The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA), the educational and technical resource to the spray polyurethane foam (SPF) industry, announced a new Health & Safety Program offering. Designed specifically for spray polyurethane foam contractor companies, the comprehensive program provides a benchmark guide to ensure the health and well being of all employees and customers and is OSHA compliant.
Ensuring Contractors' Safety
“The Model Health & Safety Program is the SPFA’s latest step in the assurance of industry best practices,” said Kurt Riesenberg, Executive Director of the SPFA. “The health and safety of all workers involved in spray foam installation, and by extension their customers, is a central focus of our organization as we seek to both protect our industry workforce and underscore our industry’s continued reduction in the already small number of safety incidents on the jobsite.”
Created during a collaborative year-long process by the SPFA Safety Committee, the program is designed to provide contractor companies with a management tool to ensure consistency in training programs, as well as to set clear expectations for employee behavior and performance; equipment and materials quality and condition; work processes; proper records retention; and environmental stewardship. The program guide meets OSHA, EPA, DOT and other regulatory agency inspection requirements.
Policies documents included in the Health & Safety Program include:
- Hazard Communication
- Personal Protective Equipment – PPE
- Hazard Assessment
- Confined Space Entry Program
- Respiratory Protection Program
- Hearing Conservation Program
- Control of Hazardous Energy (i.e. Lock-out Tag Out)
- Emergency Action Plan
- Fall Protection Plan
- Jobsite Fire Prevention Plan
- Injury and Illness Prevention Plan
- Powered Industrial Truck Safety Program
- Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plan
- Asbestos and Lead Awareness Program
- Blood Borne Pathogen Plan
- Equipment Grounding Program
“It is important to note that while this Health and Safety Program will help to make you OSHA compliant, and will help prevent and guide you through situations that may arise, it’s ultimate success will require that all employees understand what is expected of them surrounding safety,” added Dr. Richard Duncan, SPFA Technical Director.
The SPFA Health & Safety Program is available to all SPFA member companies. It may also be utilized to meet the SPFA Professional Certification Program Contractor Company Accreditation requirement for a documented company safety program.
“Contractors currently operating without a robust documented safety program, are highly encouraged to adopt and use this model as their own,” said Joe Bolduc, SPFA's Safety Committee Chair. “It is the responsibility of each contractor company to ensure the health and safety of its workers and this program will provide a baseline architecture for that.
Kelly Marcavage, SPFA’s Certification Director offered “It may also be used by contractor companies to meet the Health and Safety Program requirement when pursuing accreditation via the SPFA Professional Certification Program, which is quickly becoming the industry standard certification.”
A major initiative of the SPFA, the Professional Certification Program is an internationally-recognized program built for all those involved in the installation of spray polyurethane foam. Covering both roofing and insulation applications, the program advocates best practices and safety in the installation of the high-performance product. The standards-driven program is ISO 17024 compliant and was developed by committees of industry stakeholders in collaboration with OSHA, NIOSH, and EPA, in addition to other federal agencies and external stakeholders.
The Professional Certification Program was recently expanded to include an SPF Contractor Company Accreditation, SPF Supplier Company Accreditation and Supplier Representative Certification in an effort to include additional organizations and individuals that are key to the SPF supply chain, and to provide further distinction for those companies that invest in their people and customers. More information is available on the SPFA website www.sprayfoam.org/certification.
“The Health & Safety Program and the Professional Certification Program are valuable complementary resources for the SPF industry and a great benefit to our members and their customers,” said Riesenberg. “Demonstration of an awareness and commitment to health, safety, and great companies doing great installations are at the core of our mission and the Contractor Safety Program should be a big help to our members.”
More information on the Contractor Safety Program documents, as well as PCP Certification, can be found on the SPFA website at www.sprayfoam.org.
