Another month goes by and more politicians/celebrities are exposed for their indiscretions. It has become such a frequent occurrence you can almost anticipate the process…celebrity or politician does something stupid, usually sexual in nature. The media exposes the incident. The public gorges on the media coverage. The exposee expresses remorse, or option b temporarily denies the allegations and then eventually confesses in the wake of overwhelming evidence. The guilty party proceeds to rehab. And shortly after the public forgives and or forgets the incident so the next person can take the hot seat.

What I find almost more interesting than the scandals themselves is the shock and interest level of the public. The public seems to automatically hold celebrities and politicians to a morale standard due to their iconic positions. Why is everyone so shocked a congressmen texted revealing pictures to young girls and why is everyone so shocked a famous movie star/governor had a child with an unattractive house keeper? Here is my guess as to why the interest levels spike so high. I think we put ourselves into the position of the celebrity and wonder, why did they make such a poor decision? How can they in one instance perform so well and in another like a complete ass? In most cases the celebrity or politician is rich, good looking, and respected by all yet this does not seem to stop them from the looming scandal which could have easily been avoided. Our brains cannot comprehend their thinking process and the lunacy of their poor decisions. Actually, I think we are making an assumption the celebrity or politician is mentally stable based upon their status. Because they are doing well in politics or sports or film we make an assumption they are normal functioning human beings while maybe they are NOT.

I recently read a book by Jon Ronson called "The Psychopath Test". The book outlines a checklist created by a famous psychiatrist named Bob Hare used to determine if someone has psychopathic tendencies and guess what, this is not a test you want to get a high score on. Here is the checklist:

Item 1. Glibness/superficial charm
Item 2. Grandiose sense of self-worth
Item 3. Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
Item 4. Pathological lying
Item 5. Coning/manipulative
Item 6. Lack of remorse or guilt
Item 7. Shallow affect
Item 8. Callous/lack of empathy
Item 9. Parasitic lifestyle
Item 10. Poor behavioral control
Item 11. Promiscuous sexual behavior
Item 12. Early behavior problems
Item 13. Lack of realistic long-term goals
Item 14. Impulsivity
Item 15. Irresponsibility
Item 16. Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
Item 17. Many short-term marital relationships
Item 18. Juvenile delinquency
Item 19. Revocation of conditional release
Item 20. Criminal Versatility

While I am sure most of these celebrity scandal types are not certifiable psychopaths, I think they share some characteristics indicating mental health deficiencies, some are more obvious than others. In certain areas of life these deficiencies may serve as attributes depending on the perspective and context. I think there is an autonomous presupposition that doing well in one aspect of life translates into doing well in all aspects.

One of the most intriguing pieces of the book is the dispersal of psychopaths within our society. Overall about 1% of the population is psychopathic but if you look at where the highest concentrations are, that is the interesting part. Approximately 2-3% in prisons and 4-5% reside in highly influential positions like politics, corporate executives, and so forth. Kind of a scary statistic, but nonetheless I think in a weird way it sort of makes sense. It appears to me, between the statistics and the checklist certain personality types tend to stick out in society for better or for worse and maybe even some combination of the two.

To a much lesser extent I think all of us tend to deal with this same sort of catch twenty two, when our weaknesses become our strengths and our strengths become our weaknesses…. just a matter of perspective and context. It is constantly a balancing act of knowing or learning when to use those characteristics and when to tone them down. Some people seem to do a much better job at it than others. I think I am certifiable now after this article.

Kirk Tiley
Tiley Roofing, Inc.
CRA President
kirk@tileyroofing.com

P.S. Be sure to join us for the next Membership Lunch on August 5th (details below) and if you have not signed up to play in this year's Golf Tournament on August 26, I suggest taking the time today. We are filling up fast and close to being full!

Aug 5 Membership Lunch to feature "Catching the Upturn: Ensuring Your Organization Is Prepared to Return to Prosperity"

Friday, August 5, 2011
Comfort Inn "Showroom" at the Denver Merchandise Mart
451 E. 58th Ave (I-25 & 58th Ave)
11:30 a.m.
Note: Lunch rescheduled from July 29 to August 5.

On August 5, 2011, the CRA has asked Jake Appelman, a senior consultant with FMI a management consultant and investment banker for the construction industry, to speak at our membership luncheon. He will present a seminar on "Cataching the Upturn: Ensuring Your Organization is Prepared to Return to Prosperity."

