Roofing Safety Harness Opinions, Options

[FrancisJ]

Using JLG lift to place approx 50 4x8 1/2" treated plywood sheets + syn underlayment on the new 24x48 (9/12 pitch) and in the market for safety harnesses.

Anyone have experience with these and can you recommend manufacturers?

 

[brownbagg]

safety harness are all over the board, mine is a dbi-sala $700 but i work 150 200 foot up daily . good harness run $200+. the only reccomendation i can give, get one with a belt. I was alway afraid of sliding out of the cheap ones.

 

[gmwelder86]

Don’t go cheap on something your life can depend on.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RH3OI2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

What’s been issued to use at current contractor. Best I’ve used yet.

 

[see pictures]

I have a dbi sala that was linked above. Its heavy compared to my other harness that a cheap one from miller without a belt. If you’re hanging off a wall all day spend the money for a comfortable harness but if its for roofing just buy one of the kits in a bucket that has everything included.

 

[steve308]

 

[Kaizen]

I got a harness in a bucket at Home Depot. Has a rope, peak attachment bracket, sewn fall arrestor or whatever you call that thing. Worked great for the few times I will ever use it. Has full body harness. Maybe 100 or so dollars.
Are you using a boom basket lift or are you talking an aerial forklift?
The basket would not be my first choice. Have you used one before?


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[nadogail]

IMHO, Roofing fall protection is Life & Death Serious.

 

[allinon72]

I got a harness in a bucket at Home Depot. Has a rope, peak attachment bracket, sewn fall arrestor or whatever you call that thing. Worked great for the few times I will ever use it. Has full body harness. Maybe 100 or so dollars.
Are you using a boom basket lift or are you talking an aerial forklift?
The basket would not be my first choice. Have you used one before?


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Same here except I got the one from Menards. Guardian brand. If you're on the roof once or twice a year these kits are perfect.

 

[WisJim]

I have 2 designed for working on towers so they have multiple front and back rings and support under the thighs so you can almost sit in them. I think one is a Miller and don't recall the other one, probably DBI/Sala.

 

[ponderingjunkman]

Do you have a plan for getting down if you are dangling? How about if you are unconscious and dangling? Seriously, how are you gonna get down?

 

[scottydosnntkno]

Do you have a plan for getting down if you are dangling? How about if you are unconscious and dangling? Seriously, how are you gonna get down?

I imagine by saying jlg lift, he means a scissor, straight or articulating boom lift. I do not believe jlg makes skytrack/forklifting type machines but could be wrong.

So he should use the lift to set the first row of boards all the way around the roof, from the lift. THEN, tie off to the mounting point anchored at the peak. All fall harnesses have easily adjustable clamps so you can set it so you don’t fall off the roof and dangle. You just slide close to the edge, until you stop yourself, and gain regain your footing.

Properly used, in residential roofing, a fall protection harness should NOT be set to allow you to physically fall off the roof. Unless your lazy, and only tie off so you don’t hit the ground. Then that’s on you. But every harness I’ve ever used as well as common sense says to set the adjuster to keep you on the roof.

 

[ssdave]

....

 

[tonyprovo723]

The roofer bucket kit should fit the bill. More versatile components exist, they very a bit. Easier to adjust, more comfortable, quicker buckles to put on and take off. You might benefit from the convenience of additional ropes and accessories. If an arial lift, you will probably need an additional lanyard. Are you working solo, plan on buying 2 sets and extra anchors. Guessing you have not used these before, they take some getting used to and certainly won't speed up your work. There are permanent anchors that might be worth leaving installed for the roofer and roof work in the future.

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[GaryM909]

I bought a Petzl Volt 5 point fall arrest/work positioning harness a couple years ago. It's probably the most comfortable harness I have ever worn.

 

[Kaizen]

I imagine by saying jlg lift, he means a scissor, straight or articulating boom lift. I do not believe jlg makes skytrack/forklifting type machines but could be wrong.

So he should use the lift to set the first row of boards all the way around the roof, from the lift. THEN, tie off to the mounting point anchored at the peak. All fall harnesses have easily adjustable clamps so you can set it so you don’t fall off the roof and dangle. You just slide close to the edge, until you stop yourself, and gain regain your footing.

Properly used, in residential roofing, a fall protection harness should NOT be set to allow you to physically fall off the roof. Unless your lazy, and only tie off so you don’t hit the ground. Then that’s on you. But every harness I’ve ever used as well as common sense says to set the adjuster to keep you on the roof.

https://www.jlg.com/en/equipment/telehandlers/jlg-telehandlers/g5-18a-jlg-telehandler

Hence my questions


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[Lynden]

For roofs, I use a little bit different setup than I use for tower climbing. I nail a solid 2x6 cleat to the roof with a eyebolt anchor point in it, central to the work. I use a 5/8" rope (good rope, but not climb rated) and tie loops in it every 3 feet or so. That rope gets anchored to the eye bolt. The objective of using the rope is that I use a 6 foot long working lanyard, and clip it into the loops as I go to keep me supported at the working level I'm currently at. I make the furthest loop at least 7 or 8 feet from the roof edge, so that I can't fall off and dangle. That loop is always attached to my lanyard, even while I'm switching loops for the area where I'm working. That way, even while I'm switching working loops, I'm protected against falling off the roof. The nice thing about using a short loop is that you can lean on the rope and support yourself, which is pretty much necessary once you exceed 8:12 slope.

Thanks. Seems like a good setup to use. Am I correct that your setup eliminates the need to use a rope grab? What knot do you use to make your loops? Alpine Butterfly?

-- Method for tying knot starts at 2:30.

When you first climb onto the roof, how do you safely get from the top of the ladder to the anchor point to fasten your looped rope, and when you're finished working how do you unfasten the rope and safely get back to the top of the ladder?

