Zero insurance claims, two years in a row!

By Dani Sheehan. 

See why this Florida-based metal roofing company continues to receive recognition for their excellent safety in the workplace and how you can follow their lead. 

How do you prioritize safety in the workplace? At Total Roofing Sytems – The Metal Roof Experts Inc., in Stuart, Florida, safety is second nature to them. For two years in a row, they have been recognized by Workforce Business Services (WBS) for zero claims as part of the Safety Incentive Program. We recently caught up with Luis Martinez, company president, to learn more about their safety priorities and how other companies can reduce the number of claims and injuries on the job. 

With the Safety Incentive Program, Total Roofing Systems gets 10% back on their payments each year for having no incidents, and they are extremely proud that they can maintain this standard, especially in the construction industry. When asked about their safety priorities, Luis says, “Number one is our people. Most of our crews have been with us for years, some over 10 years. So, safety has always been part of what we do. Roofing is not easy, but it’s very important that no matter who steps on the roof that they have the proper training, and they know exactly what we’re doing.” 

Luis says they also have an advantage being a Hispanic-owned company because a majority of their management team speaks Spanish. He explains, “We speak the language, and I think the language barrier is something that we don’t have with our crews. It’s helped us out a lot to communicate what we need from them when we need it, and if you’re not able to communicate effectively, that could be challenging for other roofers. Crews can’t really say there was a miscommunication, or they didn’t hear us.”  

The language barrier can be challenging because it isn’t always a straightforward translation from English to Spanish or the other way around. However, Luis doesn’t see this as a detriment to safety in the workplace for companies that are not bilingual. He suggests, “I think everybody that’s in upper management in a roofing company should do their OSHA 30 or at least their OSHA 10 [training]. Knowing what to look for and how to prepare a job site or make sure you understand what the crews are doing makes it easier to spot it if something is unsafe.”   

He continues, “So, it really comes down to training. And so that’s one of the things that all our upper management is required to do and safety at the end of the day is not just the people in the field, but it’s also the people in the office to make sure we’re giving them the tools they need when they go out to the site.” 

Specializing in metal roofing, Luis says there aren’t many established programs for learning metal yet. This makes on-the-job training even more critical to being successful. It’s not just about fall protection, but about cutting and properly operating machinery. For Total Roofing Systems – The Metal Roof Experts Inc., the key to safety is having a hands-on management team and investing in their crews.