Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

I conducted five interviews and determined the following information regarding the boundaries of my opportunity:

Who? After conducting my interviews, I learned that there are certain occupations that are very similar to roofers, yet fall outside the boundary. I interviewed three individuals employed within the general construction industry, one individual involved in masonry, and another individual whose occupation deals with installing solar panel systems. All of the five individuals are similar to roofers in that they deal with manual labor involving infrastructure of some sort. Of the five, the individual who seemed to best identify with the safety hazards of roofing was the solar panel installer. This is because his occupation often deals with installation projects on top of roofs or buildings. Thus, he is often exposed to heights that may put him in danger. As for the four other individuals, they all expressed that while lightning strikes may be a concern in any construction or building industry, this is not a pertinent concern in their field of work. The distinguishing factor between general construction and masonry workers and roofers was the level of elevation in which they perform their tasks. While general construction workers may work on projects that involve great heights, they are not consistently working outside or always on an elevated platform. The same goes for masonry workers---who often find themselves working on projects at ground level.

What? Based on my interviews, I also realized that the need I identified (the need to protect roofers from lightning strikes) differs from a more broader general need (the need to wear protective equipment) that many manual laborers have. In fact, general construction workers already have standard equipment gear that is worn at any construction site---this, however does not address the particular problem that roofers face. Further, the five interviewees all mentioned the need to wear protective equipment that does not hinder the efficiency of their work. This was also a need that was mentioned by the roofers, as they work long hours and often in scorching heat. Thus, within the roofing industry itself, there is a fine line between providing protective equipment and causing obstruction to one's ability to fulfill his or her responsibilities.

Why? The underlying cause of the outsiders' need is not significantly different from the people inside the boundary. Once again, the underlying cause for all parties (in wearing protective equipment) is to the preserve their safety and well-being. However, there lies a discrepancy between roofers and outsiders simply due to the job description. Roofers are required to consistently work on elevated surfaces and are more readily exposed to the dangers of lightning strikes. Thus, protective equipment that a roofer wears (i.e. a helmet made of metal materials) would be better catered to workers specifically within the roofing industry.



            Inside the boundary                                 |                           Outside the boundary
_________________________________________________________________________________
Who is in:
Roofers who consistently work on elevated                 Those who also work in the manual labor
surfaces outside, all of whom are exposed                   industry (i.e. general construction, masonry)
to lightning strikes and severe weather                         that are not always working on elevated
conditions.                                                                     platforms outside.

What the need is:
The need to protect workers from lightning                 The need to provide general protective
strikes and other perilous weather conditions.              equipment, while maintaining efficiency in
                                                                                      completing the occupational task.

Why the need exists:
Roofers are more susceptible to lightning                    The need exists to preserve general safety and
strikes than many other occupations because               well-being, such as protection from debris or
they work on taller surfaces (and lightning                  fall from platforms.
tends to strike taller objects, like roofs, as
they provide upward streamers to connect
with downward lightning streamers).