While the recession may be over, uncertainty in the economy surely still exists. Many organizations in our industry are still searching for work, dealing with increased competition, and struggling with making difficult decisions. The tendency in these times is to focus on the short term—what do we need to do to make it through the month? However, great leaders recognize that you cannot sacrifice the longer-term view. To be successful, now is the time to take key steps that will position it when the upturn reaches the construction industry.

• Identify the steps necessary to take now to ensure your organization is in position to capitalize when the economic begins its recovery
• Understand the challenges organizations face when they try to shift attitudes and strategies from difficult times to more advantageous ones
• Identify the four keys to leading an organization through difficult times and back to prosperous ones
• Explore the role leadership plays in navigating people through the current economic situation

Who should attend? CEOs, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Senior Executives, Human Resources, CFOs, Owners, and anyone dedicated to ensuring their company’s success.

MARK your calendar to attend the August 5 lunch, then EMAIL your RSVP to debbie@coloradoroofing.org.

CRA Golf Tournament - August 26, 2011

CRA ITEMS TO NOTE

CRA Workers' Comp Safety Group Gives Back To Member, IRS Raises Mileage Rate, Jefferson County Online Permits/Inspection Requests

CRA WC Safety Group . . . Pinnacol Continues to Put Money Back Into the Hands of Policyholders

For the seventh consecutive year, Pinnacol Assurance issued a general dividend to their policyholders. This year, $41.25 million was given back to more than 50,000 qualifying businesses throughout the state - roughly 85 percent of policyholders.

The dividend is a portion of a mutual insurance company's surplus that is paid to stockholders. Because Pinnacol doesn't have stockholders, they return a portion of their surplus to policyholders who earn it through their commitment to workplace safety and effective claims management.

# # #

Portions of Pinnacol's $41.25 million general dividend also include association programs. For the Colorado Roofing Association Program, this year's dividend will be shared among the following qualifying participants of the CRA Workers' Compensation Safety Program who have met our group standards of safety and compliance.

ACADEMY ROOFING, INC.
BLACK ROOFING, INC.
D & D MONARCH SHEET METAL, INC.
D & D ROOFING, INC.
TILEY ROOFING, INC.
TL ROOFING
TURNER MORRIS

Congratuations and thank you to these members for "keeping it safe!"

IRS Mileage rates will increase July 1

In response to the recent increase in the cost of gasoline, the Internal Revenue Service announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of 2011. Taxpayers may use the optional standard rates to calculate deductible costs of operating an automobile for business and other purposes. The rate will increase to 55.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2011, through Dec. 31. The rates will take effect July 1. Click here for more details.

Jefferson County Online Permits and Inspection Request/Results

Contractors! Jefferson County has an online permit and inspection request/results feature that will save you time and money! This site allows the contaractors to obtain their permits online 24/7 and to do their inspection requests and see the results. Results will also be emailed to you when the results are uploaded wirelessly from the inspector in the field. Several contractors are already utilizing this feature on their smartphones in the field.

Click here for details.

Safety Corner:

When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

It's that time of the year again - time when severe weather presents challenges for outdoor workers in industries ranging from construction to farming. Summer is the peak season for thunderstorms, which can bring hail, wind, and lightning, although lightning can strike at any time of the year.

Lightning is particularly deadly in Colorado, which ranks 10th among states with the most lightning deaths and injuries, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA says certain workers are at greater risk from lightning than others. Workers in the following occupations are among those with the most risk:

• Logging
• Explosives handling or storage
• Heavy equipment operation
• Plumbing and pipefitting
• Construction and building maintenance
• Farming and field labor
• Telecommunications field repair
• Power utility field repair

Tips for Lightning Safety on the Job

Here are some tips to protect outdoor workers from the danger of lightning:

• When thunderstorms threaten, don't start anything you can't stop quickly. Pay attention to the daily forecasts so you know what to expect during the day. Also pay attention to early signs of thunderstorms, which include high winds, dark clouds, rain, distant thunder or lightning. If these conditions are evident, do not start any new task that you can't quickly stop.
• Assess your lightning risk and take precautionary action. During thunderstorms, no place outside is safe. But you can minimize your risk by assessing the lightning threat and taking the appropriate actions. Count the number of seconds from when you see the lightning flash until you hear the thunder. If you count 30 seconds or less, you are in immediate danger. Stop what you're doing and seek safety in a substantial building. If a substantial building is not available, a metal-topped vehicle with the windows up is your next best choice.

