scared myself today

[N2DFire]

put knots every few feet and put carabiners in the rope

That's a great & easy solution but the tight wad in me is compelled to add:

Using a single mechanical rope grab would be cheaper than buying a bunch of caribiners and allow you to have precise control of where you set your anchor point. (Downside - you must remember to set the rope gram so it's holding)

Cheaper still (and pretty darn easy really) would be learning to tie a prussik knot. For fall arrest I would use 2 and make one about a foot longer than the other so they have some space between them when you set them on the safety line -at least a hand span as the bare minimum (Downside - takes a little time & skill to learn to tie correctly the first couple times)

 

[aczlan]

Cheaper still (and pretty darn easy really) would be learning to tie a prussik knot. For fall arrest I would use 2 and make one about a foot longer than the other so they have some space between them when you set them on the safety line -at least a hand span as the bare minimum (Downside - takes a little time & skill to learn to tie correctly the first couple times)

I will have to try that knot. Just need some "human rated" rope to tie it with

Aaron Z

 

[mechanic]

Got upon the ladder today looked across the roof at roof level and you can see the pollen. But cannot see it looking strait down on roof. It is no wonder that I got myself in trouble and was not able to move in any direction without sliding.

 

[Shield Arc]

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

About 35-years ago my wife's friend did that exact same thing to her husband. They had an A-frame house, he tied a rope to the bumper to her VW bug, while he was up on the roof she came out of the house and told him she was running to town. He never said a word to her about the rope being tied to the bumper to her car! When she started it, he started yelling but she drove off. Believe it or not, he didn't get hurt all that bad:shocked:. Scraped up pretty good, but no broken bones.

 

[dickfoster]

About 35-years ago my wife's friend did that exact same thing to her husband. They had an A-frame house, he tied a rope to the bumper to her VW bug, while he was up on the roof she came out of the house and told him she was running to town. He never said a word to her about the rope being tied to the bumper to her car! When she started it, he started yelling but she drove off. Believe it or not, he didn't get hurt all that bad:shocked:. Scraped up pretty good, but no broken bones.

You'd think this could not happen but then I know someone who's driven off with the gas nozzle still stuck in the tank. Three times!:laughing: The scary bit is she works in an ER.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

You'd think this could not happen but then I know someone who's driven off with the gas nozzle still stuck in the tank. Three times!:laughing: The scary bit is she works in an ER.

Hope she doesn't "drive off" with the Foley catheter in at work! :shocked:

 

[JPRambo]

But I bet she forgets to unplug the bed before moving it. (Don't ask how I know this happens).

 

[MossRoad]

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

Nice! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

I will have to try that knot. Just need some "human rated" rope to tie it with

Aaron Z

See the Harbor Freight thread.... :laughing:

I used to use that knot when I worked as a lifeguard on a man-made white water course. Its simple and works great. Holds you in place until you take the weight off of it and slide it on the line.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Years ago my brother in law and I got a contract to frame a small subdivision of two story houses. The roof deck was 2x6 T&G with the roughsawn side down and the planed side up. With a bit of sawdust on it those roofs were slick. I think they were 7 in 12. We were not too interested in safety those days but we were not altogether stupid. After the first slip and slide we nailed 2x4s at the edge of the roof our theory being that it would stop you going over if you slid to the edge. We finished up with plenty of short slides but never all the way down. So I don't know if that was a good plan or not.

 

[busy dad]

I remember a friend working on a barn roof .. They were tied off to a tractor .. He pulled the key out of the tractor , then chained his pick up to it .. All the keys stayed in his pocket until they were done .. You never can be too safe ..

 

[Deezl Smoke]

I remember a friend working on a barn roof .. They were tied off to a tractor .. He pulled the key out of the tractor , then chained his pick up to it .. All the keys stayed in his pocket until they were done .. You never can be too safe ..

LIKE !!!

 

[MH8675309]

Saw dust will make OSB treacherous also - safe one minute and slippery the next. Cant be too careful.

 

[Redneck in training]

Guys who built my barn had some kind of "galoshes" on their boots when working on the roof. I saw them walking without slipping. Some time later I was adding a vent there. Got on the roof in tennis shoes and I was sliding with little control. Then I went there barefoot and was able to install the vent. So material of your soles makes big difference.

 

[muddstopper]

Guys who built my barn had some kind of "galoshes" on their boots when working on the roof. I saw them walking without slipping. Some time later I was adding a vent there. Got on the roof in tennis shoes and I was sliding with little control. Then I went there barefoot and was able to install the vent. So material of your soles makes big difference.

Not looking forward to walking barefoot on a tin roof in the summer:sun:

 

[Renze]

I throw a noose over the chimney to hold on to.

 

[Sysop]

I've always built a portable chicken ladder. Long 2x4 with a 2-3 foot section of 2x4 attached at one end like an L. Put a lot of 1' sections of 2x4 up the length of the long 2x4 as "rungs". Slide it up on the roof with the 2-3' section up top and let it hang over the ridge. Stand a ladder up to it and climb up. As it needs to move, go to the ridge and lift it up some and slide it over as far as is needed and climb back down.

 

[MoArk Willy]

Many many years ago I worked part time for a carpenter after my day job. One beautiful summer evening he and I and a couple of other guys tore the shingles and felt off of a roof on a house preparing to change the pitch and do a re-roof. We were almost finished and had about an hour of daylight left when a storm front moved in. Wanting to keep the interior of the home dry, we went to the local hardware store and bought tarps to cover the entire roof deck. What was available were huge blue plastic tarps, about 40 X 40 which worked quite well.
but as we were buttoning up the ridge, the rain started.
What we had done was created the worlds largest slip and slide. One step on the wet tarp and off the roof you go. All of us wound up on the ground at one point, sliding off the end into hedges or flower beds. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt, some scrapes and bruises.
But the sight at dusk of people standing on the roof....then just disappearing is both unforgettable and funny.
We paid more attention to the weather forecast after that.
And as far as metal roofs.....when ever we had to work on them we rubbed a bit of gasoline on the soles of the work boots. It softened them up just a bit and made them "stick" to the roof. (never on painted roofs, just the galvanized tin types.)

 

[Creamer]

I throw a noose over the chimney to hold on to.

How do you release it when you are done?

 

[handirifle]

Here's what ya do. As suggested, pull a big rope (climbers rope preferably) over the top. Anchor it at both ends. If the roof or work area is going to be real wide use 2 ropes equal distance apart. Then get one of these http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunt...gclid=CLnAnIek78wCFYSDaQodUrAMww&gclsrc=aw.ds (actually get it first). It's a hunters tree stand vest. I have one and I use it when trimming trees. It WILL hold your weight and save your life if you fall.

Learn how to tie a Prussik knot, better yet I think one comes with the vest, and learn how to use it. It will absolutely hold you in position while you work. I loaned mine to my Neice's husband while he did the metal roof on their small house, and he loved it.