Are Your Roofing Crew Tethered?

[ianmcc]

With all of the hail damage over the last year or so I have seen a ton of roofing crews out there and wonder why no one seems to be wearing fall arrest. Its OHS law over 3m and most homes in my community are two story homes.
And this is the reason why I started looking with a critical eye.
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mobile/construction-worker-in-serious-condition-after-falling-from-southeast-calgary-rooftop-1.5497705?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvcalgary%3Apost&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

[03ozwhip]

With all of the hail damage over the last year or so I have seen a ton of roofing crews out there and wonder why no one seems to be wearing fall arrest. Its OHS law over 3m and most homes in my community are two story homes.
And this is the reason why I started looking with a critical eye.
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mobile/construction-worker-in-serious-condition-after-falling-from-southeast-calgary-rooftop-1.5497705?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvcalgary%3Apost&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

I dont think it's OH&S law in the city. Working in the city in construction seems to be waaaayy different safety wise.

I'm working near bowness/COP and the safety is a joke. My buddy got ran over by a skid steer because basic skid steer safety wasn't applied.

[JohnnyHockey13]

And this is the reason why I started looking with a critical eye.
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mobile/construction-worker-in-serious-condition-after-falling-from-southeast-calgary-rooftop-1.5497705?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvcalgary%3Apost&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

Ok Karen, start calling them in then.

[austic]

It is OH&S Law in the city, my wife doesnt have the inspector certification but some of her co-workers do (She works in Emergency Management for the Feds). if they see someone doing it they are legally required to report it. I have heard countless stories about it getting reported including a crew working on the budling acorss the street from their building. That got shut down farily fast with one call. There are just a tonne of shit companies priortizing speed overy safety these days.

[89coupe]

I dont think it's OH&S law in the city. Working in the city in construction seems to be waaaayy different safety wise.

I'm working near bowness/COP and the safety is a joke. My buddy got ran over by a skid steer because basic skid steer safety wasn't applied.

Yes it is

[born2workoncars]

Ok Karen, start calling them in then.

Lol, this attitude is why people get fucked up in trades. There's something manly about taking unnecessary risks, I guess?

Not to mention workplace accidents cost taxpayers money - so fucking buckle up, wear protection and remind the goofs who call you pussy why they're missing a few digits.

[ianmcc]

Seems that a sudden surge in demand for roofing and siding crews might lead to corner cutting and since my neighbor is getting their roof done I dont want the crew falling on my property

Bad enough with all the nails-imagine gringos falling from the sky.

[austic]

Lol, this attitude is why people get fucked up in trades. There's something manly about taking unnecessary risks, I guess?

Not to mention workplace accidents cost taxpayers money - so fucking buckle up, wear protection and remind the goofs who call you pussy why they're missing a few digits.

risking your life, for what? i dont get the mentality.

[03ozwhip]

Yes it is

Guess I should have put LOL after my OH&S statement. I know it is, it just doesn't seem to be followed out here, or
isn't known on a basic level from some people I've seen.

Mond you, most roofers I see look like they're risking their life after work with crack too

[JohnnyHockey13]

Lol, this attitude is why people get fucked up in trades. There's something manly about taking unnecessary risks, I guess?

Not to mention workplace accidents cost taxpayers money - so fucking buckle up, wear protection and remind the goofs who call you pussy why they're missing a few digits.

I was speaking from the perspective of a regular person watching them work...not as an actual worker on the worksite. If I was, ya, I would follow all the rules, it's for my own safety. But if Im watching who cares, it's their life they're putting in danger....this is akin to my old neighborhood in Airdrie where residents are calling RCMP everyday to report teenagers jumping off the bridge into the storm water pond, who cares, they're only hurting themselves if something happens.

[ShermanEF9]

I was speaking from the perspective of a regular person watching them work...not as an actual worker on the worksite. If I was, ya, I would follow all the rules, it's for my own safety. But if Im watching who cares, it's their life they're putting in danger....this is akin to my old neighborhood in Airdrie where residents are calling RCMP everyday to report teenagers jumping off the bridge into the storm water pond, who cares, they're only hurting themselves if something happens.

