scared myself today

[mechanic]

I was working on my metal building sealing screws when I realized that I could not go any farther up or down. I started to slide no matter what i did. Had rubber shoes, knee pads strapped to my knees and a seprate pad to keep from sliding. I had to stop where I was and not move because it started me sliding toward the edge with a 15 foot drop. Looked higher from up there. My wife came to help she could not even move the ladder. I don't think I could have made to without sliding off anyway. I told her to call 911 and tell them I could not move without sliding off my metal roof. I have been up there before without any problems and could even walk around being carefful. Now I was in trouble. The fire dept came out and used a ladder to hook over the ridge that I used to climb down to the ladder and to the ground. I don't mind telling you I was terrified I was going to slide off. I was talking to the fireman and he thought it might be the pollen that has been blowing around. I could not see any on the roof or feel any. I've never experienced anything like this before. Is this true. I'm very leery about going back up without some kind of safety hold. I don't think a rope would help because I would have to carry it over the ridge. I have to do some thinking.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Sounds like a sphincter workout! Maybe funny in a few weeks?
Glad you're safe and hopefully the fire department bill won't be too expensive.

 

[Soundguy]

Tie off on far side, throw it over, use as helper for traction.

Ps, glad you didn't fall.

 

[Shield Arc]

When I go on my metal roofs, I use vice grip C-clamps to clamp 2" x 6" boards to the bottom of the roof, and I walk on the boards.

 

[mechanic]

Fire dept. said no charge was glad to help.

 

[k0ua]

Tie off on far side, throw it over, use as helper for traction.

Ps, glad you didn't fall.

And if you cannot throw the heavy rope all the way over, use a string and a tennis ball to pull the rope over. put knots every few feet and put carabiners in the rope, then rig up or buy a harness for yourself with your gorilla hook to snap into the carabiners. That way you are always connected, and if you move up move your gorilla hook. Even if your feet go out from under you and you slip down towards the edge you harness will stop you and give you something to pull against to get back up to your knees then your feet to try again. Yes perhaps the pollen could be the "lubricant" that changed the dynamics. Or just some bad luck. Once the pucker factor starts to happen it can be difficult to recover. But if you KNOW you are not going over the edge because of your securely tied off rope and your harness that you trust ( I use a Klien belt) you can recover, without calling anyone. Have fun and be safe... You have had your warning. Work safe from now on.

 

[k0ua]

Fire dept. said no charge was glad to help.

Well that is 3 good things... 1: they did not charge 2: you did not fall. 3: you have got your warning... don't do it that way again

 

[Toyboy]

When I was young I used to be like a squirrel, until the day I almost slid off my two story roof onto a concrete drive. The gutter saved my bacon. Since that day I'm terrified of heights where you are out in the open over one story.
The big joke my friends had when I was going to re-roof my one story ranch style house, is that I'd roto tilled the ground around the house to soften the fall if I fell.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Glad you are safe. I've often wondered if there is a "Non-skid" preferred shoe sole or some type of pad to help gain traction.

 

[joecoin]

When I was 14 I ran right off a ten foot high roof. I was looking up at something I was trying to catch and I just ran off, landed with my arm underneath me on a small tree stump. Broke that arm real bad, plus scraped my face on the adjoining roofs shingles on the way down. Not a good day. But I still get up on the roof now at 58 years old.

 

[bamboozled]

Go to Home Depot, go to the roofing section and the get the 'Compliance in a Bucket', or something along those lines. Costs 100 bucks.

Qualcraft 5 ft. Rooftop Safe-Tie Bucket Kit-815-QC - The Home Depot

But remember you still need an emergency response plan in the event you do fall and get held by the harness. You've got 15 minutes before the blood in your legs becomes toxic if the straps cut off your circulation. Ideally, you keep the fall arrest short enough you don't fall off the roof.

 

[MossRoad]

Glad you are OK and that was pretty nice of the fire department. Send them a gift certificate for some BBQ or something.... those guys like to eat!

 

[MossRoad]

Go to Home Depot, go to the roofing section and the get the 'Compliance in a Bucket', or something along those lines. Costs 100 bucks.

Qualcraft 5 ft. Rooftop Safe-Tie Bucket Kit-815-QC - The Home Depot

But remember you still need an emergency response plan in the event you do fall and get held by the harness. You've got 15 minutes before the blood in your legs becomes toxic if the straps cut off your circulation. Ideally, you keep the fall arrest short enough you don't fall off the roof.

That's pretty slick! I have to re-roof a tall garage this summer. I might look into that.

 

[TripleR]

I'm glad to hear you are OK, no matter how often you do this, eventually if you don't use the right equipment, you will probably find yourself stuck like that or lying on the ground wondering what the heck just happened, after you wake up. My brother brother slid off a metal roof several months ago and he has all the right safety harnesses etc., but was just finishing up a last bit of work on a new roof and his equipment was in the truck. He is OK now, but had to have surgery and pretty long recovery.

