6 Essential Safety Requirement for Roofers
Roofing can be a dangerous business and there are many ways to prepare yourselves for each job you do as a roofer.
1. Follow the OSHA rules. OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A federal agency of the department of Labor. OSHA is a Private Workers Federal division, that covers most private businesses in the United States. Especially in Colorado. It is important you follow rules because it is for your safety. For more information, please visit their website. (link on the bottom)
2. Check your surrounding areas before you start the job. There could be anything on the roof you may not know about, holes, rocks, loose items and other debris.
3. Using the proper roofing equipment is important for working on a roof. Make sure you are properly dressed. Long pants and short sleeves are a minimum. You want to make sure you’re fully covered and don’t have baggy pants that can get in the way. Wear proper footwear like gym shoes with a good grip, not vans with a super flat bottom. Hard hats, glasses, and gloves are important things to wear to avoid getting hurt from unknown hazards. Preparing yourself for any type of potential hazard that could happen.
4. Bring a ladder that is appropriate, to get to the lowest platform of the roof. Check the ladder is tied off and secure for yourself and others.
5. A safety harness is very important. If you fall or slip, the harness will catch you, potentially saving your life. All harnesses should be tied to an anchor point.
6. Lastly, decide whether the weather is good enough to be out to work, because wet roofs can cause slipping hazards making it even more dangerous to be on top of the roof. Extreme temperatures over 90 degrees, will not be able to be worked on. Roofs absorb and reflect light, making it much hotter than normal. If someone were to work on a roof in hot weather, they would scuff the asphalt from foot traffic. Meaning, moving the gravel/asphalt form the shingles. To avoid this, by not working in hot temperatures. Working in hot temperatures could cause problems like being dehydrated, getting bad sunburn or heat exhaustion. Please be aware of your symptoms if this happens.
Overall, please follow the rules that keep you safe. No job is worth losing your life because you decided not to follow rules. Have fun roofing and for more information please visit our social media sites.
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3755.pdf
https://ohsonline.com/articles/2023/01/31/10-important-safety-requirements.asp
