Beware of Lightning - Roofing in Colorado Springs has a hidden danger
Colorado Springs roofers can experience four seasons on the same day, especially during spring; rain, snow, sunshine and thunderstorms can occur within a 24-hour period of time whilst creating safety concerns while roofing in Colorado Springs. The weather should be monitored daily in order to protect the property and personnel. All craftsmen that work outside should monitor the weather and how to remain safe. Homeowners that are performing a roof repair on their property need to be aware of the weather. This is a real threat and one that can't be overlooked. Every year several people are killed in Colorado from lightning strikes. From 1980 through 2014 there have been 10 people killed and 64 people injured from lightning in El Paso County. This is the most likely place to be struck with lightning in Colorado. In July 2013 eight people were hurt while working in a Colorado field and a dozen soldiers were hurt from lightning at Fort Carson. A good rule of thumb is if you hear thunder than you could be struck by lightning. In the United States it is inspectiond that every year 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur.
Thunderstorm
When thunderstorms appear on the horizon they impinge on outdoor activities, lightning can be a deadly threat in Colorado. Spring and summertime storms have resulted in premature deaths and injuries of unsuspecting people. The storm season is beginning and the deadliest months for lightning are right around the corner. Lighting strikes occur far from a thunderstorm. Dry lightning occurs in higher altitudes of Colorado even without the presence of a thunderstorm. Public safety notices instruct us to seek shelter immediately inside a substantial building or in a hard topped vehicle if you see lightning or hear thunder. This becomes a problem when you still need to dry in the roof. Unfortunately we continue to place our safety in harm’s way for our priority is to protect our client’s property. A fast moving storm that develops overhead and surprises the crew can become a dangerous situation fast. Roofers in Colorado Springs should only strip a section of roofing materials that can be dried in quickly before tearing off another section. Trees and open-sided structures are not safe. The safest place for a roofer would be in the garage otherwise the truck would be safe. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from a storm both before and the storm. All superintendents should be prepared to respond when a storm approaches. Baseball umpires will stop a game when thunder is heard. The game is stopped for a period of time and then resumed when thunder has not been heard for a period of time.
Roofers in Colorado Springs need to time roof removals
Limit amount of roof removal
Roofers in Colorado Springs should be prepared before the storm begins. First they should never tear off more than they can handle. “Expect the unexpected” and you should be prepared for the fast moving storm. What can happen is roofers begin to push the envelope of better wisdom and occasionally get caught by the weather.
It should be the responsibility of the supervisor to enforce production boundaries which protect the property and installers. Secondly, it is advisable to have heavy duty tarps at each project these should only be used as a last resort. Tarps are problematic as a safety net for a quick cover-up. A fast moving storm will have high winds that can rip the tarp out of the hands of several strong men or worse yet pulling some of them off the roof. The best practice is to tear off limited amounts of shingles and dry in one section at a time.
