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A new on-line poll that came out in September is telling us something we already know: roofing is one of the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the United States.

With 37 deaths for every 100,000 workers, roofing is a profession that faces great odds of being injured on the job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And despite gains in safety procedures provided by contractors, roofing is one profession where workers are dying for a paycheck. Are you providing a safe working environment for your workers? Do you think safety is even more important during a down economy or during good times, or both?

Roofing is dangerous: we all know that. But the MSN Money poll found loggers and fishermen face the most daunting odds of dying at work in 2002, while the highways remain the most dangerous place for workers.

According to the poll, on-the-job accidents and homicides claimed the lives of 5,524 Americans last year, down 6.6 percent from 2001. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the workplace death rate is the lowest it has seen since recordkeeping began in 1992.

Fishing was the second most dangerous occupation, with 71.1 deaths for every 100,000 workers, followed by pilots and navigators, 69.8, structural metal workers, 58.2, and drivers-sales workers at 37.9.

Besides roofing, electric power installers, farm occupation, construction laborer and truck drivers also made the top 10. Are you doing enough to prevent injuries or fatalities on the job? What have you done to help the roofing profession become a safer place to work?

Many building codes now mandate intake and exhaust ventilation for attics. It’s easy to see why. A properly ventilated attic can save energy, eliminate excess moisture, prevent mold, and prevent ice damming in winter. And, by minimizing heat buildup in the attic, proper ventilation can even prolong the life of the roof system. Many building codes now mandate intake and exhaust ventilation for attics. It’s easy to see why. A properly ventilated attic can save energy, eliminate excess moisture, prevent mold, and prevent ice damming in winter. And, by minimizing heat buildup in the attic, proper ventilation can even prolong the life of the roof system. Industry experts agree that a balanced ventilation system - with intake ventilation meeting or exceeding exhaust ventilation - is ideal. However, in my neighborhood, a suburb of Detroit, intake ventilation is pretty rare. Most of the houses were built in the 1950s, and very few of them have overhangs at the eaves that allow for perforated soffits. With the exception of the newer houses or houses that have undergone major remodeling projects, there are very few houses with intake ventilation at the eaves. I should know, because I walk my dog every day, and, because I work for a roofing magazine, I’m often looking at the roofs in my neighborhood. I see a lot of can vents at the ridge and quite a few in the lower third of the roof deck - some in areas where they are not recommended. I also see a lot of ridge vents with no intake ventilation at the eaves. I recently spoke Steve Henderson of DCI Products, who cautioned that ridge vents aren’t effective without intake ventilation. “We explain it this way: It’s like sucking on one end of a straw with your finger over the other end,” he said. “You need proper intake ventilation, and that’s why my father invented the SmartVent.” Henderson’s father, Jack, was a general contractor who did a lot of roofing work. “He saw the void in the industry,” said Henderson. “In many cases, houses had no intake ventilation at all, with the exception of some gable vents, which only covered the top third of the attic. He knew a product designed for the lower roof edges would be effective, and since the SmartVent tapers, it blends into the roof.” The tapered, corrugated plastic vent installs under the shingles and can be used for both intake and exhaust ventilation in reroofing work as well as new construction. According to Henderson, the most popular usage of the SmartVent is at the lower eaves edge for intake ventilation in cases where there are no overhangs. (For more information about SmartVent, visit www.dciproducts.com.) How do you cope with houses with no overhangs in a reroofing situation?

Chuck Howard, P.E., president of Metal Roof Consultants, was in the metal roof contracting business for almost 30 years, and he now serves as a consultant to contractors, architects, engineers, and building owners. He gave a presentation about metal retrofit roofing at METALCON titled “Do it Right the First Time.”

In 1979, he added pitch and installed a metal roof over an existing flat roof in Wilmington, Ohio. That roof is still functioning perfectly today - and may well be the oldest one of its type in the country. Howard used that project and a 2008 application in Ocean City, Md. as examples of the proper way to install a metal retrofit roof.

The example showed just how productive a seminar at a trade show can be. As for the 2008 case study, Howard related that the job came about as the result of another seminar Howard gave at METALCON 2003, in which he detailed the 1979 project. One of the attendees, John Martindale, president of Brothers Services Company in Baltimore, approached Howard after the seminar and they talked about the market potential for metal retrofit roofing. “There are great, great opportunities out there, and they’re easy to sell,” said Howard. He recommended school boards as just one avenue for metal retrofit roofs.

Howard detailed a Virginia School board meeting in which a board member claimed he did not understand why schools were designed with flat roofs and urged the board to add pitch and a metal roof. If you’re in the business of providing metal roofs, this might be a good idea to convey to members of school boards across the country.

Thomas Builard

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