Live to tell

In an industry with so many potential hazards, most roofing contractors strive to minimize accidents by providing frequent safety training for their workers and trying to ensure workers implement proper safety precautions.

Unfortunately, statistics and occasional news headlines continue to tally the needless fatalities and injuries on roofing job sites each year.

In an Aug. 26 CNNMoney.com story, "America's most dangerous jobs," writer Les Christie noted roofing is one of the most hazardous occupations and the roofing industry experienced a sharp increase in fatalities during the past year.

Deaths and injuries resulting from falls remain the most serious safety issue. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, 74 roofing workers were killed in fall-related accidents during 2004. How many of those fatalities could have been avoided?

Pay attention

Rich Marubio, president of Raincoat Roofing Systems Inc., Broadview, Ill., believes taking steps for accident prevention is important.

"I've always believed all accidents are preventable," he says. "The problem is getting workers to understand there are things they need to do to prevent accidents."

Jim Richards, a sheet-metal foreman with Clark Roofing Co., Broadview, agrees.

"Safety always is the No. 1 challenge," he says. "Most accidents are the result of people acting before thinking. You have to be aware of where you are and what you're doing at all times."

Richards discovered firsthand how dangerous and painful it can be to lose concentration while working. At a job site 10 years ago, he climbed a ladder while carrying a propane tank. Near the top of the ladder, he lost his balance and slipped, plummeting 15 feet (5 m) to the ground. He suffered a broken hand and severed half his ear.

As he fell, his head struck an air-conditioning unit. However, because he was wearing a hard hat, his head was not injured.

"I didn't have my mind on the job," Richards says. "My first thought after I fell was, 'This can't be happening to me.' I was pretty banged up. I shouldn't have been carrying the propane tank in the first place. I should have used a tagline."

Injured backs are another common problem for roofing workers, typically because many workers don't use proper lifting techniques.

"We constantly are lifting 80- to 100-pound (36- to 45-kg) bundles of shingles," says Rich Bondarowicz, president of Smart Roofing Inc., Chicago. "If you don't lift them correctly, you will have a back injury in a hurry."

"Proper lifting techniques can minimize or eliminate almost all back injuries from lifting heavy materials," Bondarowicz continues. "One false move can cause an injury simply because workers are not aware of the lifting they are doing."

Follow the rules

Whether a roofing job site involves a steep- or low-slope project, certain fall-protection regulations must be followed. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) steep-slope fall-protection regulations apply to roofs that have slopes greater than 4-in-12 (18 degrees) with unprotected sides and work surfaces that are at least 6 feet (2 m) above a lower work level or the ground.

A steep-slope roofing project sometimes creates additional safety challenges, such as leading-edge work or potential falls through skylights. On a steep-slope roofing project, you can choose from several fall-protection systems, including safety-net systems, guardrail systems and personal fall-arrest systems.

According to OSHA, any roof with a slope of 4-in-12 (18 degrees) or less is considered a low-slope roof. On a low-slope roof that is wider than 50 feet (15 m), there are four main types of fall-protection systems you can use: a safety-net system; personal fall-arrest system; guardrail system; or combination of a warning-line system with a safety-monitoring system, personal fall-arrest system, guardrail system or safety-net system.

Fall protection is required when a job site has unprotected sides and is at least 6 feet (2 m) above the ground or next lower level of the building. For example, if a low-slope job site does not have a parapet wall at least 39 inches (991 mm) high, a guardrail that is at least 39 inches (991 mm) high and able to withstand a force of 200 pounds (91 kg) can be used to protect roofing workers.

Many roofing projects call for workers to wear personal fall-arrest systems, which consist of a body harness, lifeline, and lanyard or retractable cable. The lanyard or cable is attached to a roof-mounted base system or anchorage. A snap hook connects the harness to the lifeline. A personal fall-arrest system must limit the distance a worker can fall to 6 feet (2 m) and prevent him from contacting the surface below (for more information, see "Fall-protection guidelines," November 2004 issue, page 48).

Wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) also is critical to safety during a roofing project. Neglecting to wear proper PPE when required can mean the difference between suffering a serious injury or completing a day's work.

Using hot bitumen is common during roofing projects, and each year, roofing workers are injured from burns. Contractors should ensure their employees protect themselves when working with hot bitumen by wearing appropriate eye and face protection, a long-sleeved shirt, proper gloves that fit snugly at the wrists, long pants without cuffs and sturdy work boots.

Taking proper precautions also extends to the materials used. For example, chemicals such as solvents and spray polyurethane foam must be stored in proper containers and away from any heat sources. Hot temperatures can cause pressure to build up inside the containers, and they could rupture or ignite the chemicals and cause an explosion and fire. Anyone who works with such chemicals should read and understand the applicable material safety data sheets, which contain recommended work practices and procedures. Again, wearing appropriate PPE will help roofing workers avoid burns and contamination from chemicals.

