Regulations affecting Insulation Contractors & Information Your Need To Know About DOT, OSHA & COVID 19 From the ICAA 2020 Virtual Convention

As part of IDI’s effort to keep you informed when things impact your insulation business, we wanted to share key points from the 2020 ICAA virtual convention, including OSHA regulations and DOT Compliance Checklist items you may not know about. We also want to thank the ICAA for their permission to share this timely information.

The General Duty Clause

Are you familiar with the OSHA General Duty Clause and how it applies to COVID-19? You really should be. This clause is why OSHA doesn’t need a special standard for COVID-19 safety enforcement. The General Duty Clause covers any activity the employer, or the industry, recognizes as a hazard to an employee, that may cause death or serious physical harm, where there is a feasible means to eliminate or reduce the hazard.

COVID-19 falls squarely in the middle of this, so it must be part of your hazard communication, your employee training, and company policy. Other OSHA regulations and requirements affecting insulation job sites include a job site hazard analysis, risk level analysis, provision of PPE, and any engineering or job site controls necessary. Employees must be trained on your Pandemic Protection Plan and methods to prevent the spread of the disease. There are even reporting requirements. 29 CFR 1926.20 (B)(1) states “It shall be the responsibility of the employer to initiate and maintain such programs…” Be sure you are staying up to date on these important requirements and performing regular job site safety assessments.

DOT Compliance Checklist

And what about the DOT? The second breakout session we wanted to share was Time To Go Through Your DOT Compliance Checklist. Did you realize that 37 states require a USDOT # even if you only operate in that state? Did you know that pickups or vans may be under 10,000lbs GVWR by themselves, but if you connect them to a trailer, they will almost certainly have a combined GVWR of more than 10,000lbs and become a Commercial Motor Vehicle? When that happens, there are different business and driver requirements, including licenses. Make sure your insulation business is meeting all regulatory requirements with a DOT Compliance Checklist.

Keeping Your Insulation Business Moving Forward During Difficult Times

Both of these presentations are well worth your time and attention. You can access them in the resource library of the IDI website. Of course, hearing the actual webinar would be even better. In order to do that, you will need to go to the ICAA website and become a member, which leads to one last point. There are a lot of good things that come from trade organizations and ICAA is working hard to promote And make the industry better. Stop by https://www.insulate.org and check out what your insulation trade organization is doing for you.

You can never have too many people on your side or too much wisdom. Good information can save a lot of time, money, and heartache. We hope these are great resources for you and look forward to helping you make 2021 your best year ever. For more information on these topics or the products we carry, reach out to your local branch or any of us here at the corporate office.

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