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Pro-Bel Enterprises Ltd
Pro-Bel designs, engineers, manufactures, installs and inspects window washing, suspended maintenance, and fall protection systems. Our head office is located in Ontario, Canada and we also have offices in the United States, Brazil, China, Belgium and Dubai.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Customized Rigging Sleeve
Check out a previous popular blog entry that showcases a customized rigging sleeve on our NEW Blog page on our website: http://www.pro-bel.ca/blog/2014/02/04/project-profile-rigging-sleeves/.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Working With A Standing Seam Roof
Check out our NEW blog entry about working with a standing seam roof on our NEW Blog page on our website: http://www.pro-bel.ca/blog/category/working-with-a-standing-seam-roof/
Please update your "Bookmarks" and "Favorites" to our NEW Blog page at http://www.pro-bel.ca/blog/.
Please update your "Bookmarks" and "Favorites" to our NEW Blog page at http://www.pro-bel.ca/blog/.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Perception vs. Reality
The following is an email that was sent to me from our CEO, Marc Lebel. I thought that it was an interesting message about interpreting "common beliefs" for yourself. I hope that everyone takes something positive from this message and applies it to themselves at some point this year.
I
recently traveled to an area that is not considered by many as the most desirable
holiday location. There are parts of
this country that are full of crime and considered highly dangerous and because
of this I had avoided (this country) in the past. But I discovered what so many other tourists
have experienced – the long sandy beaches, the picturesque mountains, the
extraordinary safaris, and the beautiful vineyards. If I had stayed away from this country
because of the widely accepted belief that this is “not a safe place to visit”
then I would not have the fantastic memories that I do today. This made me think that we need not always
accept popular opinion and we need to think for ourselves.
Success Comes to Those Who Think Differently
In
life, as in business, too many people cling to misconceptions that hold them
back and inhibit their chances for success and happiness.
Consider
the words of Steve Jobs in Apple’s “Think Different” commercial: “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the
rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who
see things differently - they're not
fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify
them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change
things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the
crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that
they can change the world, are the ones who do”. This is not just an advertisement; it is the
backbone of the Apple business model to which no one can argue that it has not
worked!
Creativity, Focus and Executing Effectively Through Different Thinking
So how
do you think differently? Let us start
off by identifying some of the most “common beliefs” you should reject:
1. People are primarily motivated by money
All
too often, business leaders think that the main concern of their customers and
employees is money. This is probably
because money is a central concern in business so leaders become obsessed with
its importance.
Over
the past couple of years specifically I have realized that humans are emotional creatures and we crave purpose and value.
Employees want to be paid fairly but
they also want to feel as though they are part of something… part of a team!
Customers
take price into consideration but they also pay attention to quality and
convenience. By thinking that money is
the most important motivator, business leaders forget to build a more talented
team and connect with customers on a more personal (even deeper) level.
2. The best dressed is the most successful
Putting
up a fancy front has an undeniable attraction. How can a business be taken seriously unless
it has a trendy office, slick marketing collateral, and a presence at all the
major events and trade shows? The truth
is that focusing on “fluff” can take your mind away from the more important
matters at hand; namely creating an efficient structure, culture, and platform
that allow all to share information and knowledge. I would venture to guess that this misguided
diversion of focus is the cause of many business failures. The reality is that the best dressed is just that:
the best dressed - period.
Success in business is about
identifying opportunities, continually innovating, creating compelling value
propositions, executing effectively and efficiently, and developing long term
strategic competitive advantages.
3. Do not enter a market where there is competition
This adage
can be compared to being the skier who insists on hitting only the slopes with fresh
powder or veering off the trails to ensure there are no other skiers on the
same run. These are always the first skiers
to fly off of cliffs or find themselves buried by an avalanche. Going into uncharted markets can involve a lot
of expense and risk. You may end up spending a lot of time and money “educating
the customer” and perhaps you will find that your idea was a bad one from the being.
Thinking practically though if you enter
a market that is rife with competition it actually validates your business
model. Your goal should not be to avoid competition but to outperform it!
