Five Important Safety Items for a Roofing Job Site

In today’s world and any construction site, contractors can never be too safe. Not only is it important for the workers themselves to be safe so that they may return home each day, but safety is also important for the general public and those on the job sites being worked on. As society as a whole pays more attention to safety for purposes of liability, insurance, and corporate responsibility – quality roofing contractors are taking steps to ensure proper measures are taken to create safe job sites and working environments.

Below are five common steps that commercial roofing contractors can take and all of which Peach State Roofing has taken around its nationally located offices to create safe working job sites.

1. OSHA Training Cards – Peach State Roofing has taken the step to have most all of its site superintendents and project managers trained in an OSHA 10 hour training class. By having key site management trained in proper safety classes, job sites can be expected to have safer working conditions for the workers and the building occupants below. Peach State Roofing requires those trained in the OSHA 10 hour training classes to carry their certification cards with them to any roofing job sites.
2. Safety Flagging – OSHA requires safety flagging to be set up on job site roofs 6 feet from the perimeter of the building. As a roofing contractor, this should be the first thing done when loading up and starting a job site. Typically red flagging is used and contractors should stay away from only using caution tape as this is not approved flagging. Flagging off of the roof perimeter, dumpster areas, staging/loading areas, and any other needed locations which may encounter work should always be taken and can prevent dangerous situations.
3. Tie Off Plates – In addition to red safety flagging, OSHA approved tie off plates should be used if needed. On many new construction or re-roofing projects – certified tie off plates can be anchored directly into the buildings decking system with approved fasteners to allow for harness tie off locations around the building. If an employee is ever working out side of the safety flagging, they should use 100% full tie off requirements.
4. Fire Extinguishers – Fires can be extremely dangerous if they ever occur on a roof due to the limited nature of access and worker evacuation. Commercial roofing systems use a variety of flammable materials such as weathered membrane cleaner and bonding adhesive. The slightest spark during construction or the use of heat generating tools can cause serious fire threats on a job site. Having properly sized fire extinguishers located at numerous areas around the roofing job site are a serious requirement.
5. Proper Safety Attire – It is no question that roofers face conditions that can have wear and tear on the body or cause serious damage to themselves. For these cases, having workers wear basic safety approved attire can help prevent injuries on the job site. Some proper safety attire on commercial roofing job sites typically include things like steel-toed work boots, safety yellow vests or shirts, safety glasses, hard hats, and work gloves. Of course specific job site conditions can warrant other types of safety measures but the basics should always be covered.

All in all, it is not hard to implement standards to create a safe work environment for both field workers, management, and occupants of a job site. With a little dedication, on going safety training, and paying attention to detail – commercial roofing contractors can provide quality services with safe work habit practices.

Recycling Metal from Roofing Projects

It has been common practice for Peach State Roofing Inc over the course of many years to participate and promote recycling among all of its 15 nationally located branches when it comes to metal products and existing materials from construction sites.

Many times during the course of a re-roofing project, the existing sheet metal from the building site needs to be removed in order to install a new properly functioning roofing system. The most common types of metal removed from an existing building during the re-roofing process are copings, gravel stop fascias, gutters, downspouts, and counter flashings. Of course there are many other details on buildings upon tearing out the existing conditions that reveal metal which must be disposed of. In the case of all of the previously listed metal details, Peach State Roofing for years has elected to transport the metal back to our local offices where there are storage bins for different types of recyclable metals. In addition to metal that comes back from project sites with existing metal conditions, Peach State Roofing recycles excess/scrap metal which is created in our metal fabrication shops in the process of cutting sheet metal to make the numerous roofing edge metal details. Each one of Peach State Roofing's national offices has a metal fabrication shop of its own.

Besides the positive gestures of the recycling itself, recycling roofing edge metals from re-roofing sites has allowed Peach State Roofing to cut down on the amount of dumpsters used on job sites thus saving money in its jobs which allows for more competitive pricing to end building owner customers. Management not only looks at this recycling initiative from the financial aspect but also a good awareness tool to our employees themselves. For many years, Peach State Roofing management has taken many approaches in teaching and educating employees in good construction practices.
Over the course of years, Peach State Roofing has estimated that it has recycled thousands of pounds of scrap metal from construction sites all over the entire United States. As stated earlier, each Peach State Roofing office successfully participates in this green initiative program.

Besides this simple construction practice of recycling metal, other recycling practices have been used on a job-by-job basis depending on owner preferences around the country over the years. To name just a few other recycling construction practices Peach State Roofing has participated in on certain jobs, PSR has recycled EPDM membrane, polyiso roof insulation, plastic buckets and packaging, cardboard boxes and packaging, metal pails and storage bins, wood, and some chemicals on a case by case basis. Although not every re-roofing job allows for recycling principles to fully take place, it has been a proud business point for Peach State Roofing to have participated in some of the roofing industries best recycling practices. As technology and the roofing industry will always be changing, Peach State Roofing looks forward to being a leader among roofing contractors in providing some of the best construction practices in the industry.

