canadiancontractor
Roofer: “Majority of roofing injuries are CAUSED by ‘safety’ equipment”
Anyone care to comment on this claim. We really don't know what to say.
We often run articles promoting total adherence to safety rules on job sites. Alec Caldwell of CARAHS has written hundreds and hundreds posts for us, over the years, trying to save lives and livelihoods.
But then we get these posts, like the one below, that argue that harnesses (for example) are dangerous on many roofs. (“You’re going for a trip, usually on your face.”) Thoughts, everyone?
Professional roofer here. I’ve seen many injuries on a roof, and the majority of them are caused by “safety” equipment. I’ll use a rope when I feel it’s required for my safety, but never a harness on a sloped roof. The only reliable use of a rope is on high slopes, and used with a belt to hang off of. Try that with a harness and you’re going for a trip, usually on your face. The laws were made for flat roofers; wholly use them for a short amount of time, until the stands are up. A harness is just an accident waiting to happen on a sloped roof.
Nonyerbusiness
Advertisement
Print this page
I’ve been walking roofs for 35+ years now and I find that ropes and harnesses present more danger on a pitched roof then anything else. I wear them only if the pitch and the surface don’t allow me to walk it. Just yesterday, I fell 3 times and had my back wrenched even more because of the ropes. When I started in roofing,(residential pitched), ropes and harnesses weren’t even a thought much less a requirement. I trained myself to be aware of everything dangerous about the job and the roof. I won’t wear them if I don’t have to.