1 wear safety gear on steep roofs one of the biggest risks of steep inclines is that a small slip if not arrested quickly can turn into a fall off the roof.
How to walk on a steep roof safely.
Place the ladder on level ground away from the house s wall about one quarter the distance from the ground to the roof edge.
While the fatality rate in this statistic sits below 1 the sheer volume of injuries that occur from inexperienced homeowners is alarming.
To avoid a potentially catastrophic accident there are 5 measures you can follow to maximize your safety while walking your roof.
As you advance toward the top of the roof take it one slow step a time.
In order to climb a steep roof safely you will need to hold your body in the proper position.
If you need tools use a rope to hoist them up in a bucket once you are safely on the roof.
Walk up a roof and lean your body over towards the roof to help maintain your balance.
You can safely walk on a steep roof to conduct repairs replace tiles or clean your gutters.
Lean your body forward toward the top of the roof to help maintain your balance.
The ladder should lean at about a 75 degree angle.
Use a sturdy extension ladder that extends at least 3 feet above the eaves to climb onto the roof and secure the bottom to the foundation and the top to the eaves or fascia so it doesn t move.
Crouch down slightly to walk down a metal roof safely.
Walk up or down a slightly inclined roof by walking as you would on the ground but slowly.
For extension ladders the top extension section should overlap the bottom section.