► Stay off the roof unless you have a compelling reason to be on it. Besides being hazardous to you, walking on a roof can damage roofing materials.
► If you must work on a roof, have a second person within earshot in case you fall or need occasional help.
► Don’t venture up when the roof is wet or near freezing or extremely warm. When wet, most roofing materials are slippery. Cold asphalt shingles are brittle; warm asphalt can stretch and tear. Always wear shoes with soft nonslip soles.
► Position ladder feet securely away from the building about one-quarter of the ladder’s extended length. Never lean sideways from a ladder. If you can’t reach something while keeping your hips within ladder sides, move the ladder.
► When installing a roof, use scaffolding with a safety rail. The most dangerous part of a roofing job—apart from tearing off shingles and underlayment—is applying the first few courses along eaves.
► When walking on a roof, try to "walk on nails." In other words, try to walk directly over the rafters, where the sheathing is nailed. The roof will be less springy over rafters, and you’ll be less likely to break through rotten sheathing.
► Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions, which often provide time — and money-saving tips. Also, if a material fails after correct installation, manufacturers are more likely to honor their warranties.
Unless you are installing roofing systems that need to be “torched” (heat-sealed with a propane torch) you won’t need a lot of specialized equipment or tools. Most of the items discussed here are safety related.
Pneumatic nailers have gauge stops on their bases that you can adjust to the correct shingle exposure. For example, when the gauge stop is snug to the butt of a shingle, the next shingle above, placed on the nose of the tool will be correctly positioned to nail.
Footwear should be sneakers or other soft-soled shoes that grip well on a roof. Old-time roofers prefer boots with thick soles that are less likely to be punctured by stray nails, but such boots are inflexible and don’t grip as well.
Scaffolding can make applying the first few courses along the eaves far safer. After the lower courses are installed, the scaffolding serves mainly as a staging area for materials and tools.
Roofing jacks enable you to work safely on roofs with a 6-in-12 pitch or steeper. Several different roof pitches are shown in “Gutter Lip and Roof Pitch,” on p. 149. Jacks are also indispensable platforms for storing materials. As you work up a roof, install additional pairs of jacks whenever you must stretch to nail the next course. As shown in the photo on p.65, many roofers leave jacks installed till the job is completed.
Full-body harnesses, also known as personal fall-arrest systems (PFAS), may be required by local building authorities if a roof exceeds a certain pitch or if the eaves are more than a specified height above the ground. If harnesses are required, have someone at the rental company demonstrate correct use.
Kneepads, sturdy ones with integral plastic cups, will spare you a lot of pain. In addition, a Malco Shingle Pad®, an insulated foam pad you can sit or kneel on while shingling, protects shingles from abrasion and has a little lip to keep tools from sliding south.
A pneumatic nailer, which you can rent, speeds the job along. Have the rental company recommend nails and explain the nailer’s correct use.
Shingling hatchets in the hands of a pro can fasten shingles almost as fast as a pneumatic nailer.
Miscellaneous tools include a utility knife with hooked blades, a straightedge or framing square, a hammer, a chalkline, a tape measure, caulk guns, work gloves, safety glasses, and hearing protection.