4. We should do what our competitors are doing
Leaders
cling to this misconception; especially when the competitor has a higher
profile or is well established. The truth is that if a competitor is well
established it may mean the operators have more money to burn and they will
inevitably find extraordinarily ineffective ways to burn it. Yet people still feel the need to follow their
lead.
I say - forget the competition!
The key is to assess your core
assets and consider how you can leverage them to seize an advantage. When you do study the
competition you should be looking at what they are doing so you can do
something entirely different (and lead the industry). If you want to stand out from the competition
then challenge every notion you have, colour outside the lines, and as Steve
Jobs said - “think different”.
These
“common beliefs” are misconceptions that in the end are simply shortcuts. People love shortcuts but success comes to
those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work. Anyone
can copy competitors but the standouts put in the effort to come up with
innovative new strategies.
Thomas
Edison said – “opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls
and looks like work”. In
closing, I think that the best way to summarize what I am saying is that mediocrity
comes to those who stay within the boundaries and in turn mediocrity in
business is a recipe for failure.
Monday, July 8, 2013
New MOL Guidelines
As the city
(Toronto) evolves and grows; tall buildings will continue to challenge the
professional window washers and the Ministry of Labour (MOL). In Toronto, (and throughout Ontario),
buildings are becoming more complex and even taller.
These buildings are being designed with complex architectural features such as:
These buildings are being designed with complex architectural features such as:
·
gardens, green roofs, and landscaping
·
glass railing balconies,
·
multiple roof levels,
·
podiums,
·
pools,
·
narrow roofs,
·
overhangs,
·
sloped roofs, and
·
terraces
features
that make window washing and other suspended maintenance work challenging and
hazardous. These complex features have
particularly interested the MOL.
The MOL has
prepared new Guidelines for industry use (in the meantime until the Regulation
is amended). These guidelines are
indented to make it easier for the industry to understand the Regulation and
thereby facilitate compliance.
However, the
industry was hoping for clearer rules on how the MOL would address specific
challenges such as:
·
using conventional ground rigged equipment, or
·
wind effects (on tall buildings).
The new
guidelines also failed to address what will be accepted by a MOL Inspector
(though an Inspector
is not obligated to apply these guidelines).
Please see the new window washing
guidelines published on April 3, 2013 by the MOL: http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/gl_windowcleaning.php
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
The Inspections Department
The
Inspection/Testing/Engineering division of the Pro-Bel Group is an integral
part of our company. Fall arrest anchors and other building access equipment
are required to be inspected annually in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations
and the Ministry of Labour Act and Regulations.
Our mission in this
department is two-fold:
Ø
To develop first hand experience and maintain an expert team of
inspectors in this highly specialized field; thereby ensuring smooth
information exchange that may affect liability or safety on buildings.
Ø
Also, the division must report on safety issues that may affect safety
of the professional high-rise worker and the public.
In order to meet this
mission statement the division pro-actively
promotes annual inspection programs which include deficiency
inspections, compliance inspections and rigging inspections; all supported by
the Ministry of Labour's input through their site inspections and published
guidelines. This collaborative involvement allows the agency (MOL) and all
contractors using the equipment to work more harmoniously, in a safe
manner.
The Inspection/Testing/Engineering
division consists of dozens of professionals including trained inspectors,
compliance specialists, testing technicians and professional engineers. The
division also upgrades existing systems if needed, working closely with system
designers and the operational teams as needed.
The
Inspection/Testing/Engineering division also calls on the expertise of almost
150 skilled members of various divisions which may include AutoCAD designers,
manufacturing and installation as required on a job to job basis.
Besides the general staff
listed above, the Inspection/Testing/Engineering division includes and relies
on five other major components:
1) The Chief Executive
Officer is responsible for formulating policy and providing the Inspection/Testing/Engineering
division with first hand compliance information. This executive direction is
derived from the CEO’s experience dealing with the MOL; personally guiding the
removal of stop work orders on buildings issued by the Ministry of Labour. In addition to direct supervision, the CEO provides
overall executive direction and broad administrative supervision for this division.
