Roofer Madness

This month, we are bringing awareness to distracted driving. The Hands-Free law recently passed in Michigan, is to prevent distracted driving. Yet it is still important to remind ourselves of the dangers of distracted driving; besides that, it’s against the law.

What is considered distracted driving?

There are three main distractions: Visual, Manual, and Cognitive.

Visual is taking your eyes off the road. Manual is taking your hands off the wheel. While cognitive is taking your mind off the drive.

That means you cannot manually do any of the following on a cell phone or other electronic device while driving, according to the law:

• Make or answer a telephone or video call.
• Send or read a text or email message.
• Watch, record, or send a video.
• Access, read, or post to social media.
• Browse or use the Internet.
• Enter information into GPS or a navigation system.

“Texting is the most alarming distraction because it involves all three types of distraction. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes,” michigan.gov writes.

We must take precautions to reduce distractions while driving. AAA has some tips to help ensure your safety on the road.

AAA’s Top 5 Tips for Helping to Reduce Driving

1. Before you begin driving, plan your trip, program GPS systems, set mirrors and climate controls, etc.
2. Familiarize yourself with the features of your vehicle’s equipment before you hit the road.
3. Use message-taking functions and return calls when you’re stopped at a safe location.
4. Whenever possible, ask passengers to help you perform activities that may be distracting.
5. Secure mobile devices and any objects that may move and distract you while driving.

Protect loved ones from the dangers of distracted driving by reminding them to keep their eyes on the road. If your driver is texting or distracted, tell them to stop and focus on the road. Ask your friends and family to join you in pledging not to drive distracted.

Remeber don’t tempt fate, the text can wait. Go Hand-Free!

#JustDrive

March was National Ladder Safety Month. As we move into April, we wanted to share some ladder best practices and training tips from the National Ladder Safety Month website to keep in mind. Whether using a ladder at home or on a job, remembering safety guidelines and best practices is the best way to avoid potential hazards!

Ladder Training

If a job requires you to use ladders daily, provide proper training to all individuals using ladders. Even if you use a ladder at home, awareness of best practices never hurts.

• Educate users on ladder safety guidelines, best practices, and potential hazards.
• Instruct users to read and follow all the safety information labels on the ladder.
• Promote a culture of safety awareness where workers actively identify and report
  ladder safety concerns.

Identify Factors that Can Contribute To Falls

Avoid factors contributing to falls from ladders like – haste or sudden movement, overreaching, lack of attention, improper climbing posture such as standing too high or straddling the ladder, and carrying objects while not maintaining three points of contact.

Best practices are:

• Preplan – Inspect and know the hazards within your work environment.
• Choose the correct ladder for the job – a self-supporting stepladder or a non-self-supporting leaning, single, or extension ladder.

Setting Up a Ladder

Ensure proper ladder setup with placement on a firm level surface, and use
accessories (levelers, stabilizers, V-rung, etc.) to accommodate any irregular
setup conditions.

Some tips to follow are:

• Secure your ladder where possible by tying off, blocking, bracing, or having an
  assistant holds the ladder.
• Never attempt to move or reposition any ladder while it is occupied.

Setting up a Stepladders:

1. Fully open and lock spreaders.
2. Support ALL FOUR feet – no elevated feet.

Setting up Leanable Ladders:

1. Support at all four corners – both feet and both top rails on firm surfaces.
   • Do not rest the ladder against the top rung.
2. Position at a 75° angle to avoid sliding out:
   • Place your toes against the bottom of the ladder side rails and stand erect.
   • Adjust the ladder angle to grasp lower section rails at shoulder level with arms straight.
   • Only move or reposition a self-supporting extension ladder after retraction and from the ground.
   • Never adjust the ladder position or extended length from above.

Climbing a Ladder

Climb slowly and deliberately.

• Follow the three points of contact rule – face the ladder and use both hands while
  climbing up and down.
• Keep both hands free for climbing. Use a towline, tool belt, or an assistant to lift tools
  and equipment up to the work area.

Maintaining Balance While Working

Maintain your balance while working and avoid sudden movements.

• Lean into or hold onto the ladder to maintain three points of contact.
• Keep the center of your stomach between the ladder side rails – do not overreach or
  lean so you do not fall off the ladder.
• Wear clean, slip-resistant work shoes.

Best practices for Stepladder:

1. Do not stand on the top step, top cap or straddle the top.
2. Do not access another surface unless it has been secured from side movement.

Best practices for Leaning/ Extension ladders:

1. Do not stand on the top three rungs.

Transport and Storage:

Properly secure your ladder during transport to avoid excessive wear and
Loading at the vehicle support points. Store ladders where they are protected from unsafe materials, impact, or corrosion damage.

Check out https://www.laddersafetymonth.com/safety-resources/articles/ for more resources on Ladder Safety.

And remember to be safe while climbing!

While most people in cold climates dream of a White Christmas or a big fluffy snow fall for the many wonderful outdoor activities, snow and ice can be dangerous and damage your commercial roofing systems. 

