It took two installments in this series to make it all the way up to the point where the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project (CWP) for Haiti would actually begin the work of constructing 100 simple, decent homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Haiti and the homeowners.
Much has happened in the industry and in our lives in this country and around the world in the decade gone by. The news of September 11, 2001 was the beginning of a news cycle that was rich with bad news.
The week of Thanksgiving is historically “minor” in the construction industry. I usually take it off because it is one of those times when, no matter what my areas of responsibility lie, the phone just does not ring.
It is still November 5 and the first wave of fresh volunteers arrived at the airport in Port-au-Prince. It may seem strange telling a story of a weeklong trip and in the second installment still in the airport, but this adventure began early for me and went non-stop.
More than 20 years as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer did not fully prepare me for this experience. Nearly thirty years of experience as a freelance writer is no help as I attempt to describe the indescribable.
It struck me as somehow odd that the nation’s homebuilders would back an initiative by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require full fall protection for workers when they do so little by way of their construction design to accommodate worker safety — at least regarding the protection of workers who must work at heights.
Two questions for you, Mr. or Ms. Roofing Contractor: 1. How do you define a “sustainable” roofing system? The stumbling economy and the noise of owners clamoring for any way they can to save money should not distract us from continuously improving our products and profits.