Company Info: Peach State Roofing Inc is a nationally recognized commercial roofing contractor headquartered out of Lawrenceville, Georgia. With 15 offices locations, Peach State Roofing specializes in the installation of TPO, EPDM, and PVC roof membrane systems. Major manufacturer's supported by Peach State Roofing are Carlisle, Johns Manville, Firestone, Versico, GAF, Fibertite, Sarnafil, and many more. For a local office near you, please reference the 'Locations' page of our website!

Peach State Roofing Featured in Vol. 8 / Issue 4 of ROOFING MAGAZINE!

In this past month’s issue of ROOFING MAGAZINE, Peach State Roofing was proudly honored to be included in one of the top publications for the commercial roofing industry. The featured project was a large outdoor mall for Simon Property Group -Gaffney Premium Outlets.  Three of the five buildings in the complex were re-roofed by Peach State Roofing as a recover application to meet a set specification and all projects passed the manufacturer’s roof inspection with excellent reviews. The manufacturer of choice on this project was selected by the owner as Firestone Building Products and a high density cover board was the insulation recovery board of choice. TPO in a 60 mil thickness and a 20 year warranty were chosen by the owner and overall the project was executed with great management.  The project was managed by senior project managers Anthony Wilkerson and Blake Wideman whom did an excellent job with daily reporting and communication with the real estate contacts.

Below is a brief exert from the article….

The Peach State Way……

Headquartered in Atlanta, Peach State Roofing Inc. has 15 branches and covers clients across the nation. The company specializes in commercial and industrial roofing, and excels at large-scale single-ply jobs. The goal of every branch is to provide the same level of service for clients no matter where they are in the country, as exemplified by a recent project at a large retail mall in South Carolina.

Peach State’s Charlotte branch is located in Rock Hill, S.C. The company has re-roofed three of the five roofs at Gaffney Premium Outlets in Gaffney, S.C., including two roofs completed this year in just two weeks. Anthony Wilkerson, the branch manager, and Blake Wideman, strategic accounts, shared their insights on the project.

Peach State’s Charlotte branch focuses primarily on re-roofing, service and maintenance work for existing customers and property managers. Most of the company’s work involves TPO, EPDM and PVC, but crews have to be able to handle almost every type of system on the market. “If there is a hotel with some shingles or metal on it, we want to be…….

For reading the remainder of the article on the Gaffney Premium Outlets commercial roofing project please click the link below.....

http://www.roofingmagazine.com/planning-and-teamwork-are-essential-in-tackling-retail-project/ 

Peach State Roofing is a national commercial roofing contractor specializing in TPO, EPDM, and PVC roof systems as well as built up roofing and modified roofing repairs services. With 15 offices nationally, a local office is available to serve commercial real estate properties across the country. Check out our website locations page for more details.

TPO ‘Tid Bits’……

Thermoplastic polyolefin is the literal terminology of what commercial roofing companies around the world call TPO. The material is a single-ply reflective roofing membrane that is made of polypropylene and ethylene-propylene rubber that is polymerized together. The membrane itself has been accepted in the market of commercial roofing by broad businesses across the country. The reasoning behind this huge upswing in support is because TPO has more performance and installation advantages than common other forms of membrane. TPO is among the fastest growing commercial roofing products in the modern world and there is no doubt that it will continue to rise.

It is cost effective when compared to other roofing systems. The thicker the membrane the more resistant to tears, impacts, and punctures that can easily happen while being installed. Standard thickness’ are 45 mil, 60 mil, and 80 mil. The resistance between a 45 and 80 mil membrane is an estimated increase of 50%. It also has great flexibility to allow for movement while the construction workers are putting the membrane together on the roof itself. What is even more amazing is how it is able to be installed on low and high slope surfaces, as well as being able to be heated and reshaped or melted multiple times. Flexibility allows easy access to some tight areas on the roof as well as rapid installation which helps keep costs down. Another way this innovation cuts down costs drastically is by being available in large panels/sheet sizes. It reduces the number of panels/sheets ordered in a shipment in comparison to a typical modified bitumen 3 foot wide sheet. That also means less welding/adhering of seams. Standard rolls of TPO come anywhere from 6 ft wide to 12 ft wide.

When most people are looking at a building, they rarely think about the color of the membrane on the roof. With that said, it is in fact in the minds of the many business owners that have to pay their air conditioning bills. It has been proven that buildings with light colored roofing are able to reflect the sun’s energy and reduce the amount of heat taken in. Not only does it benefit the building itself, but it also has a significant impact on the surrounding area as a whole. Today a key issue that comes up, especially in down town city areas is the Heat Island Effect. These reflective roofs can help reduce that effect.

