Roofing

Health & Safety
Ten Steps to Maintaining Good Health
for Roofers
Janine Brady - Marketing Manager, SIG Roofing
Thankfully today, most of us are familiar with on-site safety and the
prevention of accidents at work. However, what about safeguarding
against illnesses? Time means money and absenteeism due to ill
health can affect not only on our livelihood, but our lifestyle too. Given
the nature of roofing, we can face various health hazards, so it pays to
understand how best to minimise or avoid them. So, here are ten steps
to help you maintain good health.
1. Manual handling: Manual handling accounts for the majority of
non-fatal injuries in construction, resulting in roofers having a lot of
musculoskeletal disorders - in particular back problems. As there is no
actual ‘safe’ weight, legal requirements stipulate avoidance or control
of risk. Therefore, it’s important to refer to the Manual Handling
Operations Regulations (MHOR) for guidelines on lifting, lowering and
pushing and pulling - visit www.hse.gov.uk/construction.
2. Noise: To protect your hearing it’s always best to eliminate or
substitute noisy processes on a construction site whenever you can.
Removing people from the noisy area and choosing quieter equipment
can be just as effective, however where noise can’t be avoided,
hearing protection and/or hearing protection zones are legally required
– find out more at www.hse.gov.uk/noise/regulations.htm.
3. Vibration: If not correctly controlled, use of hand held vibrating
tools like breakers, hammer drills and combihammers can lead to
illnesses such as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. As these tools are
common place for roofers, its best to select equipment that reduces
exposure to vibration and have them checked/calibrated regularly. Job
rotation can also help.
4. Skin: Wearing gloves and protective clothing are vital to protect
our skin. However, this is not limited to use of hazardous materials,
excessive exposure to the sun is a major cause of skin problems.
Keeping covered, wearing a hat with a brim or a flap, staying in the
shade whenever possible and using a high factor sunscreen of SPF30
will help protect against the sun.
5. Hygiene: It’s a legal requirement that all sites must have
adequate welfare and washing facilities. Washing facilities must
include a sink large enough to wash your hands, face and forearms.
Hot and cold running water, soap and towels must also be provided.
There should also be an area for securely storing clothing and for
drying wet items, and a separate room for eating and drinking.
6. Asbestos: You may come into contact with or disturb asbestos
during routine maintenance work. Asbestos causes around 5,000 workrelated
deaths each year in the UK and should be handled with
extreme care. If you need further information on how to safely handle
asbestos, visit www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/index.htm.
7. Dust: Silica occurs in many types of stone and concrete,
including roof tiles and slate. It can be released during cutting or
grinding, and when sweeping/cleaning work areas. Unfortunately, over
500 construction workers die every year from exposure to silica dust,
so it’s important to eliminate or reduce it. Wet working, avoiding high
pressure spraying and wearing masks all help. For limits, view the
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations at
www.hse.gov.uk.
8. Paints and coatings: these can contain a number of different
substances, some of which can cause various short and long-term
health issues. If not properly controlled, solvents or VOC’s within
coatings can create a serious immediate risk as they give off vapours.
Always select paints and coatings with low VOC content and carefully
follow the application instructions, and ensure there’s plenty of
ventilation.
9. Hydration: Roofers are particularly vulnerable to the impact of
dehydration due to extreme temperature conditions. It’s not unusual for
it to reach 32°C in direct sunlight on a roof and up to 60°C in a heat
wave. To stay hydrated, HSE recommends consuming around 250ml
(half a pint) of water every 15 minutes.
10. Zero Harm: It pays to align yourself to a supplier that has your
best welfare at heart and is committed to providing excellence in
health and safety. A reputable roofing supplier will be meticulous in
providing only those products and services that meet all health and
safety requirements; thereby giving you complete peace of mind.
Good health is to the benefit of us all. By following these steps, you
will not only help maintain tip-top health, you will ensure best roofing
practice for the whole industry.
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