Falling for the Wrong Roofer Professional

With the ‘roof falling’ pun out of the way, one thing's clear  – getting a new roof or repairing one is a big financial investment and requires some strict budgeting. So naturally, lots of people will at least think about the DIY route.

Because why not do it yourself and save all that money, right?

The avid DIYer will often think they can save money by doing it themselves, but to be honest, you need some talented, adventurous friends to assist you, as it can be a very risky undertaking.

If the worker who's working on the roof isn't properly equipped with safety gear AND trained in how to use it correctly, that goes WAY beyond the contractor's insurance policy, considering the legal (and financial) fallout that would follow if an injury happened.

So, in this article, we'll go over how to find a competent contractor, and we'll also go over some important safety protocols.

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Ain't No Liability On Me

All homeowners should follow these steps to make sure their home improvement project doesn't become a liability landmark.  Anatomy of a Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS). In the DIY world, we often feel that a ladder will be enough, but to a professional roofer, a ladder is just the doorway to the workplace.

A professional crew shall be using a Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS). And this is not a rope tied to a chimney, but a three-part engineered system:

• Anchor: A heavy metal connector fixed tightly to the roof rafters.
• Harness: Distributes the force of falling evenly across the thighs, pelvis, chest, and shoulders.
• Connector: A shock-absorbing lanyard (a.k.a. "lifeline") that connects the harness to the anchor.

If your roof view shows workers casually walking on a steep pitch, this presents roof fall dangers for workers, and without these three elements, your project is running into great safety shortfalls.

Wind and Urban Considerations

The Chicago Standard. The role geography plays in the safety of roofing is massive.

Roofs in an expansive suburban space, for example, are totally different from jobs in the Windy City. Wind loads in Chicago are unique to the city, and can yield unexpected gusts that change even a sheet of plywood into a sail, making a worker quickly fall out of balance.

In addition, the high density of Illinois urban construction environments means that workers frequently have to handle 'zero-lot-line' scenarios. There is no 'soft landing' when there is just a three-foot gangway between your home and your neighbor's.

All contractors who work in the city have to utilize strict fall defense protocols (much stricter than in suburban areas) just so that the margin of error is as close to zero as it can get.

Paperwork

Illinois law is particularly strict when it comes to workers' compensation. Before any shingle is removed, you have to make sure the contractor has Illinois-required workers' comp insurance.

Why does this matter to you?

If a contractor is 'off-the-books' or uninsured and a worker falls off a roof, the injured party can expect the homeowner's personal liability insurance to cover damages. 'Cheap' contractors frequently save money by foregoing these premiums. As a homeowner, your 'savings' on the front end could be erased by one personal injury suit on the back end.

Safety Culture

A professional roofing crew must be like a cohesive team, not a haphazard bunch of day laborers.

Here are a couple of pointers that show whether there's a high-quality safety culture in place:

• Staging: Check whether all the materials are placed safely or correctly. This means that there are no tripping hazards near the edge of the roof.
• Peripheral Protection: Pros often make good use of "toe-boards" (long wooden boards) or temporary guardrails. This helps prevent someone (or something) from falling off the edge. To keep people and tools from falling off the edge.
• Power Line Awareness: Lots of older Chicago neighborhoods have power lines connected around rooftop locations, which poses a risk of being electrocuted. A safe crew will make sure they have a plan for "sleeving" those lines or keeping a 10-foot gap.
• Who's the Competent Person on-site who is responsible for safety monitoring? (OSHA requires one).
• What's the fall arrest plan for this roof's pitch and height?

Conclusion

Your House, Your Duty. We talk a lot about 'empowered DIY,' but real empowerment is knowing when to request a well-trained professional.

A roof fall is the most common culprit in construction-related injury and death, and as the owner of a property, you have a right to demand that the work site be built in a way that respects that danger.

Home Improvement should be making your home a better spot, not just a trip to the emergency department.

And when you treat your DIY projects with the same care as when you go to a professional job site, you can ensure that some of your DIY wins are worth remembering.