Why Roofers Aren’t as Nuts as You Think

The Roofing Industry
When you look at roofers on a roof and see how high they are off the ground and the steep roof pitches that they are working on there is certainly a time when you may think that they are out of their mind. However, the roofing industry is much safer than most would think at first glance. One of the things that the roofers in St. Louis will tell you is that they are required to be tied off in certain circumstances and that the cords they are tied to would stop them from falling all the way to the ground should they fall. In fact, roofing standards for safety have improved over time as more is learned about how to prevent any falls on the roof.

Safety Measures for Roofers
One of the first things that a roofer must do when getting on a roof is to tie off using approved ropes and clips. The ropes must be properly measured out so as to protect the roofer from reaching the ground should they fall off the roof. On some residential roofs they may not be required to do so if the pitch of the roof is flat enough and it is not very high off the ground. Next, they are required to build a wall along the edge of the roof if the pitch or height of the roof is sufficient to warrant it. Lastly, there are requirements relating to their equipment as well. In addition to these things roofers will often take additional measures themselves. For example, one of the largest trip dangers is that of the air hose while using a nail gun on the roof. To control this hazard many roofers will have someone on the roof dedicated to moving hose and making sure the man running the nail gun does not trip on the hose.

Roofers Often Carry Emergency Hammers
Lastly, to prove that the roofers of St. Louis are not nuts, like you may think, they often will carry what they call an emergency hammer. This is a hammer with a strong head and sharp, straight claws. The reason this is called an emergency hammer is because, in the event of a fall on the roof that leads to a slide down the roof, roofers can quickly grab their hammer and swing it hard at the roof, thus breaking through the roof and giving them something to stop the slide and to get back to their feet.