Safety while working on the roof

[Tigerman67]

I was just curious if i could get some input on ways to safely work on the roof.

I was up on the roof today to remove the reflective tape around the emergency hatches, and I went up through the hatch. Just the first step of wanting to clean up, scuff the paint, seam seal, then paint.

I am not a fan of heights to begin with, and with a factory tall roof, I think I am probably high enough that any slip and fall from that height is going to involve a hospital visit and probably a broken bone.

I'd prefer to not make that trip to the hospital, but not sure how to get a more stable up on the roof. I suppose I could buy a safety harness, but not sure where to tie off to. About the only other thing I could think of was maybe 2 scaffolding and have a plank between them so I could try to stay level just above the work area?

Looking for ideas of what anyone else had done to try to increase safety

[2martins]

Originally Posted by Tigerman67

I was just curious if i could get some input on ways to safely work on the roof.

I was up on the roof today to remove the reflective tape around the emergency hatches, and I went up through the hatch. Just the first step of wanting to clean up, scuff the paint, seam seal, then paint.

I am not a fan of heights to begin with, and with a factory tall roof, I think I am probably high enough that any slip and fall from that height is going to involve a hospital visit and probably a broken bone.

I'd prefer to not make that trip to the hospital, but not sure how to get a more stable up on the roof. I suppose I could buy a safety harness, but not sure where to tie off to. About the only other thing I could think of was maybe 2 scaffolding and have a plank between them so I could try to stay level just above the work area?

Looking for ideas of what anyone else had done to try to increase safety

When I shoveled the roof I stayed in the center section. I got a ladder recently and I suppose you could tie off on one side of the bus to work on the other side. My son once rode on the roof or the side of a school bus in a parade and he was tied off but I'm not sure how they did it. I'll ask him when he gets home from college.

[Tigerman67]

Just thought I'd mention that I was actually fairly successful with using my articulating ladder, and having it 3 up and 1 across. The 1 across puts a little weight in towards the bus and I can usually get the ladder to make two points of contact, one on the side and one on the top in that configuration. That seems to make it more stable than a regular extension ladder.

When I was visualizing this, my step ladder seemed to be about 1 rung too short to get very far up the roof sides, and I thought that an extension ladder wouldn't have put me too far away from the roof once it started to slope away, but it seems to work fine.

From being on top of the roof, I can reach roughly the center half of the roof without feeling like i am risking falling off, and the 1/4 on each side is easy enough to reach from an articulating or extension ladder.

I did have to tape a towel onto the ladder, or it would scratch the bus quite easily (Not a big deal now, but the goal is to paint it).

[2martins]

Originally Posted by Tigerman67

Just thought I'd mention that I was actually fairly successful with using my articulating ladder, and having it 3 up and 1 across. The 1 across puts a little weight in towards the bus and I can usually get the ladder to make two points of contact, one on the side and one on the top in that configuration. That seems to make it more stable than a regular extension ladder.

When I was visualizing this, my step ladder seemed to be about 1 rung too short to get very far up the roof sides, and I thought that an extension ladder wouldn't have put me too far away from the roof once it started to slope away, but it seems to work fine.

From being on top of the roof, I can reach roughly the center half of the roof without feeling like i am risking falling off, and the 1/4 on each side is easy enough to reach from an articulating or extension ladder.

I did have to tape a towel onto the ladder, or it would scratch the bus quite easily (Not a big deal now, but the goal is to paint it).

I finally got my son to tell me how they did it. They attached the rope thru the emergency hatch to a seat. If you have removed all your seats you would need to use a carribiner thru a hole in a rib and attach to that and then to your climbing harness. You can work in the area near one hatch and then you need to change hatches or the rope won't be the right length.

[Whatthefak]

My plan was to use the round suction cups glass movers use, harbor freight has them cheap and they are strong

[Rivetboy]

Originally Posted by Whatthefak

My plan was to use the round suction cups glass movers use, harbor freight has them cheap and they are strong

To use as a life safety device???

[Whatthefak]

Originally Posted by Rivetboy

To use as a life safety device???

Not really just as a hand hold while I'm working, just a handle on an otherwise smooth roof

[Johnny Mullet]

I admit it. I am so scared of heights and ladders in general. I have yet to go on my roof and paid someone to help me with the fan, solar panel, and skylight install.

[Iceni John]

After I completely repainted the roof but before I installed the eight solar panels I made a walkway between the two roof hatches. Not only is it somewhere to hinge the panels from, but most importantly it is now perfectly safe for me to be up there. I can easily and safely wash the panels by standing up there and plugging my washdown brush into the two quick-connect water outlets there, and all the water flows away from me (Ever tried washing panels from below? Yuch.). I get up there using my 6' stepladder inside, through the front roof hatch. Easy.

If you plan on being up on the roof anything more than very rarely, a walkway there is well worth it. Mine is made from 6061 and treadplate aluminum with all stainless hardware, so there's nothing to ever paint or need any attention, and its bolted to the roof ribs every 19" by a total of 36 3/8" bolts. Heck, you could lift the whole bus by the roof walkway!

John

[Rivetboy]

"Heck, you could lift the whole bus by the roof walkway!"

[Tigerman67]

Originally Posted by Whatthefak

Not really just as a hand hold while I'm working, just a handle on an otherwise smooth roof

When you step above the "Do not go above this rung" on your step ladder, it would be nice to have a handhold somewhere so you have better balance when you are going back down the ladder. But you really should just go down to the store and buy the step ladder with one more rung on it instead.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Tigerman67

When you step above the "Do not go above this rung" on your step ladder, it would be nice to have a handhold somewhere so you have better balance when you are going back down the ladder. But you really should just go down to the store and buy the step ladder with one more rung on it instead.

I'm making my ladder a removable one to accommodate opening back doors. Because it won't be permanent,I plan on running the side tubes up at least 18" past the roof line. Trying to transition off the roof onto ladder flush with or near the top is scary at best. I need some hand holds.

[Tigerman67]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I'm making my ladder a removable one to accommodate opening back doors. Because it won't be permanent,I plan on running the side tubes up at least 18" past the roof line. Trying to transition off the roof onto ladder flush with or near the top is scary at best. I need some hand holds.

The extra height sounds like a good idea. I've been thinking about how to get on the roof while on the road, and id have to be much more athletic to be able to do it with a little kitchen step ladder from inside, and to bring a big 6+ foot step ladder on the road would take up too much room. I was a little worried about the rv style ladder In The back could block my taillights and could be too inviting for some idiot to climb or get in via the roof hatch. So I was thinking of those folding steps instead, but then I thought there is no way id be able to get back down off the roof without handhelds and I imagine my searching for those little foot holds and it sounded more like a trip to the ER than a successful way to get on and off the roof.

[1olfart]

Don't know if this idea would work for anyone, but I've thought about those collapsible ladders. The ones that they use for emergency exits. My feeling is that getting up would be snap, but getting my butt down might be problematic. (maybe an inflatable slide)