During the summer months, your roof and roofing materials can really take a beating. The heat and direct sunlight can cause materials to swell and expand, which will leading to shifting and loosening of various materials and components.
During the winter months, your roof also takes a beating. The severe cold temperatures can cause freezing, cracking, and displacement of materials. Not to mention the weight of the rain, debris, and occasional tree limb that come down during winter storms.
Right smack in the middle of these two seasons is the fall, making it a great time to do some roofing maintenance to recover from the summer weather and fortify before the winter weather. However, if you are going to be using any power tools when you are doing roof maintenance during the fall, it is important to follow these safety tips:
- Make sure that the ladder that you are using is either fiberglass or wood. These materials do not conduct electricity the way that a metal ladder will, and if a power tool has a short this could be a big safety precaution.
- Always work with a partner when you are on the roof of your home. While the temperature in the fall is usually very mild, it can still be fairly dangerous to be up on the roof and a slip and fall could easily happen. Having someone with you to call for help is important.
- Make sure to wear the proper safety equipment. Work boots for traction, safety goggles, gloves, a hard hat. All of these items are good things to have on hand depending on what kind of work you are doing up on the roof.
- If you are working with power tools that have a long cord or, that are plugged into an extension cord, never pull or yank on the cord itself. It could be wrapped around the ladder that you’re standing on, causing a fall. Or, you could tank the cord from the tool and expose bare wires, leading to an electrical safety issue.
Getting your roof ready for the cold weather is a great way to spend a few hours during these next few weeks of fall. Just make sure those hours are not followed by days of recovering from an injury.
