Top Commercial Roof Safety Practices Explained

Commercial Roof Safety Practices

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roofing is the fourth most dangerous industry in the United States. It’s imperative that Simon Roofing takes safety seriously – in fact, it’s our company’s #1 core value.

Evidence of our dedication to safety, Simon Roofing’s safety record continues to be better than most in the commercial roofing industry. In fact, our Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 1.1 is 54% better than the national average, and our Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 0.71 is significantly lower than the modification baseline rate. We meet and exceed the OSHA roofing requirements to ensure our employees work safely every day.

Roof Safety Training

Our onboarding program includes interactive commercial roof safety orientation, and a series of tests designed to measure new employees’ understanding and command of critical safety topics. We are constantly evaluating and improving our safety practices, so safety training continues throughout an employee’s career at Simon Roofing.

All Simon employees receive ongoing safety training through weekly sessions led by a Safety Coordinator. Our unique “Train the Trainer” programs are designed to assure employees understand the hazards specific to our work, not just generalized training meant to meet OSHA roofing requirements.

Employees complete our own in-house OSHA 10 Hour training designed by an OSHA Outreach Instructor. Our training has taken elements from the OSHA 10-hour training and crafted it specifically for roofing tasks and hazards.
Supervisors receive more intensive safety training, with many completing the 30-hour OSHA approved courses.
Training in specialized circumstances, including those involving hazardous environments or unfamiliar materials and equipment, is provided and documented as needed.

Site-Specific Roof Safety Planning

Every rooftop is unique with specific challenges and safety concerns. That’s why Simon Roofing develops a comprehensive Site-Specific Safety Plan or Job Safety Analysis customized to each individual project. Each job begins with a pre-job inspection by a Safety Coordinator and Project Manager. This necessary step addresses commercial roof safety challenges and identifies any additional equipment and procedures necessary to ensure a safe job site.

Commercial Roof Safety Performance for All

While technicians are performing the work, safety is always at the forefront. This starts with wearing the proper protective equipment (PPE), including but not limited to:

fall protection
safety glasses
hard hats
steel-toed boots
hearing protection when applicable
personal fall arrest systems when work is conducted outside of a perimeter warning line or other unprotected areas

Daily inspections are performed by the Safety Coordinator to assess the job site, ensuring safety requirements are being met at all times. Periodic and unannounced inspections by Simon Management and our insurance company are also performed. In addition, the Environmental Health and Safety team conducts unannounced virtual inspections to provide real-time reporting. Crews are asked to share live, 360-degree feeds from the jobsite to document proper safety set-up, PPE use and other safe work practices.

Safe work behaviors are recognized, reinforced and rewarded through our “Thanks for Working Safely” program.

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