Alec Caldwell
Hardhats on renovation jobsites: Money to be made?
Canadian Contractor Business Liability ProfessionalProper construction attire, including hardhats, can help your firm win new business as well as reduce liability in the event of an accident
I regularly visit residential home renovation jobsites and rarely see workers or subtrades wearing hard hats. Besides the dangers of not wearing hardhats and the massive liability to the general contractor if someone gets injured, is there another angle to this set up that we’re missing?
I think there is and it’s called sales and marketing!
Let’s imagine two different renovation construction crews working in the same neighborhood at the same time.
The first crew is all geared up with safety equipment, including hard hats. The second crew ignores the safety aspect and goes without.
The question is, which crew do you think looks more professional and could be perceived to be likely to deliver higher quality work? Which crew will attract the attention of other homeowners in the neighbourhood who might be looking for a good contractor?
In my opinion, if homeowners were surveyed on this, I’m sure the properly-equipped crew would win the new business in the majority of cases.
Keeping compliant under current safety laws by using proper safety equipment not only reduces your liability in the event of an accident, it can also win you new business.
Email: alec@carahs.org
Toll free 1-866-366-2930
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The following are a selection of responses to this article:
COMMENT “There needs to be a better type of hard hat. The current ones are clumsy, hot and not the least bit effective. I am happy to talk to some industry people about ideas” Comments Ralph A Carnovale at the Ontario Safety & Insurance Board LinkedIn group
IN REPLY FROM ANOTHER READER: “Great topic, Alec. I agree with Ralph in the sense that many users find the hats clumsy and somewhat ineffective, but this can be amended with a proper fit training. Suspension systems offer adjustments to cover most users, but they also have be used with the right size and type of helmet for the application. Use of these systems also allows for better ventilation, and comfort in warmer situations” The rest of your article Alec does grab at the perception of professionalism on the site, and how that can lead to more work. If you look like you know what you’re doing”
Comments Stuart McKibbin at the Ontario Safety & Insurance Board LinkedIn group:
IN REPLY: From Alec Caldwell • Great feed back Stuart and glad you went on to explain to everyone there are hats to fit and size to suit all and its just a matter of finding the right one for the wearer. I would be using hard hats to my advantage as my sales tool at every opportunity. Its about educating homeowners why there is a need to get safety educated renovators and workers coming on to their property to help reduce their liability.
COMMENT “I can see some of the regulations that OSHA has as good but most of their regulations are way over fetching in the residential construction arena. I’m not the only one who feels this way” Comments by: Allen Reed at the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) LinkedIn group
IN REPLY: By Alec Caldwell • Good comment Allen and there has to be a level playing field between industrial, commercial and residential. The rules have to be the same across the board. The problem I see in residential home renovations is, some companies follow safety laws, incorporating this cost in to their quotes. While others get away with no safety and I’m sure their pricing reflects this. That’s what’s unfair. I believe its has to be a level playing field for all and MOL inspectors are out there working on correcting this, trying to catch those contravening safety laws.
Over the last 32 years I’ve received lots of calls from self employed contractors, including their spouses, after accidents occurred to them from falls off ladders, roofs, some breaking their backs, some ending in wheelchairs, one a coma’s. These all happened because they were not tied off/down. Considering it only takes around 1 second to fall 32 feet! Only one second! Its’ like you’d be on the roof one moment, then on the ground the next and if you survive, maybe you’d wonder just what the heck happened there! Then the shock would set in fast!
The following are a selection of responses to this article:
“Hard hats are good if overhead work is going on. Safety meetings are the best practice to prevent accidents. If overhead work is going on don’t stand under it. Would any of you stand in the shadow of a tilt panel when it was being braced off?” Comment from Tim Gore at the Owners/Builders linkedIn group
“I think the issue for most sub-trades is comfort and convenience. I rarely wear a hard-hat, but that is mostly because there is rarely an overhead safety issue. I find hard-hats cumbersome and end up whacking my head with it on, while rarely hitting it when I am not. As for work boots, and for this I am referring to specific tasks on renovations only, I don’t allow garbage to gather on the floor, not do I leave nail imbedded wood laying around. If I pull a piece of wood, I remove all the nails and get it out to the bin” Comment by John Parrot at the Owners/Builders linkedIn group .