Roofing Safety

You can feel like a soaring bird when you’re on your roof, able to see for miles, but a roof can be a dangerous place. Not investing the time or equipment needed to implement a few roofing safety steps can end up being costly in the long run.

Did you know that OSHA has rules and regulations in place for the safety of anyone working higher than 6 feet off the ground? This is because the number one cause of injury or death on a construction site is falling. While you may not consider your home a construction zone, when it is time for work to be done on your roof, it is.

Roofers have one of the highest injury rates of all occupations. Roofers’ deaths due to falling off the roof they were working on has been on the rise, despite OSHA’s regulations. 2012 saw a 17{b8a7eb75cd62c2c4ab664ffbf981e225b24f5910ac196c80569e23ef03d55ab2} rise in roofer death, 70 of the 577 construction fatalities. A quarter of those deaths were from a height of 10 feet or less. This is why it should be non-negotiable that anyone working on your roof should do so with the proper safety measures in place.

Roofing safety is everyone’s concern. Whether you are the one on your roof or you have hired a roofing contractor to do any roof repair or roof replacement work, making sure that safety procedures are in place and followed can save a lot of heartache and protect you, the homeowner.

Before roofing starts take a little time to determine what you need to have in place to keep everyone involved in the project safe. On any project where there is an unprotected edge that is more than 6 feet above the next level a personal fall arrest system, guardrail, or safety net system should be in place.

When hiring a roofing contractor, be sure to ask them about what safety procedures the workmen use when on your roof. If the contractor does not have roofing safety procedures, you would be wise to consider looking for a different contractor. Ask yourself, “If my roofing contractor is not watching out for the safety of his employees, will he really care about the quality of the roof he’s doing for me?”

Steps to Being Safe on a Roof:

  • Wear shoes with good traction.
  • Never work on a wet roof!
  • Make sure the ladder is positioned correctly and secured to the roof.
  • Clear the work area of any unneeded materials and debris.
  • Pay attention to anything that could be a tripping hazard – bundles of shingles, electric cords, tools, etc.
  • Respect the pitch of the roof. The steeper its slope, the harder it is to maintain your footing.
  • Keep a low center of gravity as much as possible.
  • Go up and down the ladder while facing the ladder.
  • USE SAFETY EQUIPMENT! This can include PFAs and hard hats.

 

At Triple Peaks Roofing & Construction we take the safety of everyone who is up on a roof very seriously. As members of the Professional Roofers Advisory Council and as a CertainTeed Select ShingleMaster we have the professional training and know the importance of providing a safe working environment for our employees.

You can be sure that the care that we have for our workers carries over into the care that we take on every roofing project we do. Trust Triple Peaks Roofing & Construction  to do the job right on your next roof repair or replacement.