Facility Safety Management

Our Mission Contact Us Subscribe Media Kit Previous Issues Web Links

Safety First Learning & Practicing Roofing Safety

There are several really good, obvious reasons to learn roofing safety practices and to use approved equipment when working on a roof. According to building products manufacturer Owens Corning, they include:
• Reduced workers’ compensation costs and liability insurance;
• Compliance with OSHA CFR 1926; and
• Preventing the loss of experienced personnel (your most valuable asset) to an accident, which will cost your company money that could be spent elsewhere.

There are many steep-roof safety devices to choose from. These devices include ropes, slings, full- and half-body harnesses, perimeter rails and catchers, cleats and roof jacks among other items.
However, perhaps 80 percent of installers do not use these safety devices.

More contractors are requiring that their crews use approved safety devices when climbing and working on steep roofs. What’s preventing others from practicing safe rooﬁng?

Statistics show that there are many obstacles keeping installers from using safe work practices, such as climbing equipment, etc.

Perhaps the most powerful obstacle is the installer himself, according to Owens Corning. Many are overly confident of their own abilities to survive the risks that many roofs present. Novice installers believe that “it can’t happen to me.” And still other installers don’t like the stigma associated with safety equipment because, “it doesn’t look cool.”

The fear that safety equipment will hamper the ability to perform the job is invalid. In fact, workers’ compensation, medical insurance underwriters and third-party administrators have all found that the use of safety equipment increases productivity because of less time lost due to accidents, fewer medical costs and most importantly, less time spent training new personnel to replace injured personnel.

It comes down to this: Resistance to the use of safety equipment is due to a lack of understanding. Picture your loved ones 10 years from now. Picture the circumstances they might be living under if you become a victim of a serious rooﬁng accident – an accident that could have been avoided had you used the appropriate safety measures.

Talk to a roofer who has fallen, preferably someone who was using safety equipment at the time. Ask him or her what they thought about safety before and after the fall.

According to Owens Corning, the initial cost of starting a safety program is recouped after the ﬁrst accident, if there is an accident.

Let’s face it, both the employer and the installer have a significant interest in working out and following an effective safety program. There are many safety devices, training materials and experts available to assist, instruct, consult, evaluate and to even help you implement a safety program.

Remember, it will always be in every-one’s best interest if you decide to work under the safest conditions possible.

Basic Roof Safety Tips

The American Plywood Association (APA) offers the following Basic Roof Safety Tips:

. • Tie-off – On a steeply pitched roof, be sure to wear a safety harness that is securely tied off to a fall-resistant device;

. • Avoid Slippery Roofs – When the roof is slippery from rain, snow, frost or dew, the best precaution is to wait until the roof surface is dry;

. • Keep it Clean – Make sure someone keeps the roof clean by frequently sweeping up sawdust, wood, shingle particles and other kinds of dirt;

• Wear Rubber-soled Shoes or Boots – Rubber-soled boots typically provide better traction than leather-soled boots. Some crepe-soled boots also provide good traction. However, whatever shoes or boots you decide to wear, make sure they’re in good condition. Badly worn shoes of any type can be a real safety problem;

• Keep the Skid resistant Side of APA Performance Rated Panels Facing Out –Some Oriented Strand Board (OSB) panels are textured or splatter coated on one side to increase traction on the panel surface. When installing OSB panels on the roof, make sure the skid-resistant side is up;

.                       • Install Shingle Underlayment – Cover the deck with underlayment as soon as-possible to minimize its exposure to the weather. Underlayment tends to make the roof less slippery when properly installed. (However, be aware of the risk that underlayment can tear away from fasteners on a steeper pitch. The lighter weight, undersaturated felts are most likely to tear out.);
.                       • Install Temporary Wood Cleats for Toe-holds – Nail 2” x 4” wood cleats or adjustable roof jacks to the roof deck to provide temporary toe-holds. Remove the cleats or roof jacks as the rooﬁng is installed; and
.                       • Use Your Common Sense – Safety programs and regulations cannot foresee each of the conditions and layouts on which you must work. Adapt to protect yourself.

Ladder Safety Tips
.                       • Ladder Rating – Ladders are rated by how much weight they can safely bear, and you should consider the highest available rating of 1A or 300 pounds.
.                       • Material – When it comes to safety, the best material for a ladder is fiberglass. Although wood is cheaper and deteriorates when used outdoors, and aluminum is easier to handle, many industrial plants will not allow you to use aluminum ladders. Most industries insist upon the use of ﬁberglass ladders only.
.                       • Power Lines – Even ladders made of wood or ﬁberglass should not be used in the vicinity of power lines or other electrical hazards.
.                       • Positioning – Ladders should extend above the eaves by 3 to 3-1/2’ and sit on a firm level base. Leveling can be attained by digging or by use of adjustable leg levelers. Firmness can be attained by use of a 2-foot square piece of 3/4” plywood under each leg.
                       • Ladder Angle – To achieve the proper angle, the distance of the foot of the ladder from the wall supporting it should be one quarter (1/4) of the height of the wall.
.                       • Tie-off – A ladder in place for use over an extended period should be tied off at the bottom rung to a stake driven into the ground and near the top to an eye bolt screwed into the fascia.
.                       • Over-reaching – NEVER over-reach to either side while on a ladder. A good rule to follow is to keep your belt buckle between the rails.
.                       • Not a Plank – Do not use the ladder or even a section of a ladder as a plank or to provide stiffness to a wooden plank. Besides the danger of failure, the stresses set up during this usage loosen the ladder’s connecting points.
.                       • Step Ladders – Step ladders are intendedfor use fully opened, not closed and leaning against a wall. The highest step for standing on is 2 feet below the top.
.                       • Inspection – A ladder should be inspected every time it is set up for use. Check the ladder from bottom to top for any visible defects or wear, and that it’s correctly and securely anchored and properly positioned. FSM