Responsibility

No matter which fall-protection system you employ, no one working on a roof truly is protected if a system is used improperly.

Ten years ago, Carlos Molina was installing an architectural metal panel system on a steep-slope roof. Climatic conditions at the job site posed some risks. It was not raining, but precipitation had coated the metal panels with moisture. Molina and his co-workers were wearing personal fall-arrest systems.

"I had my harness on, but I didn't want to adjust it," Molina recalls. "The guy I was working with asked me to get a panel. I had my right foot in a gutter. The roof was slippery, and as I put my foot on the roof, I slid off. The rope was too long to hold me back." Molina fell 14 feet (4 m) to the ground. Unbelievably, he suffered no injuries.

"I landed on my feet," he says, still amazed. "I was really blessed. There was a kettle about 7 feet (2 m) away from where I landed. It was a new construction project—many people were working nearby. There was metal everywhere except in the area where I fell."

Now, Molina is a self-employed safety coordinator and instructor in southern California and dedicated to teaching proper safety precautions so roofing contractors and their employees comply with OSHA's safety regulations. Molina believes teamwork is a critical component for staying safe on the job.

"Everyone is responsible not only for his own safety but also for the safety of others," Molina says. "I knew the rope was long, and someone else knew. But no one said anything."

And all too often, many workers choose to do what Molina did—simply ignore the potential safety hazards to finish work as soon as possible.

"I don't recall having safety meetings in the morning," Molina says of his early days as a roofing worker. "We didn't talk about equipment. We would just go to work."

Although falls remain the primary cause of injuries and death, anyone who works on a roofing job site knows there are many other potential hazards and, often, opportunities for mistakes.

Several years ago, Scott Brown, now assistant general manager with Whittler Young Service Co., Los Angeles, was working near an air-conditioning unit.

"The tagout said the unit was off," he recalls. "Someone turned it back on while we were doing our work, and I was shocked from it—460 volts. And it only takes a third of an amp to kill you, so my initial thought was, 'Am I going to die?'"

If the air-conditioning unit had been properly tagged and locked out, Brown would not have received the shock. Fortunately, he was uninjured. But the close call had an effect.

"Safety is the most important part of the job," he says. "Every day."

Although proper safety practices can be taught, those precautions are useless unless they are followed. And all too often, workers simply ignore the potential safety hazards of the job and focus on getting as much work done as possible, believing nothing bad will happen to them.

Molina says, "As Hispanics—and this is a big deal back in our countries, especially for me, as a Mexican—we come here with a mentality of 'get the job done no matter what.'"

Call it machismo or recklessness. Either way, neglecting to take safety seriously results in accidents that wreak havoc among workers and their families, as well as employers.

"It's important for a new employee to understand he's in a dangerous industry," Marubio says. "He has to be aware there are situations where he can be seriously injured or killed. He's got to take the initiative to ensure he and his co-workers are safe on the roof."

Richards agrees, having decided after his accident to make safety his No. 1 priority.

"I hear workers complaining about having to wear a hard hat when going up and down a ladder," he says. "But you never can tell. You have many jobs in a career but only one life."

Peter Greenbaum is NRCA's manager of education programs.

Dos and Don'ts

Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration (OSHA ) regulations require you to have medical attention available for all employees. On a job site, you are responsible for ensuring someone is certified in first-aid training, and OSHA also requires a physician-approved first-aid kit be on a job site at all times.

Following are some first-aid steps to take after an accident has occurred.

Falls

If a worker has a bad fall, he should not be moved. Instead, do the following:

• Call 911 for emergency medical assistance.
  
  
• Keep the victim's head stationary—trying to turn his head could damage his spinal cord.
  
  
• If the victim is unconscious, open his airway by tilting his head back so his chin points up.

Fire safety

When there are torching activities, there should be an ABC-rated fire extinguisher nearby. Workers should be trained in proper use of fire extinguishers. The "PASS" system is an effective method for remembering how to use them: Pull the pin; from a safe distance, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire; squeeze the handle; and sweep the stream from side to side, covering the entire area.

If someone is burned, the following steps can be taken while waiting for emergency medical assistance to arrive:

• A burn can be cooled down with cold water (or towels soaked in cold water) and covered with a sterile dressing that won't stick to the skin—cotton or gauze should not be used.
  
  
• Oils, ointments or lotions should not be applied to the wound—they can prevent the burn from cooling off.
  
  
• When clothing or hot asphalt is stuck to the wound, they should not be pulled off. This likely will cause more harm.
  
  
• If a worker contacts harmful chemicals or solvents, the contaminated clothing should be removed, and clean water should be used to rinse the affected area.

NRCA offers many safety programs for roofing contractors and employees. For more information, contact NRCA's Education Department at (800) 323-9545.