| Time to dust off your roof safety awareness - | | | | |
| as the renovation and construction craze | | | | • Each level of the scaffold should |
| swings into action this Spring and you climb | | | | remain in place until it is dismantled; this |
| back on top of those homes and buildings. | | | | greatly reduces the harm caused by people and |
| | | | objects falling within the scaffolding. |
| Spring is an ideal time to tackle roof | | | | |
| repairs - the howling winter winds have | | | | • Guardrails on the scaffolding should |
| subsided and the searing summer heat hasn't | | | | be in place at all times. |
| yet arrived. Not to mention that spring | | | | |
| showers are a good indicator of exactly where | | | | • Easy access for workers, whether |
| those roof leaks are located! | | | | using a stairway or ladder, should built |
| | | | during the construction of the scaffolding |
| Workers risking their necks | | | | and not after the fact. |
| | | | |
| But roof work involves the risk of falling, | | | | Wear a fall arrest system |
| which is the leading cause of death in the | | | | |
| construction industry. In fact, falling | | | | Once you're up on the roof, you want to stay |
| accidents across all sectors account for a | | | | there. If you're more than six feet off the |
| whopping 19 percent of non-fatal injuries at | | | | ground (certainly the case for all roofs!) |
| work, according to the Bureau of Labor | | | | you should be wearing a fall arrest system, |
| Statistics. | | | | which includes a safety harness, an anchorage |
| | | | and a deceleration device such as a lanyard, |
| One-third of all deaths in construction | | | | a length of rope or wire that slows you down |
| result from a fall. And the construction | | | | before you come to a stop. |
| industry ranks as one of the top 10 deadliest | | | | |
| sectors in the U.S. with a fatality rate of | | | | Safety harnesses come in vest and full body |
| 22.7 dead per 100,000 workers. | | | | designs. Full body designs, which offer more |
| | | | areas of support, are best for women and men |
| Yet you can walk past a construction site | | | | five feet, seven inches tall or shorter. The |
| pretty much anywhere in North America and | | | | vest style works best for men with more mass |
| likely see at least one worker not wearing | | | | and height. |
| proper fall protection equipment, or wearing | | | | |
| it properly. | | | | No matter which design you choose, make sure |
| | | | you have a comfortable fit with the buckles |
| Just the act of getting to the roof can be | | | | and chest strap in the right places. An |
| dangerous! More than 300 people in North | | | | ill-fitting harness could injure, or fail to |
| America die each year from ladder-related | | | | support you, in the event of a fall. |
| falls, and countless more are injured on | | | | |
| ladders. | | | | Up on the roof, make sure you've got the |
| | | | right safety equipment - beyond harness gear, |
| Ladder safety 101 | | | | you should always |
| | | | |
| When you using a ladder, you should | | | | • Wear work gloves to protect your |
| | | | hands from cuts and abrasions while you're |
| • make sure the feet of the ladder are | | | | hammering in those shingle nails. |
| on solid ground so the ladder doesn't shift | | | | |
| | | | • Protect your feet from dropped tools |
| • make sure the ladder is a good safe | | | | by wearing a good pair of work boots. |
| distance from tree branches and electrical | | | | |
| lines | | | | • Don a hard hat at all times on the |
| | | | job; it should fit your head well and be in |
| • do not lean over the side of the | | | | good shape. |
| ladder once you are on the ladder. | | | | |
| | | | Don't risk your life or your livelihood - get |
| Scaffolding is another big-time source of | | | | the right safety gear and use it. |
| workplace injury. The Occupational Safety & | | | | |
| Health Administration (OSHA) listed | | | | Cooper Lang is a workplace safety advocate. |
| scaffolding as the number-one OSHA violation | | | | He holds a full time job in an unrelated |
| in 2006. | | | | field; however, due to the experiences of |
| | | | family in the industrial sector, he has |
| Tips for safe scaffolding | | | | decided to bring the topic of safety in the |
| | | | workplace to the forefront. He is a freelance |
| • When erecting scaffolding, make sure | | | | writer for - a site dedicated to Workplace |
| that each level has a full deck of planks | | | | Safety offering unique information on things |
| before moving on to the next level. | | | | like Personal Protective Equipment. |