Roof Safety

The important part of getting on a roof is being safe and secure. An average of six roofers die each month in America from falling off a roof. Even inspecting a roof can being dangerous, so it’s important that a roofing contractor equips their specialists with the right equipment.

Let’s start with getting on the roof, a roofer should have a ladder with him or her that is approved by local codes and OSHA regulations. Using a damaged or unbalanced ladder is very dangerous and is not recommended, buy a new ladder over using a bent ladder anytime. The ladder should be placed on solid, level ground, unbalanced ground is just as dangerous as an unbalanced ladder. The ladder should be set on solid backing.

Being on the roof provides a new measure of peril for a roofer. Normal tennis shoes can only get a person so far on a roof, when a roof slope gets steep, walking up the slope safely means wearing soft-soled boots made for walking up roofs. In this situation, we recommend and use Cougar Paws for the safety of our specialists. Sometimes the traction that roofing boots provide won’t help against really steep roof slopes, that’s where safety harnesses come into play. By securing a harness to the top of the roof, a roofer is able to move around any slope safely.

Other measures include making sure the ladder is clean and free of slip hazards, not placing the ladder near electrical boxes or wires, and climbing one rung at a time up or down. If you meet a contractor who doesn't practice these safety measures, call us at 1-844-5RESTORE because we do.