2) The compliance
specialist in the Inspection/Testing/Engineering division reviews, routes, and
tracks hazardous or potentially hazardous safety and structural conditions. The
compliance specialist’s staff is on call to respond to stop work orders or
other safety and rigging issues or emergencies. The compliance specialist can
flag system conditions normally sited by MOL inspectors or other sources, such
as building inspectors or technical auditors. The compliance specialist
evaluates all conditions; including review of site conditions, drawings,
inspectors’ reports and photographs of the roof and conditions. Subsequently, a
“flag report packet” may be created; describing the type of upgrade or repair
that may be needed. (This may also include changes to the certified drawings or
may need a response MOL report for removal, review and approval.)
3) The in-house maintenance
technicians and skilled installation personnel of the Inspection/Testing
division perform repairs to address flagged conditions. Flagged repairs may include
structural or other safety issues such as the repair of roof anchors, davit
arms, safety tethers or locks, or other components damaged by corrosion or
accident impact. The maintenance and
installation staff will perform the required corrective repair that will help
to rehabilitate worn or defective components whose failure could affect long
term service (such as heat shrink, mastic, cap flashings or remedial rust
repair work).
4) The Professional
Engineering and Design group provides technical expertise related to normal
engineering practices and principals; including reviewing the structure, preparing
calculations and writing job specific test prescriptions. The team also supplies
invaluable engineering declarations for unsafe conditions that may affect the
system. The Professional Engineering group member will make recommendations for
immediate remediation, thereby assisting the compliance specialist in
facilitating a proper solution. The Professional Engineering group also provides
technical expertise related to the procurement and development of system design
and product development, supporting various areas of the division, including
supervision of installation and inspection services.
5) The Administration Management
and Invoicing group provides essential administrative and inspection process support,
including tracking of each activity within the division. The Senior Administration
and Finance group oversees and administers all administrative functions for the
division, acting as liaison with the inspectors and technicians including, but
not limited to:
Ø
reviewing reports for completeness to ensure compliance and
functionality is clear
Ø
reviewing lists of equipment to ensure they match drawings for quality control purposes
Ø
tracking documents and publishing control documents to our web-based
customer portal
Ø
monitoring staff and supervising repairs flagged by inspectors or
compliance specialists
Ø
scheduling work performed by Pro-Bel installers or other contractors and
producing mandated modification and repair reports on all activities
Ø
managing the status of each warranty claim and ensuring products are
tracked and replaced through our Pro-Bel case system
Ø
ensuring all on-site inspections are preformed on time and that the
field conditions are recorded
The Inspection/Testing/Engineering
division management takes a pro-active approach in the educating of building
owners and property managers, as well as the training of workers and
contractors in the use of equipment to work safely on roofs.
This professional Inspection/Testing/Engineering
group will ensure a smooth yearly inspection process. Each highly-specialized
area is designed to address the essential services that are necessary to
provide the expert service that our clients and industry expect.
In order to provide critical
safety measures and due diligence on your rooftop: contact Pro-Bel for annual
inspections, testing, safety assessments, rigging inspections or site training.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Fall Assessments
Be Safe Working on Roofs
Everyone is responsible for
preventing falls when working on a roof. The building owner/property manager,
the self-employed contractor, any subcontractor and the worker are each
responsible for safety considerations.
Health and safety on the
roof starts when the decision is made to access the roof or work begins near
the roof edge. All aspects of working safely at a height should be considered.
The general rule is: A fall protection system is required when there is a fall
hazard of more than 3 metres and where the roof parapet edge is less than 36
inches tall.
Preventing falls from
heights is a priority for the Ministry of Labour (MOL). The MOL expects employers and
contractors with staff working at a height to actively manage any significant
hazard.
Control the Hazard
Doing nothing to address
safety is not an option. In order to stay safe when working at a height, you
need to ensure effective controls are in place to prevent people being harmed.
To select the most
effective controls, you must consider the following steps:
- Eliminate the chances of a fall by doing as much of the preparation work as possible before work begins. Normally this is done by doing a fall hazard roof assessment. The assessment report will review all aspects of safe access and egress for all work activities that may take place on the roof. The intent is to isolate the worker from the risk of a fall by using guard rails, scaffolds and roof edge protection as means of prevention. In some situations a combination of controls will be required to ensure safe work.
