Preparing Your Home For Winter

As quickly as the temperatures rise, it is already time to start dropping again. While everyone is excited for fall or winter, it is important to prepare your home for the cooler weather. If you are a season homeowner or a first time renter, it’s very important to take the right steps to prepare your home for the colder months. By preparing your home for the colder months, you will feel more confident, cozy, and warm inside your home. With the help of our Maintance Manager, Ben Dickson, we have complied a list of tips to help prepare your home.

  • If you live in a place with a wall AC, turn it off, unplug it, and put the cover on.
  • Dust off radiators.
  • Make sure your windows seal up to prevent letting in cold air. Keep the windows closed and locked during the winter.
  • If you have a ceiling fan, set the fan to circulate clockwise. This helps your apartment stay warm without turning up the temperature.
  • Test out your heat to ensure it is working properly. If it is not, put in a work order.
  • Swap out your summer bedding for winter bedding to keep you warm while you sleep.
  • If you are using a space heater, only two space heaters can run at a time in one unit. If more space heaters are running, this will cause a power outage.
  • Buy winter essentials before the first snowfall.
  • Keep a shovel inside in case the snow is blocking the doorways.
  • Bring out or purchase a shoe tray for your boots.
  • Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If they seem to be working incorrectly, put in a work order.
  • Do not turn off your heat if you are leaving for an extended period. Keep your heat set to 68 – 70 degrees to prevent pipes from freezing up and to maintain a warm unit.
  • If you have an outside area of your apartment or home, cover up your outdoor furniture or store it for the winter to prevent damage.
  • Keep furniture, curtains and blanket’s away from baseboard heaters as this will block your heat from keeping your apartment warm.

By taking these proactive steps, you’ll be on your own way to enjoining a cozy and invite home or apartment throughout the fall and winter months. Stay safe and warm in the upcoming months!

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Introducing Our New Safety Manager!

How long have you been with Roers?
7 years

What positions have you held?
Carpenter, Lead carpenter, and Safety Manager, As well as being on the safety committee for 3 1/2 years straight.

Why are you passionate about safety in the workplace?
Safety is what keeps us happy and healthy, it lets us go home at the end of the day. It saves us money, and it proves that we are all in this together.

What opportunities do you see to maintain and better our safety stats?
I’d like to collect and analyze the data available to help pilot a proactive safety culture. When everyone understands and respects hazards and can speak up to and educate the ones less knowledgeable, we can cultivate a plan to remain efficient as well as safe.

How did you become involved in Safety at Roers?
had a minor jobsite incident that was less than serious, involving a forklift, but still required some action. I was placed on the safety committee at that point to help educate me on safety in the work place. Well, it worked! I really did pay attention and changed my attitude about safety, 3 years later I won the annual Safety Champion award. 8 months after that I was promoted to Safety Manager.

What is your favorite part of working for Roers in general and in your role?
Roers really does feel like a family, but I have to say the field and the office are more like cousins rather than siblings. I get to work with the entire family and would like to bridge the gap better to bring us closer together than ever before.

Mack Buck

Safety Manager
safety@roers.com

We are all excited to welcome Mack into his new role with Roers and can’t wait to see where he takes safety with the company!

Roers Safety Manager Receives Certification

Congratulations to Andrew St John, Roers Safety Manager!

Andrew St John, Roers Safety Manager, has completed all requirements for a Board Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) certification. This highly respected certification of a Construction Health & Safety Technician (CHST) is awarded by BCSP to individuals who meet eligibility and experience criteria in the safety, health and environment discipline and have passed a rigorous examination. Certificants must also recertify every five years to maintain certification, ensuring they remain knowledgeable in their practice.

Andrew joined Roers in 2017 with a safety background in general industry. “Switching to construction safety was a challenge so I set out to learn all I could, this path led me to the CHST certification. The CHST certification is the first step toward a goal I set in the beginning of my career at Roers.  Achieving this certification aligns with the core values of Roers, Opportunity, Respect, Expertise Experience, Community and Partnership. The CHST is an acknowledgment of Roers commitment to the Safety of all our employees,” commented St John.

Safety issues have become more complex and today’s safety professional must continually be better qualified. BCSP credential holders are among the most highly trained, educated and experiences individuals in the safety field. Earning the BCSP certification shows that Andrew has mastered the core competency required for professional safety practice.

Safety is Not an 8 to 5 Job

Safety. At Roers this is more than just a six letter word that is discussed at the beginning of a job. It is a focus for each employee every day at Roers whether in the field or in the office. Andrew St. John, Safety  Manager at Roers, ensures that safety is on the top of every employees mind.

“Safety is not an 8 to 5 job. Safety is 24/7, because your family wants you to be safe too,” is a motto that St. John refers to often. In order to keep safety a key part of each role, there are many steps taken in the company’s customized safety program. Roers participates in the ABC Step Program, partners with Bismarck State College’s OSHA Consult Team, holds CPR and First Aid Training along with various other training sessions for employees throughout the year. Subcontractors are included in many training programs as well. In fact, over the past years, Roers and subcontractors have participated in the OSHA consultation and training program over 30 times. St. John visits job sites frequently and the Safety Committee performs monthly site audits. Roers holds many in-house training sessions which allows the training to be customized and specific for our projects. The investment in a safety program ensures each site is equipped with safety equipment, safety measures are followed and employees understand safety precautions.

At Roers we take safety very serious, 24/7. We work to build success and when everyone focuses on safety, our employees can be productive, effective and successful each day

Learn more about Bismarck State Colleges safety program here. 

Read about how Roers prioritizes safety here. 

STEP Award

Roers has received a STEP award!The step program (Safety Training and Evaluation Process) award we received from ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) is based on our safety programs and record. We received the Silver award this year with a goal of reaching gold within 3 years. The level received is based on the company’s prior 3 years of incident rate, days away from work, restricted or transfer rate and your experience modification rate.The photo above shows our awesome Safety Manager, Andrew, holding the award!
Congrats! Yay for safety!