attatching yourself to a roof

[brokenbiker]

so I spent most of yesterday replacing lead flashing for a customer who was having a fairly big leak when it rained.

obviously this meant being on the roof for a long time, on my own. I did have someone else with me but they were doing other jobs inside the house most of the time.

whether I should be up there on my own or not is not what I am asking, I want to know what people are using to guard against slipping on a loose slate and falling off the roof.

im using a triple extension to get up and have a roof ladder too, secure them to the roof with a ratchet strap around what ever is strong and convenient.

I have seen videos of people using fall arrest harnesses attached to the roof with a nail on eye loop, and also people using mountaineering style pulley systems.

what are other people using? it is only likely to ever be flashing I do on a roof, and maybe having to climb over to clear gutters on houses with conservatories stopping me putting the ladder up.

all the time I was up there I was very weary of falling, so was using a 2T ratchet strap looped around one of the roof ladder rungs and holding onto it when walking around the roof

 

[cumbriasteve]

I use an industrial roof ladder and never go beyond it's reach feeling safe at all times, roofers tend to walk around as if they are having a stroll in the park.

In all honesty if you are going on a roof and feeling uneasy and very uncomfortable with being up there perhaps it's time to get someone else up there for you, walking away after a roof fall is not very common.

 

[fixerupper]

Years ago I did wood stove instalation , chimney repairs and liners and I used two cat ladders one each side of the stackwith eyes to fasten meself on to with a climbers harness and various short teathers and caribinas ,so you could move around but allways cliped on .. also two strong buckets tied on to so you got somewhere to put your tools
If it were a right tall chimney I'd hire a chimney scaff that sat on the ridge ....jeff...

 

[DanielW]

The roof ladder is supposed to be held in place by a noggin which fits over the ridge.

If you're asking for advice on how to be safe on the roof,should you be up there in the first place?

If you walk up the roof then you have your wits about you but if clamber up the roof then you're having a feeling of being unsafe and thats not good.

sorry but a scaff tower is what you need if working on a roof frequently because there is nothing secure on a roof that will break your fall even when harnessed,so its scafftower and a good roofladder.

 

[brokenbiker]

I didn't feel un-safe, I was just weary that I could be protecting myself better than I was.

I have a proper roofing ladder, with the bracket that fits over the ridge. I have a triple extension with a stand off bracket that allows me to extend the ladder well up over the edge of the roof to be safe to transfer to the roofing ladder, I just wanted to know if there were any was of securing an anchor point to the roof without damaging it, so I could attach to that rather than the ladder.

when moving around the roof, I walked as normal, didn't clamber around on hands and knees, just wondering what other people do.

I am not spending money on scaffolding, I do not get nearly enough work to warrant scaffolding, I have no where to store it and pretty much no way of transporting it until I get another van

 

[DanielW]

How much did your last job bring in?

 

[mike os]

scaffolding is the only safe way.. use a contractor and put it on the bill

Not worth the risk of a fall from roof height, you certainly are not going to walk away from one and may not walk again

I know people are unwilling to pay, but it is my health at the end of the day and they wont pay me to be in hospital or whatever either.

 

[DanielW]

An old friend of mine used to be a roofer,not any more he's got on leg shorter than the other now after a fall from a roof,11 years a roofer but accidents will happen.

 

[Pete.]

You couldn't walk on my roof safely, it's too steep at the rear, plus it's a hell of a drop. I have worked up there without a scafold by using a harness and inertia reel secured to the chimneystack. It doesn't guarantee safety though especially since if you are left dangling you need to get yourself down (or up0 inside of 20 mins to avoid toxic shock. A Harness and step-up is what I'd recommend if you're going to do much of that.

 

[Kayos]

I have the full kit, roof ladder strapped to the extension ladder that's attached to the house with an eye bolt and straps. This creates a working platform, running line down either ladder (or both) for fall arrest and a big cows tail to hook on for 3 points of contact. I hated the training but now its second nature and I won't work on a roof without it

 

[brightspark]

ive just half rebuilt and pointed my stacks. used a scaffold tower up the gable end and did the rest of a roof ladder as long as the ladder sticks over the guttering by about 6 foot to climb on the roof ladder and its secured with a ring bolted to the wall and tied off its quite safe. you just get used to working at height its second nature if u dont feel safe or confident dont bother going up as thats a recipe for disaster

 

[awemawson]

Who's bedroom window is that camera looking into

 

[brightspark]

no ones windows near cos its not on but covers the railway station platform and my garden and will zoom in to the houses over the fields at 500 yards. u can see cats walking at that distance and read beer cans at 100 yards full pan and tilt and good low light visibility 10x 8 to 80mm lenz

 

[Kent]

I bet your insurance don't cover you over the height of the eaves, unless you specified it that way and are you holding cover for doing roofing work?
You can and should take a working at heights course if you don't already know all the answers

 

[brightspark]

I bet your insurance don't cover you over the height of the eaves, unless you specified it that way and are you holding cover for doing roofing work?
You can and should take a working at heights course if you don't already know all the answers

im covered for any height or any sport no matter how it happens death loss of limbs the lot at work im covered for working up to 3 storeys public liability. ohh by the way thats my house and i do all my own repairs . im not a brikky or a roofer im a leccy

 

[MattF]

I think he's referring to BB, BS.

 

[brightspark]

I think he's referring to BB, BS.

rite public liability insurance is verry specific on what u are covered for and they record your conversation on cover and hold it on the national; insurance database

 

[Alister]

Any time I am on a roof I throw a long rope over the roof and tie it to a tree or something equally strong. Then tie it round my waist so if I do slip I won't go over the edge. I guess this only works as I am working on one side of the roof only though. I suppose You could loop a rope around the chimney breast and tie it to yourself.

PS After plumbers mates, Leccy's are the lowest form of human life.

 

[Kent]

im covered for any height or any sport no matter how it happens death loss of limbs the lot at work im covered for working up to 3 storeys public liability. ohh by the way thats my house and i do all my own repairs . im not a brikky or a roofer im a leccy

yeah, it was a statement relevant to the OP otherwise I should have replied directly. many trades have cross over areas and although some hair brained broker who tried to sell me public liability for a welding and fabrication company THAT EXCLUDED USE OF NAKED FLAME OR WELDING! you can pretty much figure a roofing companies insurance will cover them, other trades like builders, joiners and yes even welders and the question is normally asked and the point has always seemed to be the eaves of a normal two story house. Working below ground is also one to watch as a std policy for say a builder only covers you so far down on say a footing.
We always need to check aspects like a friend who is a plasterer was rendering a chimney and knocked the pot off onto an expensive car- yep no cover! If its just the odd time you need to do a thing it isn't always worth adding it - just call in a bona fide subcontractor with the correct cover and let face it they should be expected to know how to move about on a roof if its their trade

 

[TAITSIE]

Any time I am on a roof I throw a long rope over the roof and tie it to a tree or something equally strong. Then tie it round my waist so if I do slip I won't go over the edge. I guess this only works as I am working on one side of the roof only though. I suppose You could loop a rope around the chimney breast and tie it to yourself.

PS After plumbers mates, Leccy's are the lowest form of human life.

I am just waiting for the replies to this one