Gaylord Archives

Moving Roof Materials

Written by SpringfieldApril 8, 2014

It’s been 3 years since OSHA has implemented a revision for crane operators (Subpart CC). This revision requires operators of crane equipment to be certified, qualified, or licensed.

If an audited employer program is used it can be very costly for the owner, however, the employee could not use the qualification at another place of employment.

Other alternatives are out there but need to be OSHA approved. A government entity can be used for training, testing, and licensing. These qualifications would be transferable to another company for the employee.

Subpart CC excludes boom trucks with articulating or knuckle booms but not with straight booms.

Remember there are also certain requirements when to have a qualified signal person or rigger on the job site based on various circumstances. OSHA has specifics on certification and training for forklifts along with many other loading and maintenance procedures in the workplace.

source: Professional Roofing magazine Sept 2013 (you will need to register to read the full article.)

Vendor Warranties

Written by SpringfieldMarch 7, 2014

The #2 irritant of a facility manager is Vendor Warranties!! Calling the vendor when you have a warranty claim can be verying irritating and time consuming for facility managers. Especially when the vendors don’t want to live up to their warranties and make them difficult to understand what’s covered and what’s not. Make sure you when you are getting a quote for new construction, material, equipment, etc, ask for a copy of the warranty and make sure that their provisions are included in the quote that you will both be signing.

Happily, there are vendors out there who represent products with outstanding warranties. The Duro-Last warranty offered by Springfield Commercial Roofing is one of those vendors and make it very painless to process a claim. Check out all of the warranties they offer: Duro-Last warranty list.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call at 231-263-5300 if you have any questions on roof warranties.

Roof Collapse

Written by SpringfieldFebruary 28, 2014

Thankfully, no one was hurt when the roof collapsed at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Ogemaw County.

With the heavy snowfall of this winter, it makes sense to call a licensed and insured roofing contractor to remove the snow from the roof of your homes and businesses. At Springfield, we have removed snow from many northern Michigan rooftops this winter. Call us—We can help you with your commercial buildings!

http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=1012988#.UxCY3aUo670

2nd Place in National Roofer’s Challenge

Written by SpringfieldJanuary 31, 2014

roofer-challenge-photo-resized Springfield Commercial Roofing places 2^nd in National Roofer’s Challenge!

Springfield Commercial Roofing brought home 2^nd place in the National Roofer’s challenge held earlier this week in Orlando, Florida. Roofing companies from all over the U.S. enter this competition each year. It is judged by 5 inspectors from Duro-Last Roofing based upon quality roof installation, safety, and speed of completion. Employees from Team Springfield included Joe Graham of Cadillac and Nick Pascoe of Traverse City. The team was coached by Mike Abeare of Fife Lake. Springfield Commercial Roofing is a division of Springfield Inc. and is located in Kingsley!

So proud of everyone on our Springfield Team!

Written by SpringfieldJanuary 16, 2014

“Be bold in what you stand for and careful what you fall for.”

—Ruth Boorstin, writer and poet

Have you recently asked for a bid on a construction project? If so, don’t be afraid to ask questions. A reputable contractor welcomes questions and will enjoy describing the details of the proposed work to you. Ask that any changes (change orders) to the original bid be presented to you in writing and described in detail for you to sign prior to additional work being performed. Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions. A reputable contractor welcomes questions and is always working toward educating the building owner with all aspects of the project. Ask for and check references of your selected contractor.

OSHA Reports Top 10 Violations for 2013

Written by SpringfieldJanuary 7, 2014

For the third year in a row, fall protection violations top OSHA’s annual “Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards” list.

The 2013 preliminary list was released by OSHA at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo in mid-September.

Every fiscal year, OSHA conducts more than 40,000 workplace safety and health inspections and then reports on the leading causes of workplace injuries.

Fall protection also accounted for the most violations in 2012 and 2011.

Prior to 2011, scaffolding violations topped the list.

The complete list of OSHA’s Top 10 most frequently cited standards, along with the total number of violations, are as follows:

Fall protection – 8,241
Hazard communication – 6,156
Scaffolding – 5,423
Respiratory protection – 3,879
Electrical – wiring Methods – 3,452
Powered industrial trucks – 3,340
Ladders – 3,311
Lockout/tagout – 3,254
Electrical – general – 2,745
Machine guarding – 2,701

For more information, visit www.osha.gov

Hiring Rates Climb

Written by SpringfieldDecember 30, 2013

Springfield welcomes our 7 newest employees and is happy to contribute, in part, to the job creation statistics in Northern Michigan.

Employers were hard at work hiring in November, signaling the labor market’s gradual healing continues.

U.S. payrolls expanded by 203,000, the Labor Department reported on Friday, a total well above the gain of 180,000 economists had forecast.

The jobless rate, meanwhile, dropped to a five-year low of 7.0%. It had been expected to tick down to 7.2% from 7.3% in October.

The report also showed about 8,000 more jobs were added to […] Read More

Roof Study in Oregon

Written by SpringfieldDecember 19, 2013

Portland State University in Oregon is partnering with Walmart to study green roofing and white reflective roofing. Their study will help compare how well each roof type filters rainwater, and whether energy use and heat-island issues can be reduced. Springfield Commercial Roofing is always trying to find better ways to save energy for our customers.

American City Business Journals/Portland, Ore.

Affordable Care Act

Written by SpringfieldDecember 17, 2013

Springfield renewed it’s Blue Cross health insurance plans in December of 2013 helping our employees be grandfathered in for almost another full year before they are required to enroll themselves and their families in the Affordable Care Act. A longtime buyer of health insurance for our small (under 50 employees) company, Springfield will remain hopeful that the kinks and bugs in the system will be ironed out during early 2014. We treasure our employees and enjoy providing health benefits to them and to their families. We are so thankful for our outstanding team of hardworking men and women.

Michigan is the Come Back State

Written by SpringfieldDecember 10, 2013

Springfield Inc. – supporting Michigan Manufacturing since 1997 – using Duro-Last Roofing products made in Saginaw Michigan. Thanks to a recovering economy, sterling reputation, and fantastic roofing materials – Springfield has recently hired 7 new employees.

U of M Researchers: Michigan’s economy will keep growing!

Michigan has seen the creation of more than 220,000 private sector jobs since December 2010, and a new report shows that our state’s economy is strong, and it’s going to keep on growing.

According to University of Michigan researchers, Michigan’s economy saw a great year in 2013 — and there’s more of that to come:

“Michigan is closing out 2013 with a healthy year of job growth, the second-largest gain in jobs over a year since as far back as 1999, and well in excess of the average yearly gains recorded from 1971 to 2000, prior to the extended downturn of the 2000s.”

As for the future, the researchers have a bright outlook for the Great Lakes State, writing that “We are forecasting job growth to continue at a solid pace through 2015.”

There’s more great news, too. The U of M researchers write that Michigan “trumps the nation” in both high-wage and middle-wage job growth, and our state “ranks fourth among all 51 states (including Washington, D.C.) in job growth from 2010 to 2012 in the high-wage industry category.”

More and better jobs and a brighter future for our kids. That’s what reinventing Michigan is all about!