Roofs are pernicious locations. They stand a considerable height above the ground, creating all sorts of undesirable situations that can potentially occur during a roof installation. With a few safety precautions and preventative measures in home construction, you can still install your roof effectively while remaining safe.
Unquestionably, roof falls are the most common construction site accidents. Usually this stems from the misuse of safety harnesses. Many roofers feel safety harnesses inhibit effective roof construction, however, they are worn around the hips and waist which allows room to move freely. Once the harness rope has been securely fastened, its best to tie it to a heavy object on the opposite side of the roof to prevent faltering.
Other safety precautions include: wearing rubber-soled construction boots,long pants, limiting hours of operation to only daylight, using hardhats and ear plugs to protect the ears from high noise levels. Roofs with asphalt shingles have plenty of traction on them, so there is no reason you can't find shoes that will stick properly. Furthermore, rubber-soled boots are cool because they create great traction on roofs. Wearing long pants may seem counter-intuitive, especially when mid-day arrives and the sun is boiling, but they will help when you have to crawl on your knees along the roofing surface and protect your body against any protruding material.
Bringing us to our next important point: be sure your roofs are clean and level! Avoid leaving nails and tools lying around the roof and make sure the sheathing is absolutely perfect level as you nail in the roofing material. When working on the roof, try to work horizontally versus vertically, that works much more efficiently. It helps to avoid trampling over nails.
Often roofing contractors are hired without any regard for certified training, most homeowners don't think about the importance or contractors knowing roofing safety guidelines. The truth is, all professional contractors should be utilizing the basic safety techniques in each of their roof installation jobs. This not only includes the safety precautions listed above, but using slings, perimeter rails and catchers, cleats and roof jacks as well. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration provides great guidelines to follow for employers who work in hazardous construction projects, this includes roofing contractors, be sure to check that out.