimum.

If your company is a Fortune 500 or Fortune 100 company, then the EMR is even more important because every worker that goes on the roof, will likely know that the owner has deep pockets and this is when the danger really comes, when you have contractors who do not screen or train - or care - about safety and hire people who are really only out to get a free ride and make a fraudulent claim, or fake a serious injury. 

Therefore, many fortune 100 companies now require the Roof Contractor to have an EMR rating that is 1.0 or less. By having such a low EMR rating - below 1.0 - you can be pretty sure that the company has at least gone 3 years with no or low  injuries compared to their competitors and the industry standard.

The longer the company has been in business with no OSHA 300A violations or claims - the more desirable they will be to work with - because the Owner now has an independent way to judge the risk factor of hiring a company that has a good vs bad EMR rating...

1.0 or less if acceptable and anything more than 1.0 is considered a "Risk", and 1.20 would be pretty risky - indicating the contractor has had claims.

In the EMR report you will be able to see the number of claims they had - and if there aren’t any it will be zero on those columns. 0.96 is Excellent and the lower the rating the better the company safety record is. 

#TheEmpireWay

Source: MyComply.Net