Roof Cleaning Safety

DunRite

New member
As most of you have heard by now of the passing of Ted Watson from a roof fall. It should be noted this wasn't his first fall as he cracked a few ribs just a few months back


If we learned anything from his death its we should harness up when going up on any roof. Any fall can cause serious injury or death. I believe he would be alive today if he had a harness on. At a minimum his chances would have improved greatly


We've all done it- weather out of laziness or ego- whatever the reason i don''t want to read another post about a guy falling off a roof. I don't want to send condolences to another guys family for falling off a roof


Many guys i've spoken too regarding Teds death have acknowledged not using a safety harness when going up on a roof. Its like a cop without a vest going to a shootout or a Firefighter going to a fire without a respirator. Its a numbers game- sooner or later your going to fall


So i ask all of you who walk roofs to wear a safety harness- Lets learn something from the tragedy of Teds Death
 
Hey Mike, I am really sorry to hear this about Ted,..
I have had these discussions with people I know in my everyday life,..people who clean gutters, paint, basic handyman work, etc,.. I'ts unbelievable the amount of guys who think they can't fall,...I tell them falls are SERIOUS,..even a short fall can cause bodily damage. My brother works with me, and unfortunately he's one of those guys that has the
"It won't happen to me" attitude. I can't stand that,..irritates me to no end,... I've told him over the MANY, MANY times,..IT ONLY TAKES ONE SLIP!!!,.. Over the last few years though it's not n issue anymore,. I told him so many times in the past, that,..I would pack up and leave before I would risk our health to do a job. That line finally got through to him. He was always ,"Well there's no other choice or way around a difficult roof but to do it "risky",...well there is a choice.

We VERY,VERY seldom get on a roof,...and then only if it's so "flat" that the mix won't run. We did probably did 90-100 roofs this year and I can only remember being on a couple of them. Brother is the permanent ground man, so I don't have to worry about discussing with him about getting on the roof while spraying mix.

I would rather shoot from a ladder, there may be drawbacks,..but for me it is a better choice, an faster in my opinion. I have done alot of strange,. architecturally challenging roofs,..and I always find a way to get the mix on them without climbing onto the roof,..different angles, added extension, morning hours so no breezes,.. whatever... Don't make the work more challenging than it is,..don't try to impress the customer or any onlookers.

* On another note,..I have worked in the residential tree business in the past,..and it's absolutely astounding the amount of guys who refuse to wear a hardhat,..even though one good shot from even a small branch could kill you or cause severe damage to your skull,...they never put that together. Safety glasses is another safety issue for many,..I've seen guys grinding, cutting and won't wear them,..I almost have to laugh at these stupid moves people make,..not laughing in a good way,..but in a I'm going to go crazy kinda' way.... Like Clark Griswald at the end of the Christmas movie where he's drinking the punch and just laughing saying, "it's good, it's good",...That kind of laugh.

I hope Ted wouldn't mind,..but I'm going to try and make his story useful, I'm gonna tell people about him and how one minute you're alive and the next minute you're dead when it comes to falls.

Jeff
 
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Jeff I don't think Ted would care, if the after life exists he up there blessing we use his short coming as a message to let as many as we can realize the mistake. It's really to bad this happened, but maybe the reality being so painful just might save a life in the future.

Don't worry I have a few Friends (brothers) who don't practice using safety. I think as we all get older we are just not he same. Not that younger men shouldn't wear safety equipment but all these factors play into the increased chances. Up till now many of us lucky. Teds luck ran out!!


Nothing's is worth safety! Especially leaving children left behind.


Ron Musgraves
www.uamcc.org
 
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Some ladder companies hold harness and repel classes for safety . REI has mountain climbing classes that teaches repelling which is great for roofs and doing cedar roofs .

if you do go on roofs a huge factor is being physical fit and in good shape . If your not flexible , have bad knees , bad ankles , bad feet , cramp easily , or over weight , get dizzy , and are not coordinated stay off roofs.

What happened to Ted really makes you take a second look at everything ! R I P Ted .
 
Ladder traction and stability , this makes me more nervous than anything because I had a huge chunk of earth give away and I was 5 feet away from the hill on flat ground at the time . On grass now I bang in screw drivers behind the spiked feet of the ladder. On all hard surfaces we clean the area where the feet will rest ( stone , concrete, decks , ect..). Same on roofs . The area gets cleaned first before the ladder goes up . We do a lot of transitioning from one roof area to another.
 
Some ladder companies hold harness and repel classes for safety . REI has mountain climbing classes that teaches repelling which is great for roofs and doing cedar roofs.
.

REI is a "Sport Climbing" equipment dealer that can show you a couple of tricks as they relate to Sport Climbing. "Rope Access" training is very different as it incorporates techniques that the Sport Climber would find very boring (i.e. workers use equipment and techniques engineered and designed to not to climb rock or structure, but to climb the ropes attached to or positioned over the structure).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raNEQC9kT2w

Training programs designed specifically for the rope access of Pitched Roofing Structures do exist.
 
As most of you have heard by now of the passing of Ted Watson from a roof fall. It should be noted this wasn't his first fall as he cracked a few ribs just a few months back


If we learned anything from his death its we should harness up when going up on any roof. Any fall can cause serious injury or death. I believe he would be alive today if he had a harness on. At a minimum his chances would have improved greatly


We've all done it- weather out of laziness or ego- whatever the reason i don''t want to read another post about a guy falling off a roof. I don't want to send condolences to another guys family for falling off a roof


Many guys i've spoken too regarding Teds death have acknowledged not using a safety harness when going up on a roof. Its like a cop without a vest going to a shootout or a Firefighter going to a fire without a respirator. Its a numbers game- sooner or later your going to fall


So i ask all of you who walk roofs to wear a safety harness- Lets learn something from the tragedy of Teds Death
Wow, what was the name of Ted's roof cleaning company ?
 
Rapid Hot Clean- Portland Or
OMFG, I was afraid of that. Not that I wish bad things for anyone, but I was hoping it wasn't that Ted.
He was a very active poster at many forums, including the RCIA Forum.
 
Ted was all over the place!
Yes, and I used to live out in Seattle from 1976 till 1989
He was down in the Portland Oregon area, and I used to date a girl from his neck of the woods.
I have been to Portland many times.
 
OMFG, I was afraid of that. Not that I wish bad things for anyone, but I was hoping it wasn't that Ted.
He was a very active poster at many forums, including the RCIA Forum.

Ted was the best. I once posted a question on the board and fifteen minutes later, he called me to help me out. I miss him already.
 
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