Nowadays metal has become one of the most popular roofing materials, because of its easy installation and high durability. To maintain the metal roofs, you have to walk on them. But it is really tough for anybody to walk on a metal roof. And since you are a roofer, you must know how to walk on these.
To walk on a metal roof, you need to wear quality shoes that have rubber-soles and walk on the roof according to the instructions given by the manufacturer of the roof.
I guess you haven’t done any roofing stuff on a metal roof and maybe thinking, how to walk on metal roof without slipping?
Nothing to worry, in this article we have discussed the step by step guideline in this regard.
How To Walk On Metal Roof Without Slipping:
Before getting on to the roof, you must ensure your safety. For this, you have to wear a safety harness, set up anchors, and use a fall arrest system. Then, follow the steps given below. By following these steps, you will be able to avoid slipping while walking on a metal roof.
Inspect the roof before walking:
Before starting walking, always remember to check the roof. You can do this from inside. Check for weak spots, cracks and note down the position of these. Make sure you don’t step on any of the weak spots or cracks.
You need to look for dust, oil residue and pollen as well. You may think that these are not that harmful. But you’re wrong. Dust, pollen or oil residue makes the roof surface more slippery. Inspecting the roof perfectly will help you to step on the right places on the roof.
Wear appropriate shoes:
Roofers wear different roofing shoes depending on the roofing material. The main purpose of these shoes is to have the best traction on the roof.
To safely walk on a metal roof, wearing a proper pair of shoes is the most important thing to avoid slipping. For this, you need to wear shoes that have rubber-soles. These shoes are well known for providing excellent traction. By wearing these shoes, you can keep a great grip on the surface and diminish the chances of slipping.
Try to avoid wearing boots having rigid soles. The rough and tough soles of these boots will damage the roof tiles.
Here Are Some Recommendation [Click Images For Knowing Price And Details]
Clean the shoes before walking:
Always remember to clean the outsoles of your shoes before getting up to the roof. Make sure that there is no gravel or dirt stuck to the outsoles.
Wearing shoes with gravel and dirt stuck on the bottom, is really detrimental to the roof surface. These things also lessen the efficiency of the shoes. Thus, you can not have the amount of grip you expected. That’s why cleaning the shoes is very important.
Walk according to the type of the roof:
As a roofer, you must know about different types of metal roof. You have to walk on the metal roofs according to their type. Basically you will find metal roofs of four types. These are standing seam roof, metal shingles, corrugated panels, metal tiles. The manufacturers provide some basic guidelines to walk on the roofs safely.
On standing seam roofings, it is safe to walk almost anywhere. And on metal shingles, you should walk over the upper half to have better grip. In case of metal tiles or corrugated panels, it is safe to walk close to the lower part of the tiles or panels.
Standing seams and corrugated panels are the strongest types. You can walk on these safely. In case of roofs made of metal tiles or metal shingles, you need to find the solid areas to walk on them.
Avoid walking on the roof when it is raining:
It is really dangerous to walk on a wet metal roof. Metal roofs are more slippery than other roofs. These roofs become more slippery when wet. You must avoid roofing on any wet roof.
Most of the roofers skip their work on a rainy day. They reschedule the skipped task for another clear day.
If your task is unavoidable, then you can get on the roof by taking more safety measures than usual. For this, you need a roofing rope, necessary shoes to walk on metal roof, safety harness, anchors, and a personal fall arrest system. You must walk slowly and with extra caution.
Verdicts:
I guess after reading this article, you have an in-depth idea of how to walk on a metal roof without slipping. And of course, now you are more confident about walking on a metal roof.
I hope this guideline will be helpful for you to walk on a metal roof safely.
