Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

March is ladder safety month. As you ramp up for the power washing and roof cleaning season, I encourage you to have a training session with your staff on ladder safety. Here is a link to an awesome free online program you can do with your staff. www.laddersafetytraining.org/library/Single%20and%20Extension%20Ladder%20Safety

As you can see, there are other training programs listed there too, I encourage you to review them and use whatever applies to your power washing and roof cleaning work.

When you do training or tool box talks (weekly or bi-weekly tool box talks, hint hint, make OSHA happy by showing them that you care about your staff, hint hint  ), make sure you have a sign in sheet with the date, details of what you are covering, staple any training materials you use to the sign in sheet, make everyone that attended the training print their name and sign the sheet, and put it in your safety files. This is a huge get out of jail free card if OSHA ever shows up at your door. It will not get you out of jail, but it will show them that you are a power washing company trying to do the right things and that you care about your employees.

Toolbox talks - Are very short 5-10 minute safety talks you have with your staff. They can cover the chemicals you use, review SDS chemical safety data sheets for SH and the other chemicals you use, ladder safety, fall protection, how to lift heavy objects, and power washing ergonomics. I am a victim of the last one, you do need to swap the side of the body you use or you can develop skeletal issues from over developing muscles on one side of your body. Using one side of your body is like doing weight curls with one arm, one arm is going to get stronger and bigger than the other. This is the long term health part of safety and health, what happens to your body from doing the work you do and using the chemicals we use.

I also recommend that you check your ladders to make sure they have the manufacturer’s labels on them. If they have fallen off or are not legible, buy new ones from the manufacturer and put them on the ladder. Not having the labels could be an OSHA fine.