Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

Admin · Head Quarters

Handling Sodium Hypochlorite Safely

Fred W · Guru

This is actually a great topic for those of us who have employees (probably 95% of us) to really get into. The video brings up OSHA regs and if I were a betting man (I am.....just finished 108 out of over 2400 poker players) I would bet most of us are over 50% non compliant in more ways than one.....mostly because there are so many rules there's no way to know them all.

Has anyone here had a visit from OSHA?

Bryan P · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I have not on a washing job (since I haven't started yet), but I have on roofing jobs. Never on residential but I have on commercial. Our violation was for lack of fall protection on a 5/12 pitch, but 3 stories high. First offense fine was $1800 fine ($600 for each of the guys I had on the roof). On the big commercial jobs the GC had a safety inspector full-time on site and that was miserable...They were on us for every step. One day an inspector actually came over and cut the cord on our air compressor! saying the wire was frayed.

I would say if you're working in a visible place, don't rule out an impromptu visit. On the job where we got fined, we saw a guy sitting in a car in the bank parking lot next door, he watched for a few minutes, then pulled onto the job site and made all my guys sit down on the roof until he finished his report. Then he watched them come down the ladder one-by-one before he left.

-- Edited by Bryan P on Monday 11th of January 2016 08:37:09 PM