Trent Cotney, CEO, Cotney Attorneys & Consultants
First and foremost, FRSA and its members have always been concerned about employee safety. All roofing contractors are aware of the emotional and financial impact of a work-related injury on their company. However, one of the biggest concerns for roofing contractors is the expansion of federal government regulation and enforcement through OSHA, especially as it relates to COVID-19 protocols. Over the last twenty years, OSHA has changed drastically. The number of citations, the dollar amounts of those citations, the increase in safety standards with residential fall protection and the targeting of roofing contractors have all increased exponentially. As a result, roofing contractors who are already seeing smaller profit margins are faced with business-ending citations. I am asked almost daily what can we do as a roofing industry in Florida to change things? Obviously, safety and enforcing safety are of paramount concern. However, many would argue that OSHA currently lacks local accountability because OSHA is a federally-based program. Read more.
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