Roof top holiday safety tips to keep you safe. When decorating your Mississippi home, play it safe. Whether you are a senior citizen or in your 30s you want to be safe when working on your home. When you deck the halls and trim the tree with an unqualified ladder and an untrained eye, you might end up getting more than tinsel on your nose.
Holiday injuries and decorating disasters
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 15,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms due to injuries related to holiday decorating in November and December 2012 (the latest data available). Whether decorating for Christmas or if you’re touching up your home before you sell, think safety first.
Adding up time lost from work, hospital bills, and the pain of injuries that can last a lifetime – that’s no way to spend the holidays!
Prevention is better than cure and that’s why we’ve put together a list of basic roof safety tips to keep roof accidents at bay this Christmas and throughout the year.
Deck the halls with these roof safety tips
1. Prep your materials.
There’s nothing worse than finding out your lights aren’t working or that you’ve got a short in your cord when you’re already up on the roof. Taking the extra few minutes to check all of this out before you go up into the attic can save you hours of crawling around and making dangerous mistakes.
2. Pick a light, clear time of day.
Too many people put up their decorations when they have unexpected company, or the weather is terrible. It’s stressful to have only half-finished decorations and it can ruin your whole Christmas spirit. Make sure you plan so you are able to decorate your home without having to rush by setting aside a good chunk of daytime and check the weather forecast to make sure there’s no rain, snow, or wind expected.
You don’t want to spend your weekend decorating when it could be raining. Also, you don’t want to bother with putting on all the lights if it just means they’re going to be blown off the tree in the next gale-force wind.
3. Clear the roof.
It doesn’t matter if you are doing a full makeover or just adding some holiday cheer, climbing up on your roof to decorate it can be hazardous. Workers have died and been seriously injured as the result of falls from heights while decorating rooftops. And that’s not including all the slips, trips, and falls caused by improper roof conditions! So, no matter how many decorations you want to put on your roof—heck, the more the merrier—you should always start by making sure your roof and gutter system are clear of dirt, debris, leaves, and other materials that could present a tripping or slipping hazard. Scrape off any moss or lichen and check for any signs of unwanted animals (squirrels, rodents, birds, insects) looking for a place to ride out the winter months.
4. Stay safe on the ladder.
Using a ladder to decorate your Christmas tree is fraught with danger.
Before the CPSC put up its guidelines, falling off a ladder was one of the leading causes of injury around the holidays. This means that thousands of people suffered wounds and broken bones after falling from ladders.
Here are some other CPSC tips for keeping safe when using a ladder to decorate your home this holiday season:
- Make sure you have a sturdy ladder designed to support your weight.
- Set up your ladder on a flat, level surface, such as a driveway or walkway, and away from power lines, electrical equipment and doors that could be opened.
- Speaking of electrical, a fiberglass or wooden ladder is preferable to an aluminum one.
- Your ladder should be set at a 75-degree angle, extended at least three feet over the roofline, or working surface, and you should not stand on the top three rungs of the ladder.
- Consider getting a spotter or helper.
5. Gear up for safety.
For anyone who loves to decorate for the holidays, it can be tempting to take your wardrobe to the extreme and show off all your fun clothes. The problem is that sometimes a little too much holiday spirit can lead to a decorating accident and not everyone wants to spend the holidays in the hospital.
Follow these simple guidelines to make sure you succeed at creating your holiday décor masterpiece without ending up in the hospital:
- Wear shoes with a soft rubber sole for extra traction and keep the bottom of your shoes free of mud and dirt.
- Use a tool belt to carry your tools and decorating essentials.
Don’t be a holiday hero.
Finally, know your limits. Don’t get on the roof unless you’ve done it before, you’re in great shape, and you have excellent balance. Hanging Christmas lights is a fun and important tradition that most of us look forward to each year. But with the risks of bad weather, tall trees, and dark nights it can be very easy for accidents to happen. And if you’re not careful then your entire holiday display can go up in smoke – literally!
Is your roof equipped to handle winter?
Winter can be hard on roofs. It can mean leaks, broken tiles, and more. And there’s nothing you can do about it until spring.
You don’t have to worry about your roof this winter. If you notice signs of damage after a storm or big snowfall, contact Long Roofing and we’ll arrange a time convenient for you to come out and inspect your property – rain, hail, or shine!
We work with customers with professional roofing services at an affordable rate and schedule that suits them best. Call Mississippi Landsource at 601-996-4590 or our long-time partner Doug Rushing Realty today to speak with a friendly representative about our products and services. If you didn’t find what you’re looking for today, check out our sister site at Texas Landsource.