The CWN in Action
Implementation and Adoption of the Component Warning Notice
by Christine Wagner
Since the release of the Component Warning Notice (CWN), outreach efforts have been made to inform component manufacturers (CMs) in the U.S. of this new best practice series of tools. Since safety and the avoidance of injuries is such an important part of this industry, it is imperative that this information is shared with as many people as possible.
Over the last few months, SBCA has produced articles, mailers, postcards, letters, podcasts, videos, social media content, industry news posts, and webpages to increase awareness of the CWN tool. In turn, CMs continue to adopt this best practice series of tools for their products and processes, which helps them in communicating with installers of the importance in following OSHA guidelines for fall protection and fall restraint and the risks of falling when installing and working with components.
In 2024, SBCA members evaluated the need for a notification to be placed on the products its members produce and the continuation of incidents of injury on construction sites across the country related to floor trusses, roof trusses, and wall panels. As such, SBCA developed the Component Warning Notice (CWN), which is a series of best practice tools. The CWN consists of the Component Warning Notice Sheet, the Component Warning Notice Tag, and the Component Warning Notice Website.
Each of these tools is intended to support the usage of the other two, creating a triangulation effect for awareness. The CWN Tag is intended for placement on every truss and warns users who come into contact with the component about the hazards associated with trusses and the potential risks that could lead to serious injury or death. The Tag then refers to the CWN Sheet, which is included in standard SBCA Jobsite Packages, providing detailed information on operative OSHA guidelines and the hazards. A QR code is on both the CWN Sheet and CWN Tag that leads to the CWN Website; this website is a living version of the CWN, providing the most up-to-date information available at the time.
“The CWN is an essential jobsite safety measure,” says Joe Hikel, President/CEO of Shelter Systems Limited. “This has emerged as an industry best practice, and these materials will help improve decision making on the jobsite for those installing trusses and reduce the chance for accidents. It took an initial investment to add this to our fabrication process, but it is worth it to enhance installer safety.”
It was important for Shelter to include these tags and sheets into its operations early on. “Once we purchased and implemented them into our process, it was important for us to share the tag’s purpose with the people on the floor,” says Tony Acampa, Design Team Lead at Shelter Systems Limited. “We wanted to make sure it was clear as to why it was so important for these tags to go on the trusses. We had meetings with all the supervisors out in production, went through the entire CWN in detail, explained why we’re implementing it, and fielded any questions regarding it. From there, we had the supervisors go out to the shop to share it with the rest of their teams, explaining the tag and the why behind it.”
With this newly added step in the process, the Shelter production and design team wanted to ensure that the placement of the tag was practical, realistic, visible, and efficient with the tags being placed under the metal connector plate before being pressed into the wood, and also in specific locations on different types of trusses. This added an additional step to the crew’s production workflow, so it took some getting used to in terms of shop adoption. But with thorough explanation and understanding of the CWN with the crew, after a week or two the CWN Tag was successfully implemented into Shelter’s system.
The Shelter team is making significant progress in advancing this initiative within their operations. With full implementation and adoption at the facility, they are now dedicating time to assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Component Warning Notice tools. To this end, they plan to visit one of their customer’s jobsites to observe the tags in action, evaluate their visibility and impact, and determine if any adjustments to their placements are needed.
While it may take time to educate component manufacturers, and their crews, about the purpose and importance of the CWN materials, as well as to address the logistics and placement of the tags in the shop, gaining full buy-in from everyone in the process, and updating operations and strategies, it is ultimately worthwhile to improve the safety of those coming into contact with components. This one detail can have a significant impact on industry safety - if even one installer reads the warning tag and is spared from injury or worse, it demonstrates the true value and success of these efforts.
Implementing this kind of change is no easy task, and SBCA acknowledges that. That’s why the association has prioritized providing comprehensive content to inform and educate on the Component Warning Notice. The broader its adoption, the safer the industry will become. While it takes time for a new initiative to gain traction, SBCA remains committed to offering resources that simplify the process. To learn more about the Component Warning Notice, visit www.sbcacomponents.com/CWN.