To keep employees safe and maintain compliance with OSHA, PennTAP has received a GRANT to help PA-based companies that are solar energy installers. PennTAP will be conducting a webcast on October 19th and will be addressing those common elements to solar installation safety and health. Additionally, there will be example forms and other handouts to help your establishment be safe and OSHA compliant. This is an excellent opportunity for Solar Installers to learn about common safety issues, leading indicators, and best practices. Remember, safety is everyone’s responsibility.

The webcast will be approximately 45-55 minutes long. There will be a question and answer box for you to type-in questions during the session. Several handouts will be available for those attending the session. This is an excellent opportunity for Solar Installers to learn about common safety issues, leading indicators, and Best Practices. Remember, safety is everyone’s responsibility.

The webcasts are scheduled for Friday, October 19th at 1pm.

The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) at Penn State engages, guides, and empowers businesses and organizations throughout the Commonwealth and beyond by providing objective and experience-based technical and workforce solutions that enable clients to succeed and thrive, stimulating economic growth for Pennsylvania.

http://penntap.psu.edu

Penntap

Roofers  Who are you supporting Romney or Obama?

We surveyed employees in the roofing industry, throughout the United States and our findings were that in general roofers were for Romney. 

The Results

Sixty four percent of the participants were in favor of Romney

Twenty five percent were in favor of President Obama

Eleven percent were either undecided or declined to answer.

Of course these numbers are only a small sample size, considering there are more than 150,000 roofers throughout the United States. We just found it interesting that the roofers we polled were heavily in favor of Romney.  

 “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” – President, Barack Obama

This comment rubbed some small business owners the wrong way. Including some of the roofing company owners we spoke with.   

 Roofers for Romney?

PLAN FOR SUCCESS – STEP BY STEP

1) Use life-cycle costing to get the most out of the roof.

2) Adapt a pro-active maintenance protocol.

3) Perform quarterly roof inspections and repairs.

4) Track all collateral building damage and incidental expenses associated with the roof.

5) Determine if past collateral damage costs exceed the costs of implementing a roof management program.

Sometimes the collateral damage costs can exceed the costs of implementing a roof management program.

Expenses to track

Damage to buildings interior

Damage to merchandise and equipment

Costs of business interruption

That’s just a few many more exist and should be acknowledged and tracked.

BUDGETING

Budget a minimum of five cents per square foot per year for preventive maintenance. This should begin the very first year. Budget a minimum of 30 cent per square foot for more extensive restoration.

Immediate Problems

The following can cause immediate problems for your company’s rooftop. 1) Extreme Weather 2) Equipment Additions 3) Trade Damage 4) Unintended Abuse

Extreme Weather – This includes any weather that could be considered outside of the norm. Hail, lighting, high winds etc.

2) Equipment Additions – Improperly added equipment on the roof. This is a very common source of roofing related problems.

3) Trade Damage – Problems caused by trades other than your roofing contractor. These can be holes, punctures etc.

4) Unintended Problems – Accidental damage of even vandalism.

The great news is that it costs less to be proactive than reactive.

Solar Power International 12

Date: September 10-13, 2012

Location: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

Presented by: SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association), SEPA (Solar Electric Power Association)

One Event

Four Days. Ten ways Solar Power International delivers more of everything.

More than 1,100 exhibitors

More solar technologies than ever (340,000+ square feet of exhibit space)

More diversity than ever: Attendees from 100+ countries

More connections: 21,000+ professionals in attendance

More ideas: 50+ educational sessions, workshops and solar idea swaps

More networking opportunities and more innovation

More depth – Leading experts explore new materials and technologies and explain government policies that impact the solar roofing industry.

More excitement: Experts forecast a 30% annual growth rate in solar installations through 2016. See the technology that makes this astonishing growth possible and affordable.

Speaker

President Clinton – Sept. 12

President Clinton will describe the challenge of globalization, emphasize our growing interdependence and point the way toward a common future based on shared goals and values.

Supporting the Solar Industry

Solar Power International is produced by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). All proceeds from the event support the expansion of the U.S. solar energy market through both associations year-round research.

Register Now and Save – http://www.solarpowerinternational.com