 

[oosik]

I have a standard asphalt shingle roof on my house. However, I've noticed that this time of year and on into summer the roof becomes very "slick". It is the beginning of the pine pollen season around here. It gets so "bad" that a moderate wind will turn the air into a fluorescent green fog as the pollen is blown from the pines. EVERYTHING will become covered in a light green coating of pine pollen. Under a microscope the pine pollen looks like hairy, green tennis balls. On a sloping surface they are just like walking on marbles.

 

[RjCorazza]

I was working on my metal building sealing screws when I realized that I could not go any farther up or down. I started to slide no matter what i did. Had rubber shoes, knee pads strapped to my knees and a seprate pad to keep from sliding. I had to stop where I was and not move because it started me sliding toward the edge with a 15 foot drop. Looked higher from up there. My wife came to help she could not even move the ladder. I don't think I could have made to without sliding off anyway. I told her to call 911 and tell them I could not move without sliding off my metal roof. I have been up there before without any problems and could even walk around being carefful. Now I was in trouble. The fire dept came out and used a ladder to hook over the ridge that I used to climb down to the ladder and to the ground. I don't mind telling you I was terrified I was going to slide off. I was talking to the fireman and he thought it might be the pollen that has been blowing around. I could not see any on the roof or feel any. I've never experienced anything like this before. Is this true. I'm very leery about going back up without some kind of safety hold. I don't think a rope would help because I would have to carry it over the ridge. I have to do some thinking.

You can get those ladder hooks at home depot and bolt them on to a roof ladder, or use just the fly section of an extension ladder.
I made one up with hooks, and also tied myself in with a harness while replacing shingles on my very pitched roof. I also played on roofs for 30 years as a truck company officer! Now retired, my life is relatively boring
I am very happy to hear that you were not injured.

 

[Deere Dude]

Go to Home Depot, go to the roofing section and the get the 'Compliance in a Bucket', or something along those lines. Costs 100 bucks.

Qualcraft 5 ft. Rooftop Safe-Tie Bucket Kit-815-QC - The Home Depot

But remember you still need an emergency response plan in the event you do fall and get held by the harness. You've got 15 minutes before the blood in your legs becomes toxic if the straps cut off your circulation. Ideally, you keep the fall arrest short enough you don't fall off the roof.

I slid to a couple feet from the edge of a 14' sidewall pole shed but friction stopped me. The roof had pollen and dirt on the surface plus I stepped on a wet spot near the peak and I slid down slow motion. I was able to regain enough to inch myself up to the peak but it was very scary.

Since then I bought a house with a metal 10/12 pitch roof on and needed to do some work so I bought a retaining system like you mentioned. It works great. There is a manual ratchet of sorts on the rope that keeps the rope semi-taught so if you do fall and slide you will only slide until the rope gets tight which should only be a couple feet.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I was working on my metal building sealing screws when I realized that I could not go any farther up or down. I started to slide no matter what i did. Had rubber shoes, knee pads strapped to my knees and a seprate pad to keep from sliding. I had to stop where I was and not move because it started me sliding toward the edge with a 15 foot drop. Looked higher from up there. My wife came to help she could not even move the ladder. I don't think I could have made to without sliding off anyway. I told her to call 911 and tell them I could not move without sliding off my metal roof. I have been up there before without any problems and could even walk around being carefful. Now I was in trouble. The fire dept came out and used a ladder to hook over the ridge that I used to climb down to the ladder and to the ground. I don't mind telling you I was terrified I was going to slide off. I was talking to the fireman and he thought it might be the pollen that has been blowing around. I could not see any on the roof or feel any. I've never experienced anything like this before. Is this true. I'm very leery about going back up without some kind of safety hold. I don't think a rope would help because I would have to carry it over the ridge. I have to do some thinking.

Tennis ball with a hole straight through. Send a rope through the hole and tie it off with a big knot so the rope will not pull through. Throw the ball with the rope over the other side of the building where you are working. Tie the rope off to a trailer hitch on your truck. Use the rope as a safety rope. Move the truck forward or backward along side the building as you need to move.

Good luck.

 

[aczlan]

Tennis ball with a hole straight through. Send a rope through the hole and tie it off with a big knot so the rope will not pull through. Throw the ball with the rope over the other side of the building where you are working. Tie the rope off to a trailer hitch on your truck. Use the rope as a safety rope. Move the truck forward or backward along side the building as you need to move.

Good luck.

I would also keep all the truck keys on the roof with me so nobody accidentally drives off and pulls me off of the roof.

Aaron Z

 

[k0ua]

I would also keep all the truck keys on the roof with me so nobody accidentally drives off and pulls me off of the roof.

Aaron Z

Oh, now that would make on heck of a video!