House Bill 129 passes in 61-29 bipartisan vote. 

House Bill 129 to enact a Commercial Roofing Licensing within the existing Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) structure passed in the Ohio House of Representatives. The bill passed by a wide bipartisan margin of 61-29.

Representative Tom Patton (R-17) sponsored this bill at the request of his constituents in the Ohio Roofing Contractors Association (ORCA).  ORCA has worked for many years to establish a commercial roofing contractor license that mirrors the current Ohio licenses for Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical and Hydronics. Building on the momentum of last session, Representative Patton was able to move swiftly through the hearings process and presented a rousing floor speech that resulted in the bill's overwhelming passage in the House.

Other construction industry associations and the Mid-states District Council of Roofers spoke out in favor of the legislation. Roofers Local 44 Business Manager, Bill Franklin, stressed in his testimony that the bill is supported by both workers and employers. The roofing industry was joined by the Firefighters Association and Ohio Fire Chiefs Association in supporting this initiative. The firefighters advocated that this bill is a critical to, "enhance safety and strengthen protections for fire fighters that have to enter compromised buildings."

In his testimony on behalf of the bill, ORCA President, Fred Horner of Advanced Industrial Roofing emphasized that, "as a member of the NFIB, ABC and my local builders exchange, I would never work for any piece of legislation that would keep someone from starting and growing their own small business just like I did. I want true competitors. Competitors who pay their taxes, just like me. Competitors who pay their workers comp, just like me. Competitors who have insurance coverage and a basic understanding of the roofing codes."

ORCA supports the existing licensing structure in Ohio because it has proven to be an effective agency program for over twenty-five years with the other trades.  The registration fees are low, the liability insurance requirements are very reasonable and there is a grandfathering period for all existing roofing contractors to apply for the  license.  It also requires all subcontractors performing roofing system work on the project to be licensed. The currently licensed industries have used the licensing enforcement provisions for decades to successfully reduce the misclassification of workers as subcontractors. 

The bill will now proceed to the Ohio Senate for consideration.  The bill must pass by December 31, 2024 or the process will start over again in the 136th Ohio General Assembly.

For more information on the bill and full testimony from all interested parties, you can visit: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb129

To support the ORCA Commercial Roofing Licensing Initiative go to: www.ohioroofing.com

About ORCA
The Ohio Roofing Contractors Association (ORCA) represents hundreds of roofing contractors across Ohio. ORCA has a diverse membership of large and small, union and non-union contractors who perform all types of roofing in many different markets. ORCA is the only association in Ohio that is dedicated to the sole purpose of working for the roofing contractor by offering virtual and live education programs, timely news bulletins, networking with contractor services and product suppliers and industry advocacy.

They seek to hold employers to greater account for safety and health failures.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued new enforcement guidance to make its penalties more effective in stopping employers from repeatedly exposing workers to life-threatening hazards or failing to comply with certain workplace safety and health requirements.

OSHA Regional Administrators and Area Office Directors now have the authority to cite certain types of violations as “instance-by-instance citations” for cases where the agency identifies “high-gravity” serious violations of OSHA standards specific to certain conditions where the language of the rule supports a citation for each instance of non-compliance. These conditions include lockout/tagout, machine guarding, permit-required confined space, respiratory protection, falls, trenching and for cases with other-than-serious violations specific to recordkeeping.

The change is intended to ensure OSHA personnel are applying the full authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Act where increased citations are needed to discourage non-compliance. The new guidance covers enforcement activity in general industry, agriculture, maritime and construction industries, and becomes effective 60 days from January 26, 2023. The current policy has been in place since 1990 and applies only to egregious willful citations.

In a second action, OSHA is reminding its Regional Administrators and Area Directors of their authority not to group violations, and instead cite them separately to more effectively encourage employers to comply with the intent of the OSH Act. 

“Smart, impactful enforcement means using all the tools available to us when an employer ‘doesn’t get it’ and will respond to only additional deterrence in the form of increased citations and penalties,” explained Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “This is intended to be a targeted strategy for those employers who repeatedly choose to put profits before their employees’ safety, health and wellbeing. Employers who callously view injured or sickened workers simply as a cost of doing business will face more serious consequences.”

These changes in enforcement guidance are important enforcement tools to help deter employers from disregarding their responsibilities to protect workers and ensure compliance with OSHA standards and regulations.

Existing guidance on instance-by-instance citations are outlined in the OSHA Field Operations Manual, and CPL 02-00-080, “Handling of Cases to be Proposed for Violation-by-Violation Penalties.”

Photo credit: U.S. Department of Labor

By Ohio Roofing Contractors Association (ORCA). 

The 2022 Annual Tradeshow is full of fun events and many chances to win cool prizes.  

The Ohio Roofing Contractors Association (ORCA) Annual Working Tradeshow is almost here! The one-day event will take place February 9, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio Expo Center and Fairgrounds. 

This year will feature a Designated Demonstration Area and a new show floor layout to accommodate equipment and products. This allows vendors to hold continuous demonstrations and contests and provides an opportunity for roofing contractors to “get their hands dirty.”

You won’t want to miss everything that this one-day show has to offer: 

• All day food and beverage, including beer! 

• Chances to win $50 cash prizes pulled throughout the day. 

• Chances to win door prizes throughout the day. 

• The Roofer Challenge: You or one of your employees could win up to $1,000! 