Some quick facts about this particular membrane are that it has been used for nearly 40 years and started off in the country of Italy. TPO is typically installed in three colors that are the most generic being white, grey, and tan. Not only has TPO been a breakthrough in commercial roofing but it is also used for underground cabling and waterproofing. This use began around 30 years ago.

Sooner or later roofing will continue to bring about changes just as it should be, but as of now, what is really changing is how TPO is being brought to the forefront with good reason. Over the course of the past decade the market for TPO has increased by 20+% for year over year growth according to a major manufacturer. Just in the United States alone 28% of commercial roofing is TPO based (Industry Data 2012) and as more consumers and businesses are enlightened, the market will continue to expand.

*Article researched and written by Jaret Sweatt

Peach State Roofing displaying at the 2017 BOMA International Show

This upcoming weekend, Peach State Roofing Inc out of Lawrenceville, Georgia will be displaying at the national BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) trade show in Nashville, Tennessee! This is the key show for commercial real estate owners, property managers, facility managers, maintenance technicians, and other real estate industry professionals. The BOMA International show highlights some of the leading service and product providers nationally for the commercial real estate industry.

Peach State Roofing will have a large display open at the BOMA show where it will be displaying a wide variety of fun items and services! Come by the booth for refreshments, snacks, give aways, and watch some live sports while meeting team members from numerous Peach State Roofing offices nationally!

PRESS RELEASE – Peach State Roofing, Inc., Receives Carlisle’s 2017 Excellence in Single-Ply Award

(Carlisle, Pennsylvania) – Carlisle SynTec Systems, a leading manufacturer and supplier of single-ply roofing systems, recently honored Peach State Roofing, Inc., with its 2017 Excellence in Single-Ply (ESP) Award. Created in 1998 to recognize Carlisle’s foremost contractor partners, ESP has become one of the best-known and most prestigious awards in the roofing industry.

Carlisle selects ESP Award winners based on a number of metrics, including workmanship and sales volume. Inclusion in ESP is an acknowledgement that a contractor is an industry leader who consistently delivers outstanding service and installation quality.

“Carlisle appreciates Peach State Roofing’s commitment to installing high-quality products and providing outstanding  workmanship on every job. Peach State Roofing shares Carlisle’s dedication to roofing excellence and consistently exemplifies this philosophy in the field,” said Nick Shears, Carlisle’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Peach State Roofing is one of only 140 applicators in North America to receive Carlisle’s 2017 ESP Award. The ESP award is given out annually; 2017 marked the 20th anniversary of ESP.

About Peach State Roofing, Inc.: Peach State Roofing specializes in commercial and industrial roofing. Whether it is new construction or a re-roofing project, the experts at Peach State provide customers with high-performance products and high-quality installations. To find out how you can benefit from the services offered by Peach State Roofing, call 800-604-9309 or visit www.peachstateroofinginc.com

About Carlisle SynTec Systems: Carlisle SynTec Systems, headquartered in Carlisle, Pa., has been manufacturing single-ply membrane roofing systems for more than half a century. Carlisle SynTec Systems is a business segment of Carlisle Construction Materials, LLC and has membrane manufacturing facilities in Carlisle, PA.; Greenville, Ill.; Senatobia, Miss,; and Tooele, Utah. For more information, call 800-479-6832 or visit www. carlislesyntec.com

Training the 'Peach State' Way

Training, education, mentoring, and growth are all key attributes that people seek and desire in so many areas of life and their careers. It is the sense of being poured into and making steps toward progress. Motivation is found in having people who care about your long term success and not just an immediate impact. At Peach State Roofing, it is common culture of building a team of competent commercial roofing professionals who are well rounded and well versed in the world of flat or low sloped roofed systems as well as many other types of commercial roofing and waterproofing practices. Whether dealing with TPO, EPDM, PVC, Fibertite, modified bitumen, built up roofs, roof coatings, repair work, waterproofing, asphalt shingles, metal panels and beyond, Peach State Roofing strives to take time and educate it's employees on anything and everything that it may encounter in the commercial construction world. Peach State's view point on experience or education is that the process of growth and knowledge is something that cannot be rushed. As many other contractor's in the commercial roofing world seek to just 'fill a spot', it's Peach State Roofing's belief that a long slow track of continual field experience and constant mentoring by older industry professionals is not only key but truly a requirement to be successful in the long term time frame of a career.

