A-Denver Roofing takes safety seriously on our jobsites in Denver, Colorado. In fact, jobsite safety is the first thing, and the last thing we discuss on a daily basis. Did you know that roofing is one of the most hazardous trades in the nation? More workers are injured from falls than from any other hazard in the construction industry. This is why every one of our commercial roofing superintendents and commercial roofing foreman must take the OSHA 30 hour class before they can be hired in those positions. Every morning we hold toolbox talks, where we discuss all of the potential hazards of the day, and discuss controls to prevent the hazards from occuring. Every morning our foremen lead our guys in a stretch and flex. We spend a solid fifteen minutes warming up our muscles, and stretching our tendons, ligaments, and muscles so that we prevent injuries from working while our bodies are cold. Similar to what you would see at your child’s soccer game, or at your professional sporting match. Here are the top hazards and controls in the roofing industry.
Caught-In or Caught–Between Roofing Hazards
Caught-in or Caught–Between commercial roofing hazards cause crushing injuries when a person is squeezed, caught, crushed, pinched, or compressed between two or more objects. This may include:
Being crushed in roof loading equipment
Being crushed between mashing objects or a moving and stationary object
Being crushed between two or more moving objects.
Examples of caught-in or –between hazards are:
Cave-ins during trenching
Clothing caught in roofing equipment
Crushed between a commercial roofing semi-trailer and a wall
The following working conditions may contribute to caught-in or –between hazards:
Unguarded moving parts
Unprotected excavations
Heavy equipment tipping over
Collapsing walls
Working between moving and stationary objects
Heavy equipment may tip over and crush a worker. Clothing or body parts may become caught in machinery with unguarded moving parts, or machinery which is not de-energized or locked out.
Buried-in or -by hazards can occur in trenches and during excavations. Cave-ins can suffocate or crush workers, and scaffolds can collapse and bury workers.
Pinned-in or –by hazards can occur when a worker becomes pinned between a solid object and another piece of equipment, causing broken bones and/or suffocation. This may include being caught between the wall and a piece of equipment, between stacked materials and another solid object, or by shoring and construction material in a trench.
Protect yourself from caught-in or –between commercial roofing hazards by:
Maintaining awareness of and distance between equipment around you
Never getting between movable materials and immovable structures
Ensuring loads are stable, secure
Wearing seatbelts at all times
Concrete & Masonry Hazards and Controls
Subpart Q – Concrete and Masonry Construction – Subpart Q prescribes performance-oriented requirements designed to protect all construction workers from the hazards associated with concrete and masonry construction. Some of the most cited serious violations of subpart Q include:
• Failure to protect employees from impalement when rebar is not capped or covered
• Failure to establish a limited access zone (LAZ) to limit the number of workers in the danger zone where a masonry wall is under construction
• Failure to brace unsupported section of masonry wall over 8 feet in height
• Failure to have drawings or plans at the jobsite to indicate jack layout and formwork placement.
Note the following key points from this lesson:
• Common hazards in the placement of concrete include impalement by unguarded rebar, struck by hazards, masonry wall hazards and silica exposure.
• Whenever a masonry wall is being constructed, employers must establish a limited access zone prior to the start of construction.
• Under OSHA’s General Requirements for the concrete and masonry standard, no loads are to be placed on concrete structures unless a qualified person determines the structure’s capable of supporting the loads.
Remember: According to OSHA standards for cast-in-place concrete, formwork must be designed, fabricated, erected, supported, braced, and maintained so that it will be capable of supporting without failure all vertical and lateral loads.
All safety equipment used in fall protection must be visually inspected before each use. There should also be routine inspections. Equipment should be properly cleaned and stored in a clean, dry place that is free of any harmful elements.
Hazard Communication Safety Data Sheets
In commercial roofing, there are only a few chemicals that we have to deal with. Even so, it is important to know how to manage the risk associated with each chemical product we use. This is why we are so focused on safety, and this is why he have the highest safety record in the industry.
The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires chemical manufacturers, distributors, or importers to provide Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) (formerly known as Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDSs) to communicate the hazards of hazardous chemical products. As of June 1, 2015, the HCS will require new SDSs to be in a uniform format, and include the section numbers, the headings, and associated information under the headings below:
Section 1, Identification includes product identifier; manufacturer or distributor name, address, phone number; emergency phone number; recommended use;
restrictions on use.
Section 2, Hazard(s) identification includes all hazards regarding the chemical; required label elements.
Section 3, Composition/information on ingredients includes information on chemical ingredients; trade secret claims.
Section 4, First-aid measures includes important symptoms/ effects, acute, delayed; required treatment.
Section 5, Fire-fighting measures lists suitable extinguishing techniques, equipment; chemical hazards from fire.
Section 6, Accidental release measures lists emergency procedures; protective equipment; proper methods of containment and cleanup.
Section 7, Handling and storage lists precautions for safe handling and storage, including incompatibilities.
Section 8, Exposure controls/personal protection lists OSHA’s Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs); Threshold Limit Values (TLVs); appropriate engineering
controls; personal protective equipment (PPE).
Section 9, Physical and chemical properties lists the chemical’s characteristics.
Section 10, Stability and reactivity lists chemical stability and possibility of hazardous reactions.
Section 11, Toxicological information includes routes of exposure; related symptoms, acute and chronic effects; numerical measures of toxicity.
Section 12, Ecological information*
Section 13, Disposal considerations*
Section 14, Transport information*
Section 15, Regulatory information*
Section 16, Other information, includes the date of preparation or last revision.
Cranes, Derrick, Hoists, Elevators & Conveyors Hazards and Controls
All crane operations must comply with the manufacturer’s specifications and no modifications may be made to any piece of equipment without the written approval of the manufacturer.
To avoid common electrical hazards, employers must ensure that:
• Required distances are kept between cranes and power lines
• ANSI requirements for working around power lines are met
• Preventative measure for avoiding power line contacts are in place
• Potential hazards are planned for
• Power line emergencies are dealt with immediately
Additional hazards related to cranes include:
• Overloading hazards
• Struck by hazards
• Inadequate inspections
• Inadequate cribbing
• Improper rigging
Note the following key points from this lesson:
• Prior to the use of any crane equipment, inspection must be done to check for air pressure, clearance for tail swing, rope ware, loose or missing hardware, fluid leaks or any other physical damage to the crane.
• Special precautions must be taken in order to protect employees, especially during operations when visibility is reduced due to atmospheric conditions.
• When using personnel hoists, an inspection and test of all functions and safety devices must be made under the supervision of a competent person before they can be put into service.
Before hoisting employees, crane or derrick operators must conduct a trial lift of an unoccupied personnel platform immediately prior to placing personnel on it.