# Why Do Roofers Do This?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 22, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464 "2011-10-22T18:41:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/1 "2011-10-22T18:41:12Z")
I mean, doesn’t their insurance have any say in this?
I just saw two guys working on at least a 60 degree pitched roof-both without safety harnesses.
In my younger days, I did some roof work-but always with a safety harness and a 1" diameter line to a tie point.
Looks awful dangerous to me.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/2 "2011-10-22T18:47:37Z")
It is dangerous, and they are breaking the law. Call your local OSHA and bust their asses.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/3 "2011-10-22T19:02:32Z")
They do it because the safety equipment slows them down. It may not be the smartest reason but that’s the reason I’ve heard from roofers, even from one roofer who had already fallen a couple of times (didn’t learn the lesson I guess).
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### Author:  [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/4 "2011-10-22T19:40:05Z")
What do they tie onto? I don’t think most houses have anything suitable on the top of the roof.
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### Author:  [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/5 "2011-10-22T20:09:15Z")
> [@thirdname](#):
>
> What do they tie onto? I don’t think most houses have anything suitable on the top of the roof.
There are harness systems you can buy that involve nailing brackets in to the rafters to keep yourself tethered to. This does slow you down though.
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/6 "2011-10-22T20:12:43Z")
Rule #1 of roofing. Do not step back to admire your work.
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### Author:  [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/7 "2011-10-22T20:34:06Z")
My FIL told me a story about a guy that threw a rope over the roof, tied one end to the bumper of his car and himself to the other end. Seemed to work well until his wife got in the car to go to the store. Jerked him up, over, and off the roof. Didn’t kill him, but I’ll bet he was surprised.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/8 "2011-10-22T20:35:20Z")
> [@Rick](#):
>
> Rule #1 of roofing. Do not step back to admire your work.
I know you say that as a joke, but the first thing my dad taught me when walking on a roof is to never walk backwards.
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### Author:  [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/9 "2011-10-22T21:53:46Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#):
>
> There are harness systems you can buy that involve nailing brackets in to the rafters to keep yourself tethered to. This does slow you down though.
In situations like that, I have to wonder - is it
[ol]
[li]The individuals being stupid?[/li][li]The boss not giving a shit?[/li][li]The boss insisting on a level of productivity that causes workers to skip vital steps?[/li][/ol]
A friend of mine nearly lost his family company when an employee disabled the safety guards on a metal stamping machine to reach in and grab the finished piece. He lost two fingers when the machine malfunctioned and double-stamped. He re-installed the guard, hired an OSHA compliance firm to come in and lecture people, and paid the Workman’s Comp.
Then his own brother did the same thing and lost the SAME TWO FINGERS three months later! He had to close down the entire machine shop department, and lost all that business. In both cases, it was reason #1.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/10 "2011-10-22T22:00:44Z")
> [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](#):
>
> My FIL told me a story about a guy that threw a rope over the roof, tied one end to the bumper of his car and himself to the other end. Seemed to work well until his wife got in the car to go to the store. Jerked him up, over, and off the roof. Didn’t kill him, but I’ll bet he was surprised.
And that’s all it is-[a story](http://www.snopes.com/autos/mishaps/roofman.asp).
Notice who printed the story. 😃
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/11 "2011-10-23T01:24:34Z")
On a low-pitched roof that isn’t more than one story, some roofers will just nail a piece of one-by to the roof to use as a foot support. The guys doing the roof next door were on a very steep pitch on a two-story house with no safety gear at all. Gave me the willies.
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### Author:  [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/12 "2011-10-23T01:38:56Z")
I once watched roofers working on a Victorian house with those spiked cupolas. No harnesses. I was so afraid that I’d see one of them go splat. As far as I know, no splatting happened.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/13 "2011-10-23T01:43:54Z")
> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> I mean, doesn’t their insurance have any say in this?.
Their insurer will ask them if they tie off, and they will tell the insurers “yes, of course we do.” If the customer is big enough they’ll visit occasionally and check it out, but there’s no money in sending someone out to check a 3-man roofing crew.
Which is why insurance is so expensive for roofing companies. Falls from one story are more expensive in the long run than falls off very tall buildings.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/14 "2011-10-23T02:00:38Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#):
>
> Which is why insurance is so expensive for roofing companies. Falls from one story are more expensive in the long run than falls off very tall buildings.
I heard from someone that worked for a railroad company many many many years ago that they were told if someone is on the tracks and they won’t be able to stop on time to not even attempt to slow down\*. They found it’s cheaper to payout a one time settlement then a lifetime of disability.
\*In other words, if you can’t stop, don’t slow down and run the risk of hitting a stalled car at 7 mph and maiming the person.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/15 "2011-10-23T02:10:32Z")
Other than the usual “sue everybody” tendencies in situations like that, I’m not entirely sure why the train line would have to pay out. After all, it’s not like the train could swerve to hit the car.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/16 "2011-10-23T02:17:24Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> Other than the usual “sue everybody” tendencies in situations like that, I’m not entirely sure why the train line would have to pay out. After all, it’s not like the train could swerve to hit the car.
You’d think, [right](http://www.personalinjurylawyer.com/resources/personal-injury/accident-injuries/liability-railroad-crossing-injuries)?
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/17 "2011-10-23T02:22:21Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> Other than the usual “sue everybody” tendencies in situations like that, I’m not entirely sure why the train line would have to pay out. After all, it’s not like the train could swerve to hit the car.
I know it’s sort of the opposite of what I was saying, but just to take your question on it’s own merit…sometimes it’s easier to settle out of court and keep everything quiet then to wind up with going to court to prove why you (the RR Company) weren’t responsible but in the mean time have it end up back in the media a few more times.
ETA, or you could look at Maserschmidt’s cite. It’s from a Personal Injury website. But it brings up some (to my untrained eyes) valid points. If you got caught in tracks that weren’t marked and the train wasn’t blowing it’s horn you might not have even known you were in trouble.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/18 "2011-10-23T02:39:22Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#):
>
> You’d think, [right](http://www.personalinjurylawyer.com/resources/personal-injury/accident-injuries/liability-railroad-crossing-injuries)?
Nice and vague page to try to drum up business. Around here, train operators do not blow the horn at every crossing or they’d be honking nearly non-stop for miles. In my suburb and along the line that I’ve seen, they only blow the horn when passing/about to pass another train, in either direction and especially at a station. They also blow the horn when they see someone crossing dangerously, but that can be hard to see considering how close the train can be when someone runs out across the tracks. I guess I’m used to people stopping cars on the tracks, driving around down gates, running across when a train is obviously coming and gates are down/bells are ringing, etc., being in a populated area with controlled crossings, etc.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/19 "2011-10-23T02:48:59Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> Nice and vague page to try to drum up business. Around here, train operators do not blow the horn at every crossing or they’d be honking nearly non-stop for miles.
I think what Mr Ambulance Chaser was saying is that there are Federal/State/Local laws regarding when they must blow their horn and if you got hit because they didn’t do it, it might not be your fault. Maybe it’s not required where you are, but it’s certainly required in some areas.
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### Author:  [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-roofers-do-this/600464/20 "2011-10-23T02:54:00Z")
Most of the roofers I knew back in the day were getting paid cash off the books and/or were being pushed to do the job as quickly and cheaply as possible. Hell, most of them were druggies too.
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