Home improvements can be a dangerous matter for the average homeowner and professional contractor alike. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a whopping 246,733 Americans visited the emergency room in 2009 because of falls from a ladder.
Fall Injuries During Roof Construction
This equals 28 fall injuries for every hour of every day.
Once you fall off a ladder when roofing or cleaning gutters, the danger doesn’t stop there. According to the chart listed below, a ladder fall is most likely to injure your head, neck, or face, followed by your arm, elbow, or shoulder:
If you happen to use power tools in DIY roofing, keep in mind that these tools are also a potential source of injury; power tools accounted for 83,204 injuries in 2009, often caused by cuts to the fingers and hands.
Clearly, it can benefit you in more ways than one to learn about the basics of roof safety as outlined in this chapter. Practicing basic safety precautions can protect your health and save you an expensive trip to the ER.