Objects and Equipment to Avoid During Thunderstorms

• Stay off and away from anything tall or high, including rooftops, scaffolding, utility poles, ladders, trees, and large equipment such as bulldozers, cranes, backhoes, track loaders, and tractors.
• Do not touch materials or surfaces that can conduct electricity, including metal scaffolding, metal equipment, utility lines, water, water pipes, and plumbing.
• Leave areas with explosives or munitions.

If a Co-worker Is Struck by Lightning

Call 9-1-1 or your local Emergency Management Services phone number. If the victim's heart or breathing has stopped, immediately administer CPR.

Source: Pinnacol Assurance.

US Labor Department Launches National Outreach Campaign to Protect Workers from Heat-Related Illnesses

"If you're working outdoors, you're at risk for heat-related illnesses that can cause serious medical problems and even death," said Secretary Solis. "But heat illness can be prevented. This Labor Department campaign will reach across the country with a very simple message – water, rest and shade."

OSHA has developed heat illness educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as a curriculum to be used for workplace training. A new Web page provides information and resources on heat illness for workers and employers (see http://osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/index.html)

Source: OSHA, Colorado Compliance Assistance Network Newsletter, Summer Edition 2011.

THE REDESIGNED CRA WEBSITE

www.coloradoroofing.org

The CRA is proud to announce the unveiling of the redesign of coloradoroofing.org.

The CRA board is committed to developing our website as a place consumers value as a trusted source for education and information for one of the biggest decision making processes a homeowner makes - investing in a new roof! We have worked to redevelop the CRA website by establishing a new and refreshed online presence with two purposes:

• To provide Consumer Education about selecting roofing contractors for roofing projects and to motivate home owners and building managers to choose CRA Contractor Members for their roofing needs; and
• Continue to provide membership information to CRA Members about the activities and operations of the association.

The site has a new look that is attractive, easy to use and visually interesting through the use of movement (rotating photos, scrolling text and/or other effects). The site is more user friendly and developed to encourage consumers to "take action" by contacting a member contractor for his/her roofing project. The contractor search function has been upgraded to a more modern search using a zip code based system that produces member lists in a random order each time so that A's are not always at the top and Z's are not always at the bottom.

The membership area will continue to provide you with association information, event announcements, newsletters, press releases, photo galleries, etc. Based on past website usage, the Code Guidelines are our most popular feature. This area is now password protected so that only members will be able to view the information.

We encourage member feedback on the new site. It is a member benefit that exists to help educate and provide information to both you our members and consumers looking for a new roof. Please help us in making the site a better and more useful tool. Send your suggestions via email to debbie@coloradoroofing.org.

P.S.

1. Be sure to double check your company information in the Contractor Search and Alpha memership lists. Email changes to debbie@coloradoroofing.org.

 

2. In January we introduced our new logo, please be sure to download it and add it to your website. Then we ask that you please link the logo back to us at: www.coloradoroofing.org. This will increase our ranking with Google and send potential consumers to our redesigned site... and ultimately to you our members!

 

Download the new logo here, then link it to www.coloradoroofing.org.

ITEMS TO NOTE . . . FROM ACROSS THE NATION

As the industry settles into its busiest time of the year, NRCA continues to be presented with a mixed bag of economic news. Reed Construction Data reported nonresidential construction in the period from January to May 2011 was 2 percent higher than the same period in 2010; nonresidential construction starts in May were up 17 percent from May 2010. And the weather has created work, too: Hailstorms that hit north Texas in May reportedly damaged more than 300,000 homes.

However, the Producer Price Index for inputs to construction-a weighted average of the cost of all goods used in construction-increased 7.5 percent from May 2010 to May 2011. That's more than double the national Consumer Price Index, which weighed in at 3.6 percent for the same period. Major contributors include diesel fuel, which was up 40 percent; copper, steel, gypsum and asphalt price increases also contributed.

A mixed economy isn't slowing the spread of federal regulation though the industry but did get a reprieve of sorts when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced in June that it will allow a 30-day "phase-in" period for its new fall-protection rules. During the phase-in period contractors will be able to use the "old" methods of fall protection on residential projects-including slide guards-but still are susceptible to citation for not using those methods properly. The new rule now will be enforced effective Sept. 16.