I get pretty annoyed when my tax dollars go towards paying for stupidity.

[sabad66]

Report them. Call me a Karen but safety at work is serious stuff. Nobody ever thinks anything bad will happen to them until it does, and then some poor kid or family just lost their mom/dad/brother/sister/spouse/whatever

I’ve worked at big companies my entire career and every year there’s always multiple deaths and it really irks me cuz everything is preventable.

And not to be selfish but indeed we all pay for it in the end whether it’s company bonuses tied to safety performance, or people going on disability/aish if they make it alive all paid for with our tax dollars.

[AndyL]

.... WCB puts about 20m a year into the provinces general revenues...

Rest assured your government knows how to take your money from every possible source.

Having some roofing experience - the usual headache is - how do you get an appropriate anchor on top of a roof? Yes there's big plates that bolt into the peak and trusses but you need one per crew member, so 5-6 to a roof and you need to drill a big hole through the peak, + 4-8 big lags each.

[2020]

So many Karen’s....

[born2workoncars]

.... WCB puts about 20m a year into the provinces general revenues...

Rest assured your government knows how to take your money from every possible source.

Having some roofing experience - the usual headache is - how do you get an appropriate anchor on top of a roof? Yes there's big plates that bolt into the peak and trusses but you need one per crew member, so 5-6 to a roof and you need to drill a big hole through the peak, + 4-8 big lags each.

You are correct - but this is why the term 'best practice' exists.

Sure, you can perform vehicle maintenance solely based on the integrity of your jack - but there's a reason why jack stands exist. The same principle applies to motorcyclists, pilots, etc - There are old riders, and there are bold riders, but there are no old bold riders....


I was speaking from the perspective of a regular person watching them work...not as an actual worker on the worksite. If I was, ya, I would follow all the rules, it's for my own safety. But if Im watching who cares, it's their life they're putting in danger....this is akin to my old neighborhood in Airdrie where residents are calling RCMP everyday to report teenagers jumping off the bridge into the storm water pond, who cares, they're only hurting themselves if something happens.

In America, you're financially insulated from the poor choices of others. Maybe a gofundme will save them.

In Canada, you're insured against your poor decision making. It's in every tax payers best interest to diminish the amount of medical attention required by the general population.


So many Karen’s....

So quick to demonstrate your misunderstanding of pop culture vernacular.

[arcticcat522]

The thing that pisses me off with safety is, it takes everything to the lowest common denominator. I get why, but, sometimes it's too much. Also, all the faking paperwork involved. In general, I hate safety.....

[ExtraSlow]

What's the wcb rate for roofing companies? I suspect that will answer how big of a deal this is.

[schurchill39]

What's the wcb rate for roofing companies? I suspect that will answer how big of a deal this is.

$5.25 which is the second highest on the 2020 premium rates sheet next to framers at $5.26. Interestingly enough drywallers are also really high at $5.06.

Based on these numbers I'd say roofing (lack off) safety is a pretty big deal.

[ExtraSlow]

$5.25 which is the second highest on the 2020 premium rates sheet next to framers at $5.26. Interestingly enough drywallers are also really high at $5.06.
Based on these numbers I'd say roofing (lack off) safety is a pretty big deal.
Thanks, I was too lazy to look that up. If someone had spare time, they could keep themselves pretty busy calling in safety violations on roofing crews around town. Don't think I've ever seen one with proper fall restriaints. Not sure what the payoff for the person making that call is, but maybe they'd get a warm fuzzy feeling from making the world a safer place.

[firebane]

Thanks, I was too lazy to look that up. If someone had spare time, they could keep themselves pretty busy calling in safety violations on roofing crews around town. Don't think I've ever seen one with proper fall restriaints. Not sure what the payoff for the person making that call is, but maybe they'd get a warm fuzzy feeling from making the world a safer place.

There is a big difference in real world safety and back office safety.

