Why care is needed
- It is slippery. Dew, frost, rain, pollen and dust all make smooth painted metal slick.
- Seams and ribs bend. Standing on a seam or rib can crush it and damage the joint.
- Finishes scratch. Grit under a boot sole scratches paint, and scratches are where rust starts.
- Falls are the real danger. OSHA identifies falls as the main hazard when working on standing seam roofs and points to fall arrest systems anchored with seam clamps.
How to walk on a metal roof
- Check the panel maker’s guidance for your roof, if you have it.
- Go only when it is dry, not in the early morning dew, after rain or with any frost.
- Wear clean, soft rubber-soled shoes. No work boots with grit in the tread.
- Standing seam: step in the flat pan of the panel, near the seam where it is stiffest. Never on the seam itself.
- Exposed-fastener panels: step in the flats along the screw lines, where the panel sits on the purlins or framing below, not between supports and never on the ribs.
- Move slowly, never alone, and use a harness and anchor on anything steeper than a low pitch.
When not to go up at all
- The roof is wet, frosty, snowy or icy. Never shovel or walk a metal roof to clear snow; that is what snow guards are for.
- The pitch is steep enough that you would not stand on it without holding on.
- You are going up to find a leak. Most metal roof leaks are at flashing details that are hard to judge without experience.
How we keep foot traffic off finished metal
On our jobs, all trims and flashings go on before the panels, so the crew is not walking back over finished metal to do the detail work. It is one of the small reasons a new roof stays looking new. If you need something done on your roof, from a vent cap to gutter guards, call (937) 423-9352 and let us go up.
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