I hope this image uploads.
This customer wants me to clean, but wants me tied off on the top of this metal roofing. How would you guys go about getting tied off on this?
Thanks ahead of time.
I’d tell him sure lets get some roof anchor guys out here , they will probably run about 2k, then I can come clean the windows or alternatively I could just walk it wearing rubber soles stake type shoes and be fine.
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It doesn’t show in the picture; did your customer have anchors installed so his demands could be met?
Korkers makes a foam sole.
I have done jumping jacks in the rain on a metal roof.
Just ensure foam is touching metal, not pile of debris.
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I didn’t get to read all the responses on the Facebook Group. Is WFP an option for you? I have used it several times with great results from a ladder. Can’t tell but you might be able to get it from the ground with WFP.
Ive done a 7/12 pitch metal roof a couple of times before WFP and at the time too confident about my abilities. I about lost it with just a little water that came out of my bucket on a belt. Talk about scary two seconds.
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This is true! You want zero water under your feet. Wipe up any that drips with a spare towel for just that purpose. It does look walkable, but super caution even with cork or rubber soles.
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The chimney is a good tie off point as well.
Edit : I thought you were posting about cleaning the roof. My bad. I guess you could tie off to the chimney if you can run up there?
We do a lot off roof cleaning, so that roof pitch is a quick and easy walk for guys that do it for a living. Not so easy if you are not used to it. Absolutely no offense intended. Roof work is for the psychotic. 
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Not recommended! 
Korkers foam are good for metal roof walking though.
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If you tie off to a decorative feature and if you have any slack in that rope and you do fall, you will rip that off the roof as well part of the roof and you would hit the ground and suffer injury.
If you have no training I would suggest to avoid situations where you need to use anchor points , with the training you are able to identify and understand the differences between a fall prevention anchor and a fall arrest anchor point using the wrong anchor point in the wrong application can cost you your life.
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Definitely agree. We would use the chimney at most, for fall restraint/prevention. Tie it off to the point you would never get closer than a few feet from the edge.
I have never been formally trained in fall protection but it would be a good thing. It was discussed a lot on other roof forums when a guy fell and died a few years back.
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I think your easiest tie off would be straight over the home, assuming you have the rope and harness already. Around 100lbs in weights on the ground on the opposite side of the house, attach the rope to the weights. Take the rope over the roof and add a layer between the shingles on the peak, and the rope. Come back around to the front, tie off to the rope that is now weighted on the back side, using a lanyard. I used to do satellite dish installs and we would go straight up and over the house on special occasions. Weights on the ground, or even your tow hitch on your truck are fine tie offs. Provides a much safer tie off than the chimney, because in the even you actually DID fall, you don’t swing in the direction of the chimney, you just scramble for a few feet til the the slack is out of the rope.
please stop, 100lbs of weights… Does anyone weigh less than 100lbs.
You follow this set up, and fall you WILL hit the ground and cause damage to the house, the gutters will be crushed the weights will lift off the ground they may not go over the roof before you hit the concrete.
Lets not forget the stretch in the rope if you are using the correct rope for this application, and is that a shock absorbing lanyard you are using?
The reason training is important is because people don’t understand the science of falls, once you fall the force that is needed to stop the fall is up to 10-20 times the weight of your body, so that force will travel to the weakest point and fail if the load will not bear, so a 150lb man that 100lbs will act like a trebuchet.
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This!
They have a hitch for your truck designed specifically as an anchor point, which I use in residential when there are no anchor points present on roof. Really usefull, but I wouldn’t do anything else that has been stated so far.
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Using a chimney is not ok by standards here. At least that’s what I was told in the recent fall protection course.
Yeah its really a roll of the dice, you would need to see building plans of any chimney, many could be just a flue pipe that has come cladding, even a full double brick chimney wouldn’t support a 15 KN force.
They mentioned the brick can ruin the rope, as well.
It seems like a lot of hassle for a med size window cleaning job. We walk those roofs in our sleep and if the customer is that worried about it, just may be better to pass on the job if you are not prepared to meet the demands. Man, I wish all of our metal roof overhangs were that pitch, we would have lunch and beer on every one of them
This is what we use if we need to tie off: Amazon Link
Guardian Fall Protection (Qualcraft) 00815 BOS-T50 Bucket of Safe-Tie with Temper Anchor, 50-Foot Vertical Lifeline Assembly and HUV by Guardian Fall Protection Guardian Fall Protection (Qualcraft) 00815 BOS-T50 Bucket of Safe-Tie with Temper Anchor, 50-Foot Vertical Lifeline Assembly and HUV
by Guardian Fall Protection
Link: http://a.co/fh7TCjn
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To be honest from what I have experienced here is the average solo operator here really doesn’t think twice about walking roofs and are not safety oriented at all. This is a problem, as they attempt to use a safety procedure they are clueless and the measures they actually use are not sufficient and just give a false sense or an appearance of safety only.
It will catch up to you at some point.
Instead, get training, advertise that training and increase your companies safety, experience and quality separating your business from the competition.
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