Holiday season is approaching and it is the perfect time to get together with family and friends, gather around the table for dinner, then join in some bonding activities. If you’re thinking about doing some father-son bonding by doing handyman work around the house, like fixing your own roof, it’s important to be aware of the risks. You may be thinking “But, I can see exactly how to do it on YouTube,” but let’s get real. Although you can watch someone else do a good roofing job, it doesn’t mean that you’re all of a sudden a professional roofer. Let’s take a look at some of the most common accidents for roofers and some safer alternatives.
What Goes Up Must Come Down
Falling is probably the most frequent roofing accident in the field. Falling from roofing repair or installation has caused many injuries and fatalities, so it’s important that you don’t try to attempt walking on your roof without having a lot of experience on them first. Professional roofers get on hundreds of roofs, and they have been trained in occupational safety standards and have fellow roofers nearby to get medical help if necessary. Falling from roofs has caused injuries such as broken bones, internal bleeding, injuries leading to paralysis, and injuries leading to fatalities. Although falling from the roof is a common accident, falling from ladders is another very common work or handyman accident. A lot of safety goes into doing professional roofing work, so make sure to talk to your College Station roofing company before attempting any kind of Do It Yourself work.
Electricity and Wiring
If you are doing some heavy duty repairs on your roof, then you will inevitably run into dealing with electricity. Low hanging power lines have been known to cause trouble when making roofing repairs, and can electrocute a person if contact is made. This could send 7,000-12,000 volts of electricity through the human body causing serious injury and could be fatal. If you aren’t a professional roofer or electrician, then you may have trouble with the wiring of your house and the wires you may encounter while making roof repairs. Injuries from your house wiring can be devastating, so don’t attempt anything without getting professional advice first. Finally, if you are on your roof you could be struck by lightening, but this case is rare and can be prevented by not climbing your roof during lightening storms.
Risky Business
Men are known to engage is risky behavior, and is one of the reasons why on average their life spans are shorter than they are for women. Injuries can also occur for a host of other reasons, such as touching a shingle after reaching Texas heat temperatures or being mauled by a squirrel. If after reading this, you are still thinking “I’m not like other people, I’m not going to do anything stupid when I get on my roof,” then consider this: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people doing roofing activities have a 31.8% fatal accident rate. So, maybe you should stop right there, and instead reach for your phone and call a professional College Station roofer and save yourself a trip to the hospital.