Roof Shoveling Safety

But before you tackle the first snowfall of the season take some time to read these safety snow shoveling tips to help avoid any potential injuries.

Roof shoveling safety.

Snow load is the weight of the snow generally reported in pounds per square foot. The threat of costly repairs and significant safety hazards will sometimes require removing excess snow from your roof. The roof anchor must be fastened securely to solid wood like a rafter truss or ridge beam not just through the roof. Snow shoveling can lead to a number of health risks for many people from back injuries to heart attacks.

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. Nov 27 2005 working on a snow covered roof poses significant dangers including serious falls and exposure to extreme cold. Roofing safety all employers in the construction industry must have a safety program. Osha safety and health topics page what is snow load and how much snow can a roof support.

Remember to put safety first any time you are on a roof especially one that is covered in snow and ice. Run of the mill snowfalls comes a risk of death by shoveling. Worker safety do remove snow from the ground whenever possible removing the risk to workers on a hazardous roof. So why so.

The national safety council is america s leading nonprofit safety advocate. It may be possible to. 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. But for the ultimate in roof safety especially on steeper roofs or big jobs invest in a safety harness and rope.

Photos 4 and 5 show how to set up the harness and rope technically called a personal fall arrest system. Leaks roof collapse ice damming and more can result from too much snow and ice staying too long on your roof. Nationwide snow shoveling is responsible for thousands of injuries and as many as 100 deaths each year. We focus on eliminating the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.

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.