When it comes to home improvement, most homeowners are only concerned about things such as overall cost, energy efficiency, and what their home will look like afterwards. However, if you’re planning to have professionals do some work on your roof you should always prioritize safety.
Safety isn’t just about avoiding accidents; Safety also includes protecting the rest of your property, and even the people you hire. Safety doesn’t just prevent injuries or deaths; it also prevents unnecessary expenses and saves you time.
Being safe with roof projects starts when you hire the roofers. You need to look for factors that give assurance that the people you hire are capable of working on your roof with the least amount of risk involved. Here’s a quick rundown of the factors that I’m talking about.
Safe roofers have safety tools
What’s the difference between a safe roofer and an unsafe one when they slip and fall while on the job? The safe roofer slides down a bit, still tethered to a safety anchor, while the unsafe one is lucky enough if he gets away with minor bruises. Make sure the roofer you choose has the right safety equipment: helmets, gloves, goggles, etc.
Safe roofers have SAFE tools
Safety also includes the non-safety equipment they have. Power tools are great time savers, but an electric drill with a loosely treaded drill bit can be very dangerous. Other things to check out are corded electrical equipment (exposed wires can burn or electrocute someone) or rickety stepladders. Sure, it’s rare for a homeowner to check a roofer’s tools, but it’s better not to take any chances.
Safe roofers have experience
The more experienced the roofers are, the more comfortable they become at moving around uneven surfaces and less chances of fumbling. If you can, do a background check on the people that you hire. They don’t have to be in the business for decades, but make sure that you’re not hiring someone that has never been on a roof!
Check out the second part of this blog series, coming soon, to learn more about safety-related equipment often used during roof projects, by safe roofers!