Smoking on the rooftop | Safe SolutionsBill Steinmetz
It was Friday, and Frank, Friendly Roofing's foreman, was glad.
The weather had been extremely hot all week, and Frank was looking
forward to a quiet weekend relaxing in air conditioning with his
family.
Frank and his crew had spent the week tearing off and replacing
a built-up roof system over the local high-school gymnasium. To
avoid the summer heat, the crew had started work at 5 a.m. and took
its morning break on the roof at 8 a.m.
During Friday morning's break, Frank and the crew members were
drinking soda and discussing the project's progress. Several crew
members were smoking cigarettes nearby. Frank knew smoking on the
roof was against Friendly Roofing's safety policy because it was a
fire hazard, but he thought allowing the crew members to smoke on
the job helped boost morale and productivity.
During the break, Frank noticed paper wrappers, scraps of wood
and large amounts of tear-off debris were piled on the roof. Frank
told a crew member to make sure the roof was clear of debris before
the end of the day; he was concerned that if a storm occurred
during the weekend, the debris could plug drains and litter the
schoolyard. The crew member assured Frank a crane would arrive
after lunch to assist...
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