Derby roofing 10 safety tips

In this post we will be discussing the 10 most important safety tips of roofing in Derby. Safety first because no one wants to get hurt! We have found that many Derby roofing contractors follow these safety guidelines.

1.) If you are going onto a roof as a Derby roofer or as a first time DIY roofing project, you will need to be attached to a harness, attached to a rope, attached to the other side of the roof that you are working on. A fall from 10 + feet can be fatal. Ground workers should wear helmets while people are working on the roof, there will likely be shingles falling from the roof. I believe it is usually part of your insurance policies to be wearing a helmet when your within 25 feet of the roof being repaired.
Many of the Derby roofing companies i have worked with try there best to stay within these guidelines.

Derby roofing

Derby roofer with harness

 2.) When roofing in Derby if you are using metal roofing make sure no one is below you while you are installing or carrying, the metal sheets have been known to slide very easily on a well pitched roof or even blow off the roof before properly fastened. This can prove itself to very dangerous as the sheets are sharp on all sides and can weigh up to 50 pounds, falling from a 10+ foot drop... just be careful. If you have a Derby roofing service repairing your roof make sure to have then tarp of areas with delicate or fragile objects, they can be destroyed by a falling sheet very quickly.

3.) So if you are repairing a Derby roof and you can see sunken in areas on the roof avoid going near them until you have properly removed the roofing materials to reveal where the rotted area is, you will be able to see where it is unsafe to walk when the underlayment has been removed (the rotted wood will look wet, sometimes black, brown, or even green, and it will feel soft to the touch

4.) Anytime a Derby roofing contractor is climbing a ladder over 15 feet off the ground you should have someone to hold the ladder, another tip when climbing this high is to build a make shift "pully" with a rope and your roofing jacks. What this means is using a rope pivoted around your roofing jack for leverage, hung to the ground your partner (or you if your alone) can tie up your bundles, you do not have to go up and down the ladder with the bundles, simply lift the bundles with the rope, when the bundle hits the gutter tie the rope off to the roofing jack and retrieve your bundle. Tip: Derby roofing companies generally set the ladder next to where they are retrieving the bundle, also gives you something to hold onto while pulling the bundle up.

Derby roof repairs needed

Damaged Derby roof

CAUTION: remember to be wear your harness when roofing in Derby and if people are above or below you while using this technique, they need to be wearing a helmet.

5.) You will see many roofing contractors in Derby and other parts of the country taking the guards off there nail guns. The guard is there for a reason and should never be tampered with. Doing this has resulted in many people going to the hospital with nails shot into their hands, arms, legs, torso, even the head in some cases. Very dangerous and we highly recommend not tampering with any guard on any tool.

Shingling in Derby

6.) It seems ridiculous but we have to mention this because it has been an issue in the past, Smoking. While you are trying to preserve your roof the trash container you use for the tear off can become a bon fire very quickly on a dry windy day roofing in Derby. you can prevent this by telling the crew not to smoke near there or at least not to throw the cigarettes in the trash container.

roofing materials on fire in Derby

7.) Derby roofing contractors know that no one wants a nail through there boot so stay mindful when your pulling nails to pick the ones up that you can while your working and have someone on the ground do a quick run around the house with the broom magnet before each break period.

8.) Any time your roofing in Derby you need to be mindful of the wind not to get swept off your feet or tipped over by a 40 mile an hour gust. Also besides the wind you need to be careful for branches that can sway with a strong breeze and knock you off the roof. Finally you want to pay attention to the weather forecast because a vicious rain fall could ruin the interior of your home in 20 minutes during certain parts of a complete tear off, if you are prepared you can have the roof tarped off and get back to work as soon as the rain subsides. I know that many Derby roofing companies use this strategy when it comes to short spurts of bad weather.

Derby building permit

9.) I had to mention this even though it does not really have to do with safety, it more falls under the category of legal. You must get a permit in almost every state including the Derby roofing industry, they require you to state the property, and the change being made, you pay the fee and post the permit visibly so an inspector can see it if he comes by (you usually do not notice they are there, they check the permit and the structure, then walk away).

10.) Our last safety tip is more in the category of Derby roofing property insurance. I suggest covering the ground level door, windows, ac units, nice shrubs or plants anything that looks nice because they will be damaged if underlayment falls directly on them or ricochets off something into them. You can protect them with boards or tarps for the more delicate plants and shrubs. 4x8's work best for the windows, doors and ac units.

Using roofing tarps in Derby

I hope this post helps all you Derby roofers out there, be safe and ill see you in the next post.