[MittensCat]

I'm interested in getting a harness and other necessary equipment for roofing and possibly tree climbing.

Can you use a climbing harness for roof work or vice versa? I assume that dynamic ropes are used for roof work. What about mechanical fall arrest devices? Ideally the equipment could transition between tree ascending, climbing, and roofing.

I'm also curious about the actual techniques for using this equipment. Are there any good resources on youtube or books you guys can recommend?

I'm on ladders a lot for my job as a maintenance man and climb into bell towers and onto roofs all the time. It's an old school sort of environment and OHSA is never going to show up and check on us. That said, I'm intelligent and wise enough to know that **** happens. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with safety equipment.

I realize this could come off as foolish for some guy with no experience to be using this sort of stuff, but I am the sort of person who is very cautious and exhaustive in my research about tools and techniques.

I'm also only 145 lbs. I'm not sure if size makes any difference in equipment selection or if its all rated to a maximum weight.

Thanks for any help.

 

[MittensCat]

Can't find the edit button on my phone. I came across a stackexchange thread in which a poster said you can buy a roofing safety kit with all of the equipment for the cost of a climbing rope. He also said you could use the roofing job as an excuse to buy climbing gear. Hmmmm... tree climbing is appealing...

 

[MittensCat]

I've watched a Youtube video on an OSHA approved roofers kit which I guess is the standard equipment they use. You nail an anchor point to the ridge beam or rafters and clip into the point. It seems like getting back onto your ladder always feels like the most sketchy point on the roof. This system doesn't factor that in? Using climbing techniques where you go up and over the roof with your rope and anchor near the ground makes the most sense to me. You could be protected from a fall from 4 feet off the ground this way. Why isn't this standard practice?

 

[ClarenceBauer]

Check with your local Scaffold rental company & ask when their next training class is for safety training. They will train you for all areas on fall protection.
When I did mine there was no cost but than I did rent a lot of equipment from them.

 

[MittensCat]

Thanks Clarence, I'll look into that. I'm still curious why you would climb to the top of a ridge, nail in an anchor and clip to it, go to work and then unclip from and remove the anchor before descending. It makes no sense to me. Am I missing something?

 

[ClarenceBauer]

Thanks Clarence, I'll look into that. I'm still curious why you would climb to the top of a ridge, nail in an anchor and clip to it, go to work and then unclip from and remove the anchor before descending. It makes no sense to me. Am I missing something?

The safety class will explain all that to you. You don't nail anything & use it as a tie off.
.

 

[MittensCat]

I've watched multiple videos of roofers demonstrating roof anchors that are nailed to rafters on either side of the ridge beam. In each case they had climbed up to the ridge, installed the anchor, and used an OSHA approved locking clip to connect their rope to it. All components of the "compliance in a can" kit. The slate company that repairs the roof on the church I work for showed me a steel plate that is nailed in place for the same purpose.

 

[carpdad]

https://www.amazon.com/Protection-templados-ensamblaje-salvamento-00815/dp/B0032U3JXA/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2BQS8YNY3UH4I&dchild=1&keywords=roof+safety+harness+kit&qid=1588679564&sprefix=roof+saf%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-5


This is the harness I bought just a few years ago. There are many youtube instructions. I also dry tested the harness and adjustments before climbing and made sure I understood how everything worked. The fall arrester part is bit of mystery since it looks like straps in a plastic bag. I think that is all it is.:smile: In a fall, the strength of the plastic bag gives the cushion. Since all plastics degrade, I expect this part must be replaced at least every 10 yrs? Probably more often if used under the sun often. Read the manual. Fall arrester, I think, also is about 6' long so you must have that distance in mind when anchoring yourself each time. I used it but it was pointless since I was on first floor roof. But the harness gave me a lot of assurances esp when climbing off the ladder. But this will be the last for me. I bought it as well as paid for part of the roofing because I found myself crawling on 7/12 roof and unable to go far.:smile: I'm still ok on 5/12. The roofers were walking/getting on-off the 7/12 like mountain goats.


I put a 2x4 across the 2nd floor window, full 8 footer, made figure 8 loop with middle cinched with 3/8 nylon rope, then put the harness hook on the loop as an anchor. If on the top roof, I would use included anchor and nails (screws may shear off) into the roof framing. Maybe even a mix of nails and screws. I don't know how an amateur would retrieve the anchor and the rope/hook. Maybe the lesson is to know what I can handle.
I also thought about using this harness to climb some trees. After looking at tree climbers videos, I don't think I would try. After having a close call with a rotten tree, I'm not sure if I would even try. I must say, though, a "pro" came, pushing on that rotten base to test, and didn't come back.

 

[ron45]

This will make your sac shrivel and the other pucker-up.

Use a harness plus the planks.
Remember a sharp clawed hammer for stopping a fall can be a life saver. Just punch it through the roof and hold on.

 

[MittensCat]

That is insane. Why would you ever build a roof like that? My guess is it's a church roof.

 

[quatsch]

I have a body harness, a lanyard, two roof ridge anchors & a bunch of chains & couplers & ropes & a ladder stabilizer.
The ladder is strapped to the house & I'm strapped to the ladder.

The fall arrest stuff decelerates you over a few feet.
F=mA, v=at, v^2 = 2gh, etc..

Tools on roofs is another PITA, even gently-sloped roofs.

I can't believe the risks I took 20 years ago.

BTW, I saw a guy halfway up a ladder at a 45 deg angle.
The numbers I crunched a while ago say that this is not possible but my calcs neglected the friction between the ladder top & vertical (brick veneer) wall & also was only figured for a person at the top of the ladder.

I'll do some recrunching but I'd still drive stakes in the ground to prevent slipping out.
I'm going to do some undereave work over bushes & the ladder will be at 30 deg angle.