Roof Shoveling Safety

Remember to put safety first any time you are on a roof especially one that is covered in snow and ice.

Roof shoveling safety. Osha safety and health topics page what is snow load and how much snow can a roof support. The national safety council is america s leading nonprofit safety advocate. The threat of costly repairs and significant safety hazards will sometimes require removing excess snow from your roof. It may be possible to.

Run of the mill snowfalls comes a risk of death by shoveling. Shoveling or raking a roof without using the proper procedures can also increase the risk of roof collapse. Worker safety do remove snow from the ground whenever possible removing the risk to workers on a hazardous roof. Photos 4 and 5 show how to set up the harness and rope technically called a personal fall arrest system.

To that end here are 8 tips on how to safely handle the rooftop snow removal process. But for the ultimate in roof safety especially on steeper roofs or big jobs invest in a safety harness and rope. Snow shoveling can lead to a number of health risks for many people from back injuries to heart attacks. We focus on eliminating the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.

Contractors and employers who perform construction work must comply with standards in 29 cfr 1926 subpart c general safety and health provisions as well as other applicable photo courtesy of acta safety peterson dean roofing. Snow load is the weight of the snow generally reported in pounds per square foot. Whether for emergency roof repairs snow removal or regular roof mounted equipment servicing there will be times this winter when an employee has to go up on the roof. Do require your workers to use roof fall arrest harnesses where applicable and.

The roof anchor must be fastened securely to solid wood like a rafter truss or ridge beam not just through the roof. Roofing safety all employers in the construction industry must have a safety program. If your flat roof is easily accessible from an interior stairway you may want to shovel the roof but be careful not to damage the roof covering. So why so.

If you have any doubt leave it to professionals. Nationwide snow shoveling is responsible for thousands of injuries and as many as 100 deaths each year.