If you're choosing roofing material, you've come to the right place. One of the most important, yet frequently overlooked considerations is the Safety Factor.
Let me tell you a true story that illustrates how one type of roofing material is more dangerous than others.
Several years ago I worked for a big commercial roofing contractor in Fort Myers, Florida. One of our projects was a 24-story high rise on Marco Island. The roofing material we were installing was standing seam metal roof panels.
The project was going well until one morning when a young roofer stepped onto one of the metal panels that was still a little wet with dew. In a split second, he slipped, fell and slid off the roof.
It could have been the last mistake he ever made, but he was destined to have a sharp roofing superintendent named Rick Bluschevitz was on site. Rick had insisted that all the men wear safety harnesses, despite their reluctance to do so.
The young man fell just a few feet, before the rope and harness did his job, saving his life. The rest of the crew folded him back up onto the roof. He was pretty shook up of course, but he was OK.
So this story had a happy ending, but many such stories do not. And the type of roofing material can be a big factor in accidents like this.
Some types of roofing material, like the metal panels in this story are dangerous to walk on, even when dry. And they became especially treacherous went wet.
Other types of roofing material are reliably safe to walk on, wet or dry. Walking on asphalt shingles for example, is like walking on sand paper.
My point is that some types of roofing material are inherently more dangerous than others. And either you or workers you hire will need to get on your roof occasionally. You should not have to put life and limb at risk to do so.
Also, keep in mind that roofing contractors charge high prices for dangerous roofing conditions. You stand to save a lot of money by choosing a reliably safe roofing material