A roofing contractor and foreman in California were sentenced to one-year jail terms because of a fall-related death. According to a Cal/OSHA investigation, none of the roofing crew members were wearing any fall-protection equipment on a four-story building; there was no perimeter protection; the employees had not been trained in safety; and there were no written company safety policies.

OSHA also is considering an additional new rule to require employer reporting, via a "checkbox," of any injury that is a musculoskeletal disorder. NRCA has commented in opposition to the proposal; they are concerned OSHA is using this proposal as a first step in developing new ergonomics rules, and they are concerned employers should not be put in the position of drawing medical conclusions about the nature of an injury.

OSHA is also, by the way, now examining the health effects of silica, formaldehyde and styrene, products commonly used in construction materials.

There also have been a number of recent developments on the immigration front:

• In May, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 2007 Arizona state law that requires employers to use the federal E-Verify electronic system to verify the legal status of newly hired employees and permits the state to revoke business licenses of employers found to have knowingly hired illegal immigrants.
• The Department of Labor recently issued a 78-page proposed rule that would change the H-2B temporary guest worker program-generally by making it more cumbersome and expensive. For example, the proposed rule would require employers to contact all previous U.S. workers before using the H-2B program and would require employers to advertise a job up to three days before an H-2B worker starts. NRCA has commented in opposition to the proposal.
• The Obama administration has intensified a crackdown on employers of illegal immigrants, recently notifying an additional 1,000 companies that it intends to inspect their hiring records. A total of 2,338 companies have been audited by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency since Oct. 1, 2010. One California roofing contractor recently had three years of I-9 files reviewed by ICE officials and found discrepancies with 90 (of the company's 230) employees. The 90 employees have 30 days to provide valid documentation or they must be terminated.

NRCA has been concerned about-and involved with-reports that the Obama administration is planning to issue an Executive Order that would require federal contractors to disclose additional information about their political contributions as part of the contracting process. In response, the House of Representatives passed the Department of Homeland Security's spending bill, H.R. 2017, with an amendment that would preclude such an order. The bill passed by a vote of 231-188.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, we all will be required to buy compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) as a result of legislation passed in 2007. Although there are some legislative proposals to repeal the act, they are not gaining much traction, never mind the fact that CFLs, among other things, contain small amounts of mercury and other toxic materials. The Environmental Protection Agency's website contains three pages of instructions about what to do if you break a CFL bulb in your home (including shutting off your heating and air conditioning system), and the Department of Energy advises the new law will "empower consumers with lighting choices."

A number of NRCA representatives, led by NRCA Associate Executive Director of Technical Services Mark Graham, participated in the latest round of hearings for the new International Green Construction Code (IGCC), scheduled to be completed by November and published in March 2012. The IGCC will significantly affect our industry; at the recent hearings, a number of proposals were considered for reroofing, but none were passed.

Plans for the 2012 International Roofing Expo® and NRCA's 125th Annual Convention are coming together nicely. The event will be held Feb. 22-24 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.; the headquarters hotel will be the new Hilton, adjacent to the convention center. Information is available at www.theroofingexpo.com.

New pilot credit will help manufacturers qualify for LEED® points

Under a new pilot credit, manufacturers whose products have been reviewed through Underwriter Laboratories (UL) Inc.'s UL Environment Environmental Claims Validation, Sustainable Product Certification, Environmental Product Declaration or EcoLogo programs will qualify for innovation points within the LEED program. Click here for full story.

EnergyWise Roof Calculator Online has been updated

NRCA's EnergyWise Roof Calculator Online has been updated to include information from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the International Code Council's International Energy Conservation Code. Click here for full story.

The Colorado Association has partnered with NRCA, one of the construction industries oldest and most respected trade associations to bring you the latest roofing publications, DVDs, educational webinars and other NRCA products. CRA receives a commission on items purchased through the "CRA Bookstore" which in turn will help fund the CRA educational opportunities and pin-point seminars we provide to you, our members, each year.

Featured Item: 2009 NRCA Management Performance and Financial Survey

NRCA has made available its 2009 NRCA Management Performance and Financial Survey, which allows you to compare your company with others in the industry using the results of NRCA's member survey. The survey provides a comprehensive set of benchmarks with regard to roofing contractors' financial performances. The survey results are divided into five sales volume categories and nine geographic regions. The member price for the survey is $75, and the retail price is $125.

Click here for more information or to purchase.