CHALLENGE

A local roofer had grown a successful business over 20 years, expanding his service area outside of his home state. He held weekly safety meetings with his team, but did not have a formal OSHA-compliant safety program in place. He never had a significant workplace injury or OSHA complaint, and therefore believed his safety efforts were more than adequate.

The roofing business is competitive, and the success of his company drew attention from other roofers. While working out-of-state in a competitive, post-storm situation, a competitor reported to OSHA that his company was not following OSHA guidelines. Once onsite, an OSHA compliance officer issued the company multiple citations. The total fines were more than $15,000.

APPROACH

Back in his home state, the business owner worked with local officials to build an OSHA-compliant safety program. While the officials were very helpful and provided a wealth of valuable information, it was so overwhelming that the business owner felt he would need to hire a full-time employee just to manage safety processes and paperwork. This would have a significant cost for his business.

Instead, the company implemented WickedOSHA as its core safety program. His office staff managed the initial set-up of employee names, the equipment used, and safety data sheets. Then each employee downloaded the app to their phone.

RESULTS

Within two weeks, the roofing company had implemented a completely OSHA-compliant safety program. Before WickedOSHA, they spent approximately 90 minutes every Monday reviewing the week’s jobs and going over safety processes. After that, the employees were largely on their own to follow them.

After WickedOSHA, a site safety plan was created for each job, and the employees were assigned specific safety tasks and trainings within the app that could be completed and reinforced onsite. Each employee had ownership in the program, and there was more confidence that safety processes were followed. Not only that, but they spent much less time in meetings, which was redirected into more productive activities. Employee morale around safety compliance improved. They found using the app to be more convenient and enjoyable than additional meetings.

The business owner is now confident in his safety program and doesn’t live in fear of future safety violations. Even more importantly, he feels that his employees are better protected on the job site. Additionally, as his company continues to grow, his potential liabilities are reduced.

*If this story sounds familiar, it’s because you may have read a bit about it on the About page. It’s the story of WickedOSHA founder Brent Colvin, whose roofing company was the first to use the WickedOSHA app. His own experience inspired him to make the best product he could conceive, and constantly improve it.