November-December 201454

Tarps and Job SiteSafetyby Jay Kinder, founder and CEO of Strong Man Safety Products

If you live in the eastern part of the country, there are three sure signs winter is on the way. First, the activ-ity level of squirrels intensifies as they hustle nuts

into storage for the winter. Second is the proliferation of Christmas decorations that go up in stores before all the Halloween candy has even been counted. And the third sign winter is on the way? Up, up, up go the winter tarps on construction sites.

Most contractors consider tarps something of a neces-sary evil. They’d rather not go to the expense of buying and installing construction tarps, but they know that once the weather turns, they can’t afford to have production

slow down. The good news is that construc-tion tarps serve a dual purpose. The first— and most obvious —is that the heavy tarps used to cover large structural open-ings keep the ele-ments out. When the wind starts whipping and a thick rain/sleet combo rages in at a 90-degree angle, the pace of work slows as hands and feet go numb. Tarps enclose the working environ-ment, keeping it warm so work

may continue without a hitch. The second purpose of tarps—which isn’t always as obvious—is that the right tarps provide an additional level of safety to any job site. This safety factor is spread across many levels, as described below: Safety to passersby. In the winter months, tarps replace debris netting for perimeter protection. Common sense tells us that when a building is tightly wrapped, nothing can fall out of it -- good news for the people passing who would be less than thrilled to see a hammer winging its way off a top floor toward them. Safety to workers. Staying warm while you work isn’t a luxury; it’s a safety necessity. Try working in a freez ing wind, with your face and hands losing their feeling, and see how strong your levels of attention and concen tration remain to the task at hand. Losing concentration on a construction site can result in serious injuries, especially by those using power tools. Nobody wants that to happen! Another measure of safety to workers is simply having a barrier between them and the edge of an open structure. Accidents happen on occasion and a strong tarp makes trips and falls not just improbable, but nearly impossible. And, of course, just as we mentioned for pedestrian safety, having a building wrapped in tarps also provides safety from falling debris for workers on lower levels of the job site. Fire Retardancy. Tarps are often in close contact with fire exposures, such as industrial heaters and welding and other equipment that produces sparks. The NFPA 701 Method II standard mandates that, once a flame source is removed, tarp material must be extinguishable in two seconds or less.

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Of course, not all tarps are created equal, and it’s perhaps because of this that contractors may feel less than affectionate toward the time of year that requires them to bring in tarps to the job site. Let’s take a closer look at what’s required of tarps to provide the safety and warmth they promise. In other words, how can you know that a tarp is going to deliver? Testing The first thing to look for is testing. Have the tarps you’re purchasing been tested by an independent third-party who can verify, for example, that the tarp meets the standard for self-extinguishing in two seconds or less? Has the tensile strength of the tarp been tested and does it live up to its promises? Alignment At Strong Man, we’ve used the same factory to produce our tarps for the past 30 years. That way, we know when we sell our tarps that the tie-off points match up: D-Ring to D-Ring, grommet to grommet, everything aligns for a tight fit. Why does this matter? Just ask a construction worker. Without being able to line up your tarps and tie-off points, the tarp will allow in more cold air than it keeps out.Move the Project Forward The primary reason a tarp needs to do what it says it does is for the simple reason that time is money. Installing a tarp costs time and labor. When a contractor selects an inferior product, hidden, back door expenses start piling on. Cheaply made tarps that can rip or shred in heavy wind or snow, or may have grommets that don’t line up and let in wind and rain —or worse—offer the chance for tools to escape and fall, are the real safety dangers. Lost time due to weather and injuries means a delayed completion date, and greater chance for accidents as time goes by. The right tarps pay for themselves in safety, warmth and peace of mind. And, lest you think tarps are the prerogative of east coast builders only, we recently provided tarps for a hospital in California that didn’t want to take any chance on falling behind schedule because of the elements. Last year, the winter was so bad that our company sold out of all but two SKUs of tarps. What will this year hold? According to The Farmer’s Almanac, we’re in store for an-other cold year. So when you see tarps go up—and if you haven’t yet, you soon will—remember that, even if the sun is still shining, it’s a sure sign winter is on the way.

Jay Kinder is the founder and CEO of Strong Man Safety Products, a manufacturer of heavy-duty, all-seasons net-tings and tarps for debris and weather enclosures. Since 1974, Strong Man products have been widely used by con-struction companies, subcontractors and utility companies on job sites, demolition sites, storage areas and material yards. They are used as sandblast curtains and scaffold en-closures, as well as vision, wind and heat barriers. Strong Man enclosures meet OSHA specifications and are wind resistant and flexible, even in cold weather.