Tecta America celebrates 25th anniversary
Tecta America has announced its 25th anniversary. Founded in February 2000 by 10 roofing companies, Tecta America has since expanded to having more than 100 locations throughout the U.S.
“Our 25th anniversary marks 25 years of continuous evolution of our proven business model. Our steady investments in our people and our business lead the industry, and we are proud of how well our employees serve our customers with the best they have, day in and day out,” says Dave Reginelli, Tecta America’s CEO.
“I am proud of our growth and financial success over the years, but more importantly, I am proud of how we have achieved it,” adds Mark Santacrose, Tecta America’s executive chairman. “We have consistently found the best contractors and organizations who saw the benefit of joining an organization that shared their values and appreciation for their employees. Tecta America is positioned well for continued success by keeping our focus on our people.”
Construction educational center opens
Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Mo., has opened a construction educational center in Pearland, Texas, according to Construction Dive.
The Construction Academy will provide online knowledge assessments and hands-on craft construction training, as well as educate Houston-area craft employees at the academy campus and via mobile units sent to U.S. job sites. Construction Academy students go on to work on Burns & McDonnell projects.
The 14,000-square-foot recruitment and training facility includes classroom space and learning areas for training. A hands-on skills assessment facility that simulates working on a job site will be completed in 2026. The academy will train and hire for various trades.
Survey explores mental health discussions at work
The National Alliance on Mental Illness recently commissioned a survey about mental health discussions at work involving more than 2,300 full-time workers employed by organizations with at least 100 employees, according to Safety+Health magazine.
Although 77% of respondents say they would feel comfortable discussing mental health concerns with a co-worker, 42% worry “their career would be negatively impacted if they talked about mental health concerns in the workplace.”
Following are the top five reasons why workers don’t feel comfortable discussing their mental health at work:
- Stigma or judgement around mental health
- Lack of discussion from colleagues
- Not wanting to appear weak
- Fear of losing opportunities or retaliation
- Their job is a main factor affecting their mental health
“These results show a high demand for mental health education and resources,” Daniel Gillison Jr., NAMI’s CEO, said in a press release. “But gaps persist—in knowledge, access and comfort—that need to be addressed not just for the benefit of the employees but also for these organizations as a whole.”
Results also show only half of workers are aware of how to access mental health care through an employer-provided health insurance program. About 80% say it would be helpful to receive information or training about employer health insurance benefits for mental health treatment; stress or burnout management; how to identify and respond to a mental health crisis; and mental health condition signs and symptoms.
NRCA is committed to improving mental health awareness in the roofing industry. Its mental health resources are available at betoughenough.org.
Construction deaths in New York reach highest number in a decade
A recent New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health report shows 74 construction workers died in New York state in 2023 with 30 of those fatalities occurring in New York City, according to Construction Dive. The number of deaths for the city and the state reached the highest numbers in the past 10 years.
The annual report gathers data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Bureau of Labor Statistics and New York City Department of Buildings.
New York City’s fatality rate rose from 11.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2022 to 11.6 in 2023, and New York state’s rate rose from 9.6 in 2022 to 10.4 in 2023, which was an 8.3% increase. The nationwide fatal work injury rate for construction in 2023 was 9.6 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.
Rates reportedly can better indicate the danger of work than the raw number of fatalities, which may increase or decrease depending on the number of workers. For example, in 2020, New York City recorded 13 deaths; this was the fewest during the past decade, but construction activity slowed significantly that year as the COVID-19 pandemic began.
In New York state, 26% of worker deaths were Latino individuals though they make up 10% of the state’s labor pool. The rate of Latino worker deaths in all industries nationwide also was higher than the nationwide rate for all workers.
The report says on job sites where workers died, “employers had coinciding OSHA violations 74% of the time.”
NRCA designs, develops and delivers roof safety training, and offers webinar recordings, health and management courses and publications to help employers navigate workplace regulations and provision compliances. Visit NRCA’s health and safety resources at nrca.net/safety.
