My Worker's Life Was Saved by His Safety Harness Today

PeakOfPerfection

PeakOfPerfection

New member
So we were out on a big 2 story house today. Steep pitch, very high. Lower roof prevented us from accessing the top roof to clean from a ladder. So, up my guy went up onto the roof off a ladder on the 2nd story bedroom deck, got to the peak and there he installed two safety anchors and clipped in. I watched as he washed the one side...then clipped in on the other side of the safety anchor and stepped onto the other side of the house to find...a fine layer of tree debris. DRY SLIPPERY tree debris. I watched as he stepped onto the roof and his feet immediately went out from under him. I watched as he went tumbling down the roof on his butt, completely unable to stop and gaining speed...until his safety harness and lanyard brought him up short of the edge...exactly as designed. The anchor, installed not 15 minutes before, did its job.

It was a very long way down. Had he not been wearing a safety harness and I hadn't insisted on installing safety anchors, I would have been at the hospital right now, very likely devastated. My guys grumble about having to put the anchors in. They grumble about wearing the harness. They are young and feel indestructible. Gravity knows otherwise. I can absolutely 100% GUARANTEE I will never hear another complaint about anchors and harnesses from him again.

Never forget, this is a very dangerous job. Never take your footing for granted. And never EVER skimp on safety. Anchors should be installed if you are on any roof over 1 story. They are a billable item to the client. There are times when you simply can NOT hit it from the ladder and have to go on the roof. At those times, do NOT take it for granted and work SAFELY.
 
Great story and I'm glad your guy was saved from harm.
Any chance you can post pictures of the anchors you use and their installation. Just curious about the "billable" part.
 
i have a harness.. i have an ascender… i have rope…. I DO NOT HAVE ANY WAY TO TIE OFF… EVER.

we nee a thread on this..
 
Thanks for sharing this post. You are correct safety is without a doubt the first thing that should be on every ones mind.
 
The anchors we install are made by Guardian products. Picture a long metal strip with a D-Ring on each end. The way you install them is by removing some of the top shingle cap and ridge vent if there, to expose the plywood below. Locate a truss. Nail the anchor into the truss using the supplied nails. Replace the vent, replace the ridge cap using roof sealant and roofing nails. The only thing you will see is a small metal D-Ring which will stick out just under the base of the ridge cap. They come in cases of ten and we pay about $16 each. I pay my guys $15 per anchor to install them since it does take time. I charge the client $65 per anchor.
e34b145d578ee324821e037dda5997ac_zps21e447c9.jpg


I hired an experienced senior level roofer for two days to train my crew on the installation of said anchors as well as proper rope and harness usage. The investment paid off.

The he other alternative is to work with a local roofing company and have them install them for you. The reality is, they are easy.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    36.8 KB · Views: 22
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top