Masonry Magazine January 2007 Page. 62
COMPANY PROFILE
"OSHA was just being formed as Non-Stop was gaining a foothold. Mason contractors were learning the hard way what OSHA standards were and how severe the fines could be."
Justin Breithaupt Jr.
inside corners first and then work your way out. It's so easy for the laborers to understand."
During the next few years, Breithaupt improved Non-Stop with the help of professional structural and welding engineers. "I hated buying poor quality equipment, so the first thing I did was build it so my men couldn't tear it up. The next thing I did was 'design out' all of the small parts to do away with trips to the hardware store. Then we put a lifetime warranty on it to show our customers we were serious."
It was inevitable that other contractors would see Breithaupt's new scaffolding and want it for their own businesses. By 1979, Breithaupt was committed to the scaffolding business full-time and built his last masonry job.
Assisting the Industry
JUSTIN BREITHAUPT JR. has been with the company since the beginning. When asked how the industry has changed over the years, he said, "OSHA was just being formed as Non-Stop was gaining a foothold. Mason contractors were learning the hard way what OSHA standards were and how severe the fines could be. A real problem we had was that there were no standards specifically for tower scaffolding."
CNC machining produces the highest accuracy parts.
Without clear-cut standards, OSHA compliance officers were picking and choosing pieces of other standards to apply to tower scaffolding-many times erroneously, resulting in high fines, and sometimes causing hazardous situations. The younger Breithaupt joined a group of Scaffolding, Shoring and Forming Institute members and helped to write the first ANSI standards for tower scaffolding.
"Since there are now ANSI standards for tower scaffolding, everyone is on the same page," he said. "Now it's a matter of getting the word out to the general contractors' safety people and to OSHA inspectors on the job. The new standards are enforced by OSHA under its 'general duty' clause."
To assist mason contractors on the job site, Non-Stop has set up an OSHA Help Line. If an OSHA official or a general contractor's safety inspector arrives on the job site and has a question that the contractor cannot readily answer, the contractor can call Non-Stop on his or her cell phone, right then and there, and hand it to the safety inspector. Non-Stop takes over and reviews exactly what the standards are and where they can be found.
"We want the contractor to have the safest, most productive scaffolding he can get," the younger Breithaupt said.
"Another way we help our customers with safety is with our layout service," he added. "They send us a copy of their plans, we lay out the correct way to erect the scaffolding for that job, and send them back."
Quality #1
NON-STOP MOVED to a bigger facility in 1989 to keep up with the demand from mason contractors. It's equipped with the latest CNC machining centers, computerized band saws and gear cutters. Surprisingly, they make every part of the scaffolding themselves, giving them the highest control over product quality.
"It's all geared toward making the best possible product we can," said the elder Breithaupt. "Sure, that makes for good sales, but I like going home knowing we sent a fellow contractor a zero-defect scaffolding that will make him more money and last him for 30-plus years."