For seasoned do-it-yourself home improvement types, replacing your Dallas area home’s roof might be an easy task. With online sources such as YouTube and other home improvement specific sites, learning to replace a roof can be rather easy. However, one of the most overlooked areas of doing a roof replacement the first time is safety. In this post we will provide a few simple warnings and offer some tips to make that roof replacement a safe one.
Falling
Obviously the biggest concern with working on a roof is falling off of it. Sadly, according to Profession Roofing Magazine, six roofers die every month in the U.S. alone. Dying is bad, so please note the following three tips for preventing falls:
- Be mindful of your footwear. You want something that has very good traction.
- If at all possible, use a safety harness or utilize guardrails and/or a safety net
- Be sure to set-up and secure your ladder. This is the most overlooked area related to falling.
Work Area Safety
Common sense goes a long way here. Make sure there aren’t any power lines in your work area. Secure children and pets while performing your roof replacement. Ensure there aren’t any damaged areas of the roof you could fall through. Never work on a wet roof (this includes the morning dew). And don’t forget to always lift with your legs, and not your back.
Tool Safety
Following a few simple tool guidelines can go a long way in preventing any kind of problems. For example, remembering to always cut away from your body with the utility knife is a great start. Next, eye protection is a must with all the hammering you will be doing. Never rest the nail gun against your body. It bares repeating, the ladder is a vital part of the project, so constantly checking that it is secure is just sound advice.
If you are uncomfortable at all with taking on a roofing replacement project, it is probably better to contact a professional roofing company. We are fortunate in the Dallas area to have many good roofers, so there are always options.