 

[ssdave]

....

 

[kaymccampbell]

I vote for harness in a bucket. I've got one and it works great. Keeps me on the ladder and the roof, even when the wind tries to do otherwise.

 

[matt_i]

I have a D-ring with a metal saddle like this.

https://www.zoro.com/highland-d-rin...0wfnp8GVs0pBZNerV-LI2ygbOxNffS6BoCyEwQAvD_BwE

It gets 2 GRK-RSS screws into a truss. Rated for 1600lbs working, I feel thats pretty good.



I shop-made a different setup that went over the edge of the roof decking plywood when I was actually roofing because I was moving around. Not UL listed but personally guaranteed (!!)



I got the fall harness & lanyard from ebay. SafeWaze brand but its all new, good condition, in a bag, around $25, purchased several years ago before they got popular.

 

[FrancisJ]

Kind Sirs and Ladies, Many thanks for the expert responses and recommendations. I appreciate all the great comments and please enjoy the Holidays!

 

[brownbagg]

we have to wear double yoyo, those puppies not cheap and weigh a ton

 

[safetymachine]

we have to wear double yoyo, those puppies not cheap and weigh a ton

I’m really glad to see this thread. Having worked for a workers compensation insurance carrier for 14 years, I have seen my fair share of falls, injuries and deaths from rooftop and carpentry / truss setting falls. You are making the right call by considering your options in fall arrest / fall restraint equipment and setup. Also, never forget safe ladder setup. Tie off your body and your ladder. Folks forget about traumatic brain injuries, lower limb (femur) fractures and quadriplegia after a fall from a height as little as 6’. Roofers pay SO MUCH for work comp insurance simply because of the quantity and severity of the falls they all have. Can your body fall off of something and make a sudden stop? If so - tie off! Take care, be safe and thank you all for discussing this topic!

 

[Metal-Marc]

Do you have a plan for getting down if you are dangling? How about if you are unconscious and dangling? Seriously, how are you gonna get down?

Dangling is deadly. Read about suspension trauma.

 

[ponderingjunkman]

Dangling is deadly. Read about suspension trauma.

And that's why I brought it up! Please exercise appropriate caution and forethought!

 

[DeeKay]

I have DBI Sala similar to that one linked above but with shoulder rings for confined space entries. I really like their stuff, good quality and comfortable.

Dangling is deadly. Read about suspension trauma.

We were required to buy those stirrup things in case we get stuck dangling(most of my job is lone work so there's potential to get stuck up there for a while) cheap insurance IMO

 

[safetymachine]

I’m a big fan of the Safewaze suspension trauma strap. They’re nice because you can tie them to the d-ring of an existing body harness. BUT with all suspension trauma straps - you must be conscious and bodily able to deploy and stand in them. So, pay attention to vertical fall displacement and swing fall. What are you going to hit on the way down and how much will you swing? Should you wear a helmet with chin strap, also? Random thoughts only... Here’s the link to the Safewaze bag...


https://safewaze.com/product-category/specialty/suspension-trauma-strap/



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[imjustdave]

Another thing slightly mentioned above is there are 2 types of fall protection
1 something that prevents you from getting to the edge usually a simple belt and a tether and you physically can't even get to the edge.

next up is full on gear that you can dangle from.

Rope options...
Seatbelt style with a ratcheting wheel sucking in the belt as you get closer and extend as you walk away.
Rope that you can use to go from A to B
rope with 1 time stretchy part, to help slow you down.

If you end up falling you have to be careful getting back up and or down to the ground. Plenty of people have fallen, saved by the harness and then die when the rescue expects the user to use a ladder or have the ability to walk and support themselves, they get feet on something and then they cut the rope but the person can't function but they don't know it and then fall the rest of the way.

The best gear is one that keeps you on what ever your on, next is to keep you from hitting the ground.

Wore fall protection a bunch at a prior job, any time we were over 6 feet we had to wear one .. ironically the rope was 8 foot and all our lifts have hook points, then we would travel to built in tie off points on the wing of the airplane. never fell but it was nice having piece of mine. FYI those ratcheting reals are worth buying as they keep the trip hazard out of your way

 

[pioneer1]

Glad this thread got revived. The "harness in a bucket / compliance in a can" seems like a good option for a home owner, but my question is, How do you get the anchor to the peak? Do you just take the risk? Or do you install something on the other side of the house? Say on a deck or just the edge of the roof and through the rope to the other side?
Just wondering how to get started on the roof or ladder?

 

[firebirdparts]

In a home environment you do have to take a risk if you go up there to install an anchor. It’s a lot safer than working all day but it’s a risk. I would certainly throw a rope over, and I have. If the roof is too steep to walk on you might really need to. Building a scaffold helps a ton in my opinion by giving you something substantial on the lower side that you can use. They are underutilized in my opinion when it comes to something like roof repairs at home.

 

[rburke65]

Do you have a plan for getting down if you are dangling? How about if you are unconscious and dangling? Seriously, how are you gonna get down?

Ya call 911

 

[nadogail]

My roof walking days are over, my family pulled my roof card away from me 12 years ago, after that they pulled my ladder card, one of these days I might turn in my drivers license.

There is a reason why Workers Compensation Insurance for Roofers is more expensive than their wages; unlike checks, roofers don't bounce.

 

[pioneer1]

Yeah, I may check the kits out at the box stores. Just thinking it would come in handy for Christmas Light install as well.

 

[Metal-Marc]

Ya call 911

No, you die.

Google "Suspension trauma".

Dangling without immediate help is a death sentence.

 

[DeeKay]

No, you die.

Google "Suspension trauma".

Dangling without immediate help is a death sentence.

Buy some trauma stirrups/straps, they're cheap as hell and you won't die.