Roofing and The Hazards Involved: Necessary Safety Measures to Be Taken

“Be it a family or a workplace, with some simple initiatives and awareness we can best take care of the things around us.”

Working on rooftops is among the most breakneck projects in the construction industry, where the death rate of roofers is higher just because of ignorance and inadequate safety arrangements. The construction companies need to outline, implement, and ensure the height safety framework before the commencement of the roofing work on the site.

The Height Safety Risks Associated with The Roofers and Effective Measures Are Mentioned Below:

• Stability & Fall Hazards:  Before the commencement of work, it must be ensured that whether the roof is stable enough to carry out the roofing process. Elsewise it may lead to the risk of collapsing and consequently falls to death.

• Unavailability of Properly Tightly Secured Ladders: Generally, the sites neither have doorway nor internal stairs, therefore, the roofers are provided with ladders. But here the question arises, whether the roofers know how to use it? To avoid any mishaps, proper training on its usage must be given. The training should also ensure to teach the roofers how to securely tie a ladder.

• Extreme Hot Temperatures:  No doubt, roofers work directly under the sun, and their restless tasks with continuous use of roofing equipment surround them with heat from the sun as well as the reflected heat. This increases the risk of dehydration. Therefore, it is important that the workers are provided replenishing drinks while they are working.

• Ignorance of Slippery Conditions: If the weather condition is rainy or snowy, the roof can become slippery. This will lead to accidents and unwanted risks. Therefore, it is advisable to postpone the roofing since these weather conditions add ice and moisture making the rooftops quite slippery. In such conditions, the roofers are unnecessarily more prone to the risk of falling.

• Skylights and Holes in The Roof: If the skylights or any hole in the roof is uncovered, roofers unknowingly and accidentally fall through it, which causes serious injuries. Therefore, guard the skylights and holes in the roof to avoid any misfortune.

• Unknowingly Falling from The Edge: While continuously indulged in working, roofers sometimes loose memory on which track they are working out and unknowingly become close to the edges and fall, leading to serious injuries and even death.

• Inefficient Training of Rooftop Job and Usage of Equipment: Why play with someone’s life if safety steps are available which can increase the work efficiency and protect roofers from any risk. It is the biggest height safety risk, as on average, mostly the roofers are unaware of the usage of equipment and are not trained well, leading them directly to fatality. Due to inefficient training and unawareness, these roofers are potential victims of power tools, electricity, and chemical exposures. Hence, train and equip the roofers with advanced tools and methodologies.

• Ignoring Possible Obstructions and Loose Debris: Chimneys, ridge vents, ductwork are obstructions on the rooftops which need to be taken care of during roofing. These structures block the roofers’ line sight, causing potential hazards. In addition to it, construction materials, tools, tree branches, wires also block the pathway of roofers. These can result in accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to properly clean the rooftop before and after executing the process of roofing.

Let’s build a healthy working relationship with our employees! We need to achieve our organizational goals with the best quality services but not at the cost of someone’s life. Always remember, only those organizations top the charts who meet organizational objectives covering the security of their employees, be it a security guard or a top executive of the company.