As someone who has worked on roofs with multiple people, what people fail to understand is that at times safety equipment can actually be a risk and can cause injuries.

You can help eliminate safety risks but in any high risk type job something always happens. So you do your best to minimize those issues.

[bjstare]

Having some roofing experience - the usual headache is - how do you get an appropriate anchor on top of a roof? Yes there's big plates that bolt into the peak and trusses but you need one per crew member, so 5-6 to a roof and you need to drill a big hole through the peak, + 4-8 big lags each.

Surely there's another way...? I would not want roofers turning my house into swiss cheese.

Cant they just lay a ground perimeter of inflatable airbags or something? :rofl:

[killramos]

Roofing. Not even once.

[pheoxs]

Curious if you are building your own garage would being attached be a requirement or is it different for doing things yourself. Would you just put anchors in the roof to tie to?

[ThePenIsMightier]

Roofing. Not even once.

I used to be a hot tar roofer.
Boy, I remember that day real well!

[killramos]

Yummy

[ThePenIsMightier]

Curious if you are building your own garage would being attached be a requirement or is it different for doing things yourself. Would you just put anchors in the roof to tie to?

It's likely completely different because you're not in a work (occupational) scenario, so OH&S can't infringe upon your rights to be as stupid as you want on your own property.

The only fall arrest I've seen in residential are those roof anchors, I think. It's fairly common in large new developments where a dominant builder is around like Sterling, etc.

[Lex350]

Ok Karen, start calling them in then. You win dumbest quote of the day!

[AndyL]

Surely there's another way...? I would not want roofers turning my house into swiss cheese.

Cant they just lay a ground perimeter of inflatable airbags or something? :rofl:

When I was doing it there was no good way. On top of that you only had a 30° ROM then you exceeded the side load ratings. Plus the risk of the swing was high. The airhoses were bad enough risks back then, accidentally step on one and you probably were going off the roof. Add some fall arrest lines in...

However - the falling off a roof was uncommon. The rate of back injury was pretty extreme... And that's likely where the wcb rate comes from (same with framers and drywallers). It's all hunched over heavy lifting work with poor body positioning...

[ThePenIsMightier]

What's a roofer say during sex?

...





...









Get off me, Dad! You're crushing my smokes!

[kenny]

The only fall arrest I've seen in residential are those roof anchors, I think. It's fairly common in large new developments where a dominant builder is around like Sterling, etc.

I see a lot of new home builds where the anchors are left on the roof, Wonder if this is a new thing?

Would be useful for any roofing contractors to utilize in the future I guess if they trust they are still anchored in securely.

[ianmcc]

So lets say you are having your roof done and the crew doing the work is not tethered. Who do you talk to if the super isn't on sight? Or your neighbours house?
From the sounds of some here you should shut up and mind your own business. Isn't safety everyone's responsibility?
Coming from too many years on our business units OHSE committee.

[killramos]

You tell Al Qaeda

[legendboy]

Old friend of mine was roofing, no fall arrest. He fell from 26 feet to the ground and broke his back in 3 places. Took him over a year to recover. Told him to get a better job!
I had to take fall arrest and CTS09 when I went to the Jacos Site. It was about 2 hours or less on PC and I knew what the deal was :facepalm:

[SKR]

I used to be a hot tar roofer.
Boy, I remember that day real well!

You're still hot.

[FraserB]

I see a lot of new home builds where the anchors are left on the roof, Wonder if this is a new thing?

Would be useful for any roofing contractors to utilize in the future I guess if they trust they are still anchored in securely.

Mine is a 2008 build, still has the tie off straps on the roof and most of the places around me have them still.


So lets say you are having your roof done and the crew doing the work is not tethered. Who do you talk to if the super isn't on sight? Or your neighbours house?
From the sounds of some here you should shut up and mind your own business. Isn't safety everyone's responsibility?
Coming from too many years on our business units OHSE committee.

My own house, stop work until I talked to the company or the super. Neighbor’s house, probably tell the neighbor they might want to address it. I just dealt with it up front by hiring a company that said they’d be tied off on the roof.