Man’s Best Friend Teaches Safety

We can always learn a thing or two from our four-legged buddy, but how to remain safe while on a roof? That's not a lesson one thinks about every day. So when this pup inexplicably climbs on his roof all of the time and concerns the neighbors, he created the perfect occasion to discuss being on your roof safely. If you are concerned about your safety but need a pair of eyes on your roof, call for a free estimate from the roofing experts of Fayetteville, AR.

[Read more "What a Dog on a Roof Can Teach Us All About Roof Safety" here]

Taken from the article:
"As such, it's essential that people take every precaution to ensure they won't fall and seriously injure themselves. If you're heading on up, take a tip or two from experts on how to stay safe.

• Watch the pitch. If you're going to climb on your roof, Clement says you must make sure the roof pitch—the degree of steepness—is walkable. "The roof pitch on Huckleberry's house looks like a three-pitch, or 14 degrees, the equivalent of walking up a shallow hill," says Clement. If your roof is a five-pitch—22.5 degrees—or steeper, it's not safe to walk on, says Biyevetskiy.
• Use the right ladder. Your ladder should extend three rungs past the edge of the roof where you transition from the ladder to the building, says Clement. Otherwise, getting off and on will be much more difficult and dangerous. "A lot of people make the mistake of using a ladder that gets up to the edge of the roof, not past it," he explains. "And getting onto the ladder is not the hardest part—it’s getting down."
• Use a ladder stabilizer. Unstable ladders are one of the leading causes of injuries sustained by homeowners trying to clean their gutters, Biyevetskiy explains. So if you plan on using a ladder to get on your roof, consider buying a stabilizer. It will set you back about $25 and makes it almost impossible for a ladder to slip and fall sideways. "The stabilizer should be placed on the edge of the roof just above gutters, or against the wall just below gutters," says Biyevetskiy.
• Wear the right shoes. For scaling a roof, always wear good running sneakers, as those provide the best grip, says Biyevetskiy. As obvious as it may sound, you should never wear sandals.
• Don't climb on a metal, slate, or tile roof. If your house's roof is made of metal, slate, or tile, avoid walking on it at all costs. "Metal and slate roofs are very slippery, and slate roofs are usually steep, which makes them very difficult to walk on," Biyevetskiy says. "Tile and slate roofs are also dangerous to walk on because they can break under your feet, and then falling is almost inevitable."

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