Rooftop Report: Workplace Safety is More Than Just Compliance

 

Mike Mumau, President Emeritus for Kee Safety, North America, joined Dan Huntington for this episode of the Rooftop Report to discuss his experiences in the fall protection and safety industries. Mumau was thrilled to take this opportunity to address safety issues and the topics surrounding safety he felt were not talked about enough in North America today.

“In my 20 years with Kee Safety, the most eye-opening thing for me is that we can make a real difference, and we do need to make a difference because workers’ lives depend on it,” Mumau said. “I think there’s nothing more important than sending someone back home to their family after a day’s work. And I think we need to take that more seriously.”

Mumau believes the way workplace safety’s approached in the U.S. is a reactive approach, and in his mind, the wrong path. “In the U.S., OSHA tends to get involved after the accident, and not enough before something happens,” Mumau said. “I’m trying to get the industry to look at safety proactively. Because it’s not just about compliance, it’s about safety.”

While Mumau said some industries are making progress, and in the past couple of years, he’s seen concern about workplace safety increase, the reality is workplace deaths in the U.S. due to accidents is trending up in the past five years, not down. The reason, Mumau believes, is too often compliance is approached by companies as checking a box, and not taking the extra precautions to ensure workers are kept safe, not just complying with safety regulations. And while Mumau can’t speak to what increased safety compliance measures and standards OSHA might adapt in the future, he is confident that his number one goal in working with businesses will remain worker safety.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Building Management Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

mentorship
WAVIT’s Mentorship Program: Cyndie Nelson on Building Careers Through Guidance
July 19, 2025

The AV industry, like many others in tech, often thrives on innovation—but it’s mentorship that sustains it. Behind every successful professional is often a mentor who provided guidance, shared hard-earned lessons, and opened doors that might have otherwise stayed shut. Programs like WAVIT (Women in AV/IT) bring this spirit of mentorship into focus by intentionally…

Read More
mentorship
Empowering Innovation: Kim Porter’s Role in the WAVIT Mentorship Program
July 19, 2025

In an industry where innovation often hinges on experience, mentorship is the bridge that connects the wisdom of the past with the promise of the future. Engineering, especially in the mechanical domain, is traditionally seen as a discipline of precision, but its culture is just as vital as its calculations. That’s why programs like WAVIT’s…

Read More
mentorship
Passion, Power, and the Mentorship Paradigm Shift in Tech
July 19, 2025

In today’s rapidly evolving tech world, mentorship has emerged as more than a professional development tool—it’s a powerful human connection that fosters resilience, purpose, and authenticity. Particularly for women in engineering and STEM, mentorship isn’t just about career guidance; it’s a lifeline to navigating environments where their voices may still fight to be heard. While…

Read More
AV
Lessons in Leadership: Mitek’s Cyndie Nelson on the Power of Mentoring Women in AV Technology
July 19, 2025

Mentorship has long been considered a cornerstone of professional development, but in the fast-evolving world of AV technology and sales, its value has never been more evident. The unspoken nuances of tradecraft—those bits of wisdom not found in textbooks—are often only accessible through the lived experience of mentors. Particularly for women in traditionally male-dominated industries,…

Read More