- Edge protection is imperative. Edge protection should be used as a means of isolating workers from a fall. This includes guard rails, horizontal life lines, localized tieback and lifeline anchors, access ladders and catwalks. Edge protection should be provided on all the exposed edges of a roof, including the perimeter of buildings, skylights or other fragile roof materials and for any openings in the roof. This also applies to openings and edges of floor areas.
- Where there is the risk of workers falling through openings in a roof, the openings should be identified and guarded.
Check List for Working Safely on a Roof
- Are workers trained or supervised to work on a roof, near the roof edge or over the edge using suspended equipment safely?
- Has a full hazard assessment been completed before work starts?
- Is there safe access to all roof areas?
- Has the contractor provided a work plan to safely access the building edge or facade?
- Have the roof and fall arrest system been inspected, reviewed and tested if needed?
- Have all the access restrictions been identified and understood by the contractors?
- Are workers protected from falling off roof edges and do they have a rescue plan?
- Are workers protected from falling from incomplete roofs?
- Are workers protected from falling through skylights and penetrations or other brittle roofing?
- Are people below the work protected from the dangers of falling materials?
- Do roof workers have appropriate footwear to prevent them from slipping?
- Are the weather conditions suitable for working on a roof?
- Have lower electrical hazards and vehicle traffic hazards been identified?
- Eliminate the hazard of a fall from a roof.
- Work from the ground.
- Work from inside where there is no possibility of a fall.
- Prefabricate components at ground level or prior to installation.
- Remove complete fixtures to ground level or shop for maintenance (e.g. air conditioning units).
- Pre-paint fixtures/roof prior to installation.
- When isolating the hazard of a fall from a roof you can consider some addition temporary protections.
- Scaffolding and mobile scaffolds/step platforms/working in an elevating work platform.
Temporary Edge Protection
Perimeter counter weighted
guard railing physical barriers can be used; at least 2 metres from a fall
hazard or to prevent access to a hazard. Safety nets on top of purlins may also
be an option for temporary edge protection.
It’s the law – doing nothing is not an
option!
Compliance with the legal
requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act is the responsibility of
anyone associated with working at a height in a place of work. The law
recognizes that the building owner/property manager has the necessary means to
control, eliminate, isolate and minimize fall hazards.
Preventing falls from
heights starts with a professional fall assessment of your roof top.
For more information call 1-800-461-0575
(www.pro-bel.ca).
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Rigging Sleeve
Pro-Bel was recently faced with the problem of installing a
rigging sleeve on an existing building where we had no access to the ceiling
below the roof.
The interior atrium of the building could not be cleaned (or
maintained) because there was no lift/platform that would reach the height
required (and there was no other access point to install any other equipment). The biggest problem though was that there was
no access inside the ceiling and between the drywall and the roof there was a
ten foot gap (which again complicated things even more).
What we did was add a large twelve foot extension bit to a
drill and then (once we opened up the roof beside an I-beam) lowered the extended
drill ten feet and drilled through the drywall below (to create a circular hole).
Once that was completed we installed the pier of the rigging
sleeve by wrapping its base plate around the I-beam and then offsetting the
pier.
Once the pier was installed we lowered a cable through it
and the drywall hole and eventually all of the way to the ground floor. Once the cable was hung from the roof to the ground
we were able to thread the cable through a PVC tube insert. The insert had a cap on the bottom which
would give it a nice looking finish with the ceiling. We had to find a way to attach the cable to
the insert prior to lifting it to the ceiling though so we secured an anchor to
the end of the cable.
We then began to hoist the insert (along with the cap and
anchor) up to the ceiling.
The insert eventually entered the pier and then screws were
inserted into the side of each to secure it into place.
The rigging sleeve was then finished (like any other rigging
sleeve) with a cap on top of the pier and the roofing around it was patched to
a watertight condition.
This is the first time that we have ever completed an
installation under these circumstances and it was an enormous success. There really is a solution to every problem!
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