If your name isn't Santa Claus, experts say you have no business up on your rooftop. Not only is standing or walking on the roof dangerous and foolhardy, doing so without special expertise may alter or damage the roof structure, causing thousands of dollars in unintended damage. Though homeowners might be tempted to investigate a leak, attempt a do-it-yourself patch job or even try their hand at replacing their own roof to save money, none of these are good ideas. Maneuvering atop a house without proper training can damage the roof's structure, leading to even costlier repairs in the end.
Roofs are not designed to carry the heavy and concentrated weight of an adult walking across them. Walking on slate and tiled roofs can cause cracking and micro-cracking while foot traffic on shingled roofs can easily break old, fragile shingles. Homeowners might also accidentally trample on or through unseen, but dangerous weak and rotted areas on the roof. In addition, hot and cold weather can make roof walking even riskier in terms of potential damage. Shingles tend to be unusually brittle in the winter and soft in the summer months.
Professional roofers like the team at Cloud Roofing use special techniques and equipment to ensure the structural integrity of the roof is not threatened at any point in the repair. If potential damage to your roof was not deterrent enough, attempting to balance and navigate sloping angles high above ground is downright dangerous. Roofs are unforgiving places where even the slightest stumble or misstep could cause a homeowner serious injury or worse.
According to the Center for Construction Research and Training Data Center, falls accounted for about one-third of all construction industry fatalities from 1992 to 2009. Of the 6,591 fatal falls, about 2,200 resulted from falling off roofs. Even though roofing industry workers are professionals who have received thorough safety training, they are still three times more likely to die from work-related injuries than workers in other construction fields. Homeowners, with little to no safety training or experience navigating roofs, are at far greater risk, especially because they do not have access to specialized safety harnesses, boots and other professional equipment.
Because standing and walking on the roof poses such dangers – to the structure of the roof and to your physical well-being – it's far better to leave roofing jobs to the experts. For a safe and professional job, contact Cloud Roofing for an estimate today.