• CERTA Applicator Training onsite and finished in one day. 

• Hot Air and Induction Welding Safety Training (HAWT) onsite and finished in one day. 

• Product demonstration all day on the tradeshow floor. 

• Valuable networking with manufacturers, suppliers and your peers.

Entrance onto the tradeshow floor is completely FREE for contractors, architects, engineers, consultants, specifiers, code officials and insurance agents.

Interested in attending the Annual Working Tradeshow, being a part of the Roofer Challenge or signing up for the CERTA or HAWT Course? Visit here for more details and to register! 

Learn more about ORCA in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.ohioroofing.com. 

About ORCA 

The Ohio Roofing Contractors Association encourages a spirit of cooperation and friendliness among its members, seeks to favorably impress the public and promote the welfare and public acceptance of the roofing industry. Its goal is to establish and maintain friendly relations between roofing contractors, architects, engineers and all other branches of the construction industry. Learn more at www.ohioroofing.com.

Chuck Bechtel of the Harold J. Becker Company, Dayton, Ohio; passed away this past Monday.

All of us that knew Chuck know that he was dedicated to the roofing industry and generously gave back in his time and resources to improve the industry and share knowledge with his fellow roofing contractors. Chuck was active in his industry associations as well. Chuck was a founding member of the Ohio Roofing Contractors Association and served as its first President. He was also active in the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association and served as President of the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Please click HERE to view Chuck's Obituary and for Memorial arrangements.

Becoming a member is a smart investment for your Ohio roofing business.

RoofersCoffeeShop, the award-winning place where the industry meets for technology, information, and everyday business, is pleased to welcome Ohio Roofing Contractors Association (ORCA). ORCA is the only association in Ohio that is dedicated to the sole purpose of working for the roofing contractor.

ORCA members receive benefits that help them run their businesses more efficiently and access to resources that can save time and money. The legal services plan includes one free telephone consultation per month with the association’s experienced legal counsel, Gary Auman.

Members also benefit from the efforts of the association’s lobbyist, who along with the ORCA legislative committee work on important issues that affect the roofing industry in Ohio such as the passage of the Independent Contractors Legislation and the statewide roofing contractors license initiative.

The ORCA annual convention and trade show features seminars specifically geared to concerns of roofing contractors. The trade show showcases the latest in roofing products and services. ORCA members can enjoy the latest in educational seminars and learn about the newest roofing products all in one day.

Contractors who participate in the ORCA Worker’s Compensation Group Plan can save up to 51 percent on their worker’s compensation premium payment to the state. This is an extremely impactful revenue saving program for contractors. There is also the option to participate in the Drug-free Workplace program that was developed in conjunction with Nursing Corps, Inc. It assists member firms in complying with the Ohio Drug Free Workplace requirements, obtaining Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Premium Discounts for Level 1 through Level 3 Employers; and it assists members in obtaining their BWC Grant rebates for a drug and alcohol-free environment. The program also provides a database, identification cards, and access to statewide testing facilities.

RoofersCoffeeShop is proud to welcome ORCA.

Learn more about ORCA in their RCS directory.

About ORCA

The Ohio Roofing Contractors Association encourages a spirit of cooperation and friendliness among its members, seeks to favorably impress the public and promote the welfare and public acceptance of the roofing industry. Its goal is to establish and maintain friendly relations between roofing contractors, architects, engineers and all other branches of the construction industry. Learn more at www.ohioroofing.com  

Editor's Note: This announcement was sent from ORCA

Most employers have heard by now that during Governor DeWine’s press conference on Wednesday, he recommended that Ohio employers should immediately begin taking the temperature of employees when they arrive at work in an effort to identify anyone who is becoming ill. After the press conference, Governor DeWine clarified that if it is not feasible to take employees’ temperatures, employers are requested to require employees to take their own temperatures prior to arriving at work. Further, Governor DeWine recommended that anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or higher should self-quarantine with members of their household.

It is important to note that this is a recommendation, not a mandate or formal order. As such, employers across Ohio are not required to comply. There are however legal and public relations risks if an employer chooses not to comply. All employers should discuss the risks applicable to their particular business with legal counsel if they choose not to comply.

If an employer chooses to comply with the recommendation to take all employees’ temperatures, it is important to note that the Americans with Disabilities Act considers a temperature check a medical test. Medical tests/records under the ADA are required to be kept confidential and the temperature check should also be performed in a private area, to the extent possible. Employers may also wish to contract with a staffing company to provide nurses on site to conduct the temperature check.  If it is not feasible to check the temperatures of all employees due to the number and/or widespread location of employees, employers can adopt the Governor’s revised recommendation to require all employees to take their own temperature before arriving at work each day to ensure it is below 100.4.

Another option is a hybrid approach – adopt the alternative recommendation requiring each employee to take their own temperatures before work but then take the extra step to confirm with each employee each day that they did in fact take their own temperature and it was below 100.4.  If an employee admits that they forgot to take their temperature before work, the employer could then follow the guidelines above to take the employee’s temperature at work. This process would show a good faith attempt by the employer to comply with the Governor’s preferred recommendation while at the same time acknowledging that each workplace is different and a one size fits all approach is not always practical.

For the next 60 days, you are permitted to call the office of Auman, Mahan and Furry at (937) 223-6003 for a free legal consultation concerning any aspect of COVID-19.

If you want to learn more about ORCA, visit their RCS Directory Here