Driving Safety While Installing Components

Delving into the New Component Warning Notice

The Component Warning Notice education session at BCMC 2024 provided an in-depth exploration of the critical importance of safety in the component manufacturing industry. With an increased focus on reducing jobsite injuries and ensuring quality, the session addressed the newest guidelines and best practices for warnings to installers about the safety risks associated with the handling and installation of trusses and structural building components. Industry professionals gathered to learn about the evolving best practices and practical strategies for managing potential hazards, ultimately enhancing the overall safety culture within the industry.

The session, Preventing Injuries with the Truss & Component Warning Tag and Notice Sheet, was presented by SBCA Executive Director, Jess Lohse, and SBCA Legal Counsel, Kent Pagel with Pagel, Davis & Hill, P.C. This engaging and essential session formally introduced the Component Warning Notice (CWN) to BCMC attendees. The CWN is a best practice series of tools to provide enhanced awareness for those coming in contact with structural building components. It is a notification to be placed on the products that component manufacturers produce, such as roof trusses, floor trusses, and wall panels. The Component Warning Notice series of tools includes the Component Warning Notice Sheet, the Component Warning Notice Tag, and the Component Warning Notice Website. 

• Component Warning Notice Tag is intended for application on every truss and component sent to a jobsite. Having a tag on every truss provides an opportunity for the CWN to be seen by installers on the jobsite. The CWN Tag has detailed graphics, specific warning language, and colors as stipulated in ANSI Z535, in addition to a QR code to the CWN Website.
• Component Warning Notice Sheet is now included in SBCA Standard Jobsite Packages in addition to being available for purchase on its own. It is comprised of safety information, specific warning language and colors as stipulated in ANSI Z535, and a QR Code to the CWN Website.
• Component Warning Notice Website is a live version of the CWN at 
  www.componentwarningnotice.com. This website will consist of the most up to date version of the CWN, allowing for improvement through the implementation process of these tools. 

In the session, Kent and Jess covered various examples and case studies of the many products, from ladders to coffee, that need to have a warning label, and explain that trusses should be no different. The general manufacturer’s product responsibilities include labeling, batch identification, directions for use, and warnings. Warnings, such as those you see on a ladder, in your car, on a coffee cup, or on a multitude of other things, are necessary warnings as an effort to prevent potential dangers. 

While rare, accidents do happen, most often due to improper installation or use, so it is imperative that installers are aware of such possibilities and how to properly install and handle a component. Potential risks include falling while installing and working among trusses without fall protection, stepping on the top chord of any floor or roof truss during installation until the truss is part of a fully installed and braced truss system, stepping on the bottom chord of any floor or roof truss at any time during or after installation, stepping on any floor or roof truss not in a vertical and braced orientation, and also the falling down of trusses that are not completely installed and braced. 

SBCA’s Building Component Safety Information (BCSI) Handbook provides valuable information, guidelines, and best practices, but is not best suited as a means to warn installers. These documents assume some semblance of common knowledge of components, providing information on how to properly brace and secure the products, but they do not, in an upfront and straightforward fashion, point out the potential dangers associated with trusses if used incorrectly. This is why SBCA created the Component Warning Notice (CWN) series of tools. Everyone should go home as safely as they came to work; so, this effort and recommended best practices are another way to aid in doing just that. 

With the tag on every truss, it will increase the visibility and awareness of the potential risks associated with installing and handling trusses. This three-pronged approach creates a system for maximum awareness for anyone who comes into contact with structural building components, such as roof trusses, floor trusses, and wall panels. 

For any questions on the CWN, please reach out to SBCA at info@sbcacomponents.com.  

For more information, visit www.sbcacomponents.com/CWN.