When you consider the dangers of working on a roof, you will likely imagine the dangers of falling off the edge and plunging to the ground with palm-sweating vividness.
This is understandable because falling off a roof is a real and dangerous hazard. However, you might not know that you are just as likely to fall through the roof itself.
There are a few ways this commonly happens.
Perhaps the roof is weakened, making it easy to lose your balance and fall through. Alternatively, the roof may not be fully constructed yet, leaving gaping holes which are easy to slip through, causing serious injuries.
However, one of the most common yet unexpected fall hazards is through a skylight.
Therefore, it is crucial that you find ways to protect your skylight, to prevent you or others from falling through it.
This is what you need to know about safeguarding yourself from falling through a skylight:
Why would you need to protect your skylight?
Skylights are a hidden danger to anyone who works on a rooftop. This is because few people working at heights really know how hazardous they can be, instead focusing their attention on not dropping off the edge of the building.
However, while skylights are built to be strong, they may not be able to support your weight from the angle you fall at - or worse, they may have been left open.
Unfortunately, reinforcing these roof lights is not possible.
They are a set design with the intended purpose of letting light and air into the building. If you board it up, it will cause problems for those inside the property. As a result, you need to consider more intelligent solutions for rooflight protection.
You need a custom skylight.
Make use of skylight roof protection products
If you want to create a fall protection system when it comes to skylights, then you need to use a roof light protection guard.
These easy to install guards prevent you from falling through a skylight while allowing natural light through without any issues.
A skylight guard will give you the peace of mind needed to work in such a perilous environment, both offering you a practical solution without damaging the property or negatively impacting its owner’s quality of life.
This heavy duty guard is designed to be weatherproof, making it the ideal solution for your requirements.
Become aware of fall hazards before working on a roof
Of course, having Skylight Protection may significantly reduce the chances of you or your team falling through a roof, but it should not be the only approach you take to improve your rooftop safety standards.
Ensure that you and your team have a standard operating procedure when you work in such a dangerous environment. Everyone should be fully informed of the risks and given workable methods to minimise the chances of an incident or injury from occurring. This might be as simple as tying yourself to the building with a belay system or learning new methods for using tools in a safe manner.