With over 50 years of experience, in some of the coldest climates in the United States, CEI knows how imperative it is for building owners to minimize potential damage to their roof systems by preventing snow and ice buildup during the coldest months of the year.  If you’re in a cold climate, your commercial flat roof may need to have snow removed a few times throughout the winter. Snow buildup on the roof can cause several issues with the roof and the rest of the building. On the other hand, quick, careless, and improper snow removal done by those that do not know or appreciate the complexities of a roof system can cause a lot of damage to the roof membranes.

To avoid most of these preventable problems, CEI recommends working with a professional roofer who is trained to identify specific safety hazards such as snow covered skylights and equipment.  These professionals will put together a winter snow removal plan, tailored to your specific building.

Snow should be removed from a flat roof because it can do the following:

1. Blocked access to building systems: Snow collection on commercial flat roofs may block access to key building features and systems, including HVAC equipment, plumbing vents, and more. Snow may prevent roof and building systems from functioning properly.
2. Snow and ice may fall off roof edges: If left, snow or icicles can gather on roof edges and drop down onto the people or property below. Falling snow and ice could cause injuries to staff or members of the public. It may also damage your property. Snow may also cause damage to roofing membranes on lower roof surfaces as heavy loads of snow or ice fall from the roof surface above.

• Damage to the drainage system: If snow isn’t removed from the rooftop, it will eventually melt and enter the drainage system. While internal systems are typically warm enough to prevent re-freezing in the pipes, external drainage systems may not be. As ice expands when it freezes, it may damage the drainage system.

• Damage to the roofing membranes: The freeze and thaw cycle may damage roof membranes. Snow melts during the day and, as temperatures drop at night, the resulting water freezes into ice. Water may work its way into cracks of the roof membrane, which are then made worse as the water freezes and expands. As this cycle may occur daily, the damage may be serious. It is also more challenging to remove snow that has partially frozen into ice.

• Heavy loads of snow: Snow weight can exceed a roof’s weight capacity and cause a collapse. Though this is a rare circumstance it is serious and proper snow management should address this possibility.

There are many negative effects of unmanaged snow on your commercial roof, but you can avoid them. CEI can come out to your roof today, make an assessment and put a plan in place to help avoid any potential problems during the winter months.

Here is what you can expect from with a CEI Snow Removal Plan

1. Plan for Removal: Snowfall may hide or obscure roof features that are usually visible. CEI will work with your roof plan to map your roof and place flags or other markers to indicate roof features such as skylights, vents and HVAC equipment. These markers will help our roofers stay safe and avoid harming these features as they remove the snow.
2. Determine Snow Storage: Snow should not be piled on the roof even temporarily. Therefore, the roofers must designate spots on the ground to hold snow. Typically, they will choose spots that are far from entrances and exits, fire escapes and other building features. If your roof is very large, you may need to move the snow off-site.
3. Start with Safety: There are many safety regulations and rules surrounding working in the cold winter weather. CEI knows all of the relevant regulations and ensures they will be followed.
4. Bring Equipment to the Roof: Professional roofers will have the necessary equipment specifically geared towards the safe and efficient removal of snow.  Without the proper equipment, snow removal may damage roofing materials and roof features.
5. Remove Drifted Snow: Snow piles from the wind, such as behind HVAC equipment or on lower roof planes must be removed first and foremost in order to relieve stress from these critical areas. Roofing professionals such as CEI may gather snow on tarps or in containers and then have a crane or other lifting equipment remove the tarp or the container from the roof. If the roofers are dumping the snow off the tarp at the edge of a roof, they should first ensure no one has access to the dumping spot. Also, snow typically must be moved from this spot to a safe, permanent location where it is out of the way of those who use the building.
6. Remove Other Snow: Now the roofers will remove the rest of the snow from the roof. Typically, they will divide the roof into sections and work on each, dumping the snow when the section is finished.
7. Inspection: Any roofing work should finish with an inspection and snow removal is no different. If a roofer has accidentally damaged the roofing membrane it is best to know now so that the roofer can fix it as soon as possible.

It is not very often that a properly designed and installed roof will collapse from small amounts of snow build-up, but vulnerabilities in the roof, extreme weather, poor design, poor roof maintenance, poor drainage and other unusual circumstances can cause a collapse.

Complete collapse isn’t the only risk of excess snow. Here are some warning signs of building stress/fatigue after a snowfall:

1. Ceiling problems: A ceiling that appears to sag, or sprinkler lines and sprinkler heads that look lower than normal.
2. Unusual noises: Creaking, popping and cracking can be a sign of a stressed roof.
3. Roof member problems: Any portion of a roof or roof truss which sags is a cause for concern.
4. Drainage problems: Unusual collections of water on the flat roof may be a sign this area has sunken. These sunken spots may only be visible after the snow has melted.
5. Door and window problems: If a door or window can no longer be opened or closed it may be a sign the roof or walls have shifted under the weight of snow.
6. Wall problems: Drywall, masonry and other wall materials may crack under pressure from an overloaded roof.

If you discover any of these signs, it is not wise to step onto the roof, not even to remove the snow. Instead, call a professional roofer like CEI to create a snow removal plan that will not increase the odds the roof will take on more damage or ultimately collapse.