As roofers, we are exposed to several types of burns.  Not too many roofs are shaded so we are always exposed to sunburns which can be a discomfort and may cause skin cancer.  We work with motorized equipment and propane fuel torches.  And we have to move and apply hot asphalt and coal tar pitch. Using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is one way to guard against getting burned.  Our work clothing should consists of a long sleeved shirt with the sleeves down and cuffs buttoned,  long pants with no cuffs, gloves (leather or cotton) with the cuffs of the gloves tucked under the buttoned cuffs of your shirt and heavy sole boots with over the ankle leather protection. What about eye and face protection?  Safety glasses or goggles should be wo... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:16:24 AM

Each year, fifty-five construction workers are killed by electrocution from contact with overhead power lines. Over 90 percent of the contacts involved overhead distribution lines. These are the same lines that run in the alleys behind our houses and through our job sites. There are distinct patterns to these fatalities. The most obvious is apathy. We all grew up around power lines. Since they are so common to us, they seem harmless. This serious mistake is fueled by two common misconceptions: the belief that some overhead lines don't carry enough power to kill, and the belief that power lines are well-insulated. Both are dead wrong. The leading category of contact involves heavy equipment--cranes, drilling rigs, concrete pumps, aerial buckets, and backhoes. Of all heavy equipment contacts, cranes--either mobile or b... » Read more

What are two of the leading contacts with overhead power lines? Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:15:02 AM

Each year many workers on construction sites suffer electric shock using portable electrical tools and equipment. The nature of the injuries, including those caused by ground faults, ranges from minor injuries to serious secondary injuries. There also is the possibility of electrocution.  A secondary injury occurs when a worker recoils from an electric shock and, as a result, sustains an injury. Depending largely on the surrounding physical conditions, such an accident can result in a bruise, a broken bone, or a fatal fall.  HOW ELECTROCUTION OCCURS Electrocution occurs when the shock current exceeds 70 mill amperes, or there  about, causing ventricular fibrillation of the h... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:14:18 AM

Safely covering a floor opening with a piece of plywood requires more than just laying the material over the hole, or even nailing it down. Total safety on the job means a total job of eliminating the hazard. Half a job...inadequate or incomplete jobs of covering hole hazards can result only in half, inadequate or incomplete accident prevention. Several past jobsite accidents illustrate the point. A carpenter on a floor above calls down to a laborer to hand him a sheet of plywood. The laborer walks over to a sheet lying on the floor, picks it up, takes a step or two forward in the act of standing the plywood up, and goes sailing right down through the hole in the floor, sustaining serious and disabling injuries. Why did it happen?... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:14:00 AM

A young construction worker was killed the same day his wife was coming home from the hospital with their first child. How did this occur? A heavy, bulky section was being transported by a crane, which had to carry it six or seven feet in the air to clear other objects. The load was equipped with tag lines, which were being used to guide it by all of the workers except this young man. Although warned by his foreman to use the line, he didn't. A lifting pad gave way and he was killed instantly.   IF IT'S IN THE AIR, IT'S DANGEROUS This incident reminds me of a slogan I once saw: "if it's in the air, it's dangerous." This is something to remember even if the mechanical equipment seems to be in good condition. ... » Read more

Roofing

Posted 03/24/15 10:13:41 AM