Safety Tips When Decorating Your Roof For The Holidays

The holiday season is here and for several homeowners, that means only one thing: bringing out the countless string of lights and turn their home into a winter wonderland as seen in “Christmas Vacation.” Although it seems easy for Santa Claus to navigate a rooftop while on his sleigh that’s full of gifts, for homeowners, going up the roof can lead to accidents. If you are not confident enough to do this task, you can always hire a roofing contractor to help you out. Injuries and Decorating Disasters During The Holidays During the last two months of 2012, over 15,000 individuals were brought to hospital emergency rooms to get treatment due to injuries they incurred while decorating for the holidays. These figures were based on the reports released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. There are about 250 injuries daily during the holidays. By including some safety measures to your checklist can help prevent turning a holiday tradition into a holiday tragedy. You would not want to spend Christmas in the emergency room due to a decorating accident. Given that, here are a few basic roof safety tips you need to keep in mind. Prepare Your Materials Take the time to check your outlets as well as power sources. Prepare all the materials you need to bring up the roof. Untangle the lights while you are still on the ground. You should also replace any string that is out. Don’t forget to use extension cords that were specifically made for outdoor use. Choose A Light and Clear Time Of Day Never set up your Christmas lights at the end of the day. It is better to spare a few hours during the day to do this so you do not feel rushed. You should also check the weather forecast so you can be sure that there is no snow, wind, or rain. Clear The Roof Have a clean and clear roof is important for a lot of reasons including avoiding accidents when decorating the roof. Regardless of the number of decorations you wish to install in your roof, you should begin by making sure that the roof and gutters are free of debris, leaves, dirt, and other materials that could present a slipping or tripping hazard. Check if there are signs of unwanted animals and get rid of lichen or moss. Stay Safe When Using The Ladder According to the CPSC, 36% of the injuries related to holiday decorating are the consequences of falls, and half of these are from using the ladders. As a matter of fact, several people have fallen off the ladders while they were decorating that forced the CPSC to create guidelines on how to use them properly. These include making sure that you have a sturdy ladder that can support the weight of the person who will use it, setting up the ladder on a level and flat surface and far from any electrical equipment, power lines and doors that might be opened. The ladder must be set on a 75-degree angle and extended at least 3 feet over the working surface or roof line. Lastly, don’t forget to consider getting a helper or spotter. If you don't want to do any of these, you can hire a North Myrtle Beach roofing contractor. Wear The Right Safety Gear Wearing the right safety gear can help minimize the risk of a holiday decorating accident. You need to wear shoes that have a soft rubber sole for additional traction and make sure that your shoes are free of dirt and mud. If you need to carry some tools and essential decorating essentials, you need to put it on a tool belt. Now that we are talking about tools, you have to leave the staple, glue and nail guns on the ground. You must never use nails, screws, staples as well as other penetrating fasteners to attach decorations to the roof. As an alternative, you can go for removal plastic hooks and clips that can be stored back into your tool back in January. Don’t Be A Hero You should know your limits. It is not recommended to get on the roof unless you have done this in the past. A lot of the falls associated with climbing the roof were linked to those who are not used to using ladders especially during this time of the year. Is Your Roof Winter Ready? If you decide to get up on your roof and notice signs of roof damage, you need to consider that it might be time to call a roofing contractor for a roof repair or roof replacement.

Call NMB Roofing Pros for professional help in making sure that your roof is safe and ready to be decorated for the holidays.

NMB Roofing Pros North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582 843-491-6382 http://nmbroofingpros.com/ info@nmbroofingpros.com

http://nmbroofingpros.com/safety-tips-decorating-roof-holidays/