Something that has becoming very well known among contractors, manufacturer's and other industry professionals in the commercial roofing world is the long term training and education of personnel at Peach State Roofing nationally. To many who come to PSR it is explained as training and learning the roofing industry the 'Peach State Way'. It's often explained to new hires coming into the roofing industry that Peach State fully expects a good three years of being hands on in the industry before that person can truly understand and 'run fully' at their craft in the roofing industry. Yes, all hires bring tremendous value and skill that is of great use to Peach State Roofing right from the start but management tries to make employees understand that they do not want to rush their growth and teach them what is believed to be the 'right way'. 

Even as industry professionals come on board around the country with certain levels of roofing and waterproofing experience, PSR encourages all employees to in a way, forget what they know and come in with a fresh mind and attitude of learning everything new.

Typically the ideal path for people coming into the roofing industry is one in which Peach State Roofing encourages professionals to very simply work on the roofs. What better way to learn the commercial roofing industry than to learn how to install it hands on. It is explained that the notion of working on the roods is not a long term position but a stepping stone in the right direction. Whether it is a college graduate or a seasoned professional, when an employee is willing to work on the roofs for 3-6 months acting as a site superintendent, repair technician, assistant project manager, warehouse sheet metal fabricator, or quite simply a general roof or metal laborer, the level of success when that employee comes of the roofs to work and train in the proper long term position is incredibly higher than employees who did not take that 'field experience' type path. Quite simply, you will hear management at Peach State Roofing tell others that the longer personnel can work on the 'flat roofs', the better they will be down the road.

The experience of learning in the field is hard work for both the employee and the employer but PSR feels its the best way. There is a very hands on daily interaction and approach from upper management with its employees that comes from the top personnel literally knowing how to roof and vast years of installation experience from the founding days of the company. The founding personnel of Peach State Roofing literally have thousands and thousands of hours of installing commercial roof systems of all types on their own, especially in the early years of the company. Most people in the roofing industry know the reputation that the upper management of Peach State Roofing are some of the best roof installers in the company. It is not rare for key personnel to go to job sites to literally install roof fasteners, insulation board, or heat weld membrane side by side with the crews in an effort to teach them the quality that Peach State Roofing expects.

Peach State Roofing teaches new employees for sales, project management, and many other career paths how to run a commercial roofing crew, install polyiso roofing insulation and other types of cover boards, use a screw gun to install roof insulation, how to use a heat gun and weld different types of membrane roof systems, how to fabricate and install metal details and so much more. PSR works to bounce trainees around to all sorts of different roof systems such as TPO to a PVC system to an EPDM system to a roof coating and beyond. There is the desire to have our personnel well rounded and well versed. Different manufacturer's such as Johns Manville, Firestone, Carlisle, Versico, Fibertite, and GAF are all different variations of roofing systems that personnel are placed on to become well versed with the different roofing manufacturer's and their warranty installation requirements. Quite simply, field roofing experience is highly thought of at Peach State Roofing.

When employees come 'off of the roofs' and into their long term career paths - continual education is always a main practice. Plant tours at manufacturer's locations such as Fibertite, Johns Manville, and Carlisle all have been used as great education tools. Roof system manufacturer's from rep firms such as Versico, Firestone and beyond are brought in regularly to many of PSR's national offices for industry updates, lunch and learns, and on-going education for our reps. Tradeshow visits in the commercial roofing industry and construction industry overall are used to walk teams of Peach State Roofing employees around to learn directly from many product manufacturer's and service providers with what is 'new' in the commercial construction world. Very easily stated, the process of continual roofing industry training is extensive, on going, and very valued at Peach State Roofing.

The list and story of training employee's the 'Peach State Way' can go on and on but it is a hope that many in the commercial / flat roofing world and real estate industry come to understand that Peach State Roofing professionals are some of the most well rounded and knowledgeable professionals in the industry.  Ask around other companies and roofing systems manufacturer's such as Johns Manville, Carlisle, and Firestone and many will tell you that long term employees at Peach State Roofing truly have great commercial roofing knowledge and are highly sought after professionals across the entire country. It will remain Peach State Roofing's common practice to always seek willing professionals to have 'teach-ability'  and a desire to grow so that trusted commercial roofing industry professionals are brought up and highly successful for years to come.

*Peach State Roofing is a national commercial roofing contractor specializing in installations of TPO, PVC, EPDM, and roof coating systems. Repair services are available on each of these systems as well as work on modified bitumen and built up roof (BUR) systems. Sheet metal work is also a large service provided. With 15 offices helping to serve the a large majority of the United States, Peach State Roofing is recognized as a commercial roofing industry leader. Visit our 'Location' page for a list of our national commercial roofing offices - http://peachstateroofinginc.com/locations/ 

Locations - Peach State Roofing Inc peachstateroofinginc.com Peach State Roofing is licensed throughout the United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We currently have 15 fully staffed offices supporting our customers ...