Heinaman Hits a Homerun with Hints and Horror Stories

Henry Taylor of Kawneer introduces John Heinaman at the GANA Contract Glazing Conference in Las Vegas today.

"That's nearly 30 years of experience and wisdom you've just gotten boiled down into an hour," said session moderator Henry Taylor of noted contract glazier John Heinaman's presentation Tuesday morning at the Contract Glazing track of the Conference.

Heinaman, owner of a large contract glazing company in Las Vegas, provided an overview of many of the major issues contract glaziers must watch for on the job.

"Would you know What the tolerances that adjoining trades will be held to?" he asked. "This is a big, big problem. You need to know the tolerances of other trades or you can end up not being able to fit in the openings with glass that fits.

"What are the packaging and hoisting requirements? This may seem like a small matter, but it's not," said Heinaman, as he reviewed a series of slides with checklists on them.

"Do you know if the joinery seals are sufficiently detailed?" he asked. "Remember, glass doesn't leak, aluminum doesn't leak, but other materials do and you need to anticipate what will happen."

"In our business we really can't over document things. It's not possible. But we have to do it on all jobs," he said. "You can't document will on a big job and not do it on the little ones. That's not a wise practice. You can get sloppy. You should have policies and procedures in place on how you do things."

Heinaman also discussed the importance of safety procedures for the company in general and on each job specifically.

"Is a safety plan a requirement?" he asked rhetorically.

"It sure should be. I have had very few cases where I haven't been asked for one. If you have a large project, you should have a safety plan just for that job. This is usually accomplished by taking your standard safety program and customizing it for the job," he said.

Heinaman added that most insurance companies will send a representative to your company and to your jobsites.

"It's wise for you to have them come and inspect your job. It could reduce the likelihood of an accident, could also reduce your mod rate and increase your bottom line," he added. "Don't assume anything. Inspect all safety equipment. You might say 'well, gosh of course we would do that. But I have heard of instances were no one checked the swing stage for frayed wires and to make sure that it's attached to something at the top of a building. You want to check it yourself. If you have to go to the edge of the building even for a moment, you must be tied off. That could be the moment you trip and over the side you go."

"You've created another widow … and yet every year somebody dies because of that. And every year somebody gets an fine from OSHA even when no one gets hurt," Heinaman said.

He also recommended doing field water tests but allowed that, sometimes general contractors don't want this.

"You need to tell them up front 'Well, we need to do it right and we need to test.'"

Among his other suggestions:

• Make sure you have very extensive documentation for railings. If there's ever an accident, you will really need this, he cautioned.
• Check the economics of subcontracting your caulk work. "We use caulking contractors who are more expensive than we would be, but their productivity is better than ours," he said, "That's a trade we often subcontract out.
• Require drug testing of every man person who is going to set foot on the job. No exceptions.

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