[TowerTalk] fall arresting equipment for roofs

[K7LXC@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/24/01 10:19:09 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
mlbruss@ucdavis.edu writes:

> So far all my antennas have been on the roof.  I have a new house with a
>  steeply pitched roof (most is 10/12, some is 14/12) and want to do some
>  work at the peak.  I know I should wear a harness, but have some questions
>  about the type and attachments.  There seem to be a variety of D-ring
>  attachments.  Most have one on the back; some have additional ones on the
>  sides or chest straps.  Does it make any difference which is used?

    The are 2 major types of safety "belts" - one is the traditional safety 
belt which just goes around your waist and the other is a fall arrest 
harness. For tower work, OSHA specs a fall arrest harness only. I don't know 
what the OSHA regs are for roof work

    The D-ring in the back of the fall arrest harness holds you in a natural 
position if you should fall. In a fall, the safety belt can be pulled up your 
trunk to below the rib cage right at the diaphragm where it can suffocate 
you. If you are just working on your roof occasionally I wouldn't feel too 
bad about using a safety belt. Just have someone standing by to keep an eye 
on you in case of a fall.
>  
>  I understand that a shock-absorbing lanyard should be used, but to what do
>  I attach it.  I can get a 5/8" safety line over the house and can anchor
>  it to large porch posts on both sides.  But how do I attach the lanyard to
>  the rope?  I've seen ads for rope grabbers that slide freely until you
>  fall, then they are supposed to grab, but all the ads show the safety line
>  in a vertical position.  Do rope grabbers work on a rope that's at a slant
>  on a roof?  

    Well, yes. They even work on horizontal ropes. 

    Personally IMO the shock absorbing lanyard isn't necessary. Again, I 
don't know what the OSHA rules are but they only apply to professional 
workers in those activities. OTOH I won't discourage you from 
over-engineering your safety apparatus for your own piece of mind. 

>  If rope grabber won't work here, then what is the best
>  solution?  [Yeah, I realize that the rope will be vertical from the edge
>  of the roof to the ground, but I'd like to stop before I get to the edge.]
>  I'd like to be protected while I ascend and descend as well as when I'm up
>  there.

    Roofers here in Washington State have a bracket that attaches to the peak 
of the roof and they attach themselves to it. What I do is to run my rope 
over the roof and attach it to an anchor (tree, STURDY fence post, car 
bumper, etc.) on the other side of the house that I'll be climbing up. 
>  
>  I'm considering putting a D-ring in the middle of the safety line and
>  connecting the lanyard to that.  Then I would have ground helpers on each
>  end of the safety line.  Each helper would have several wraps of the line
>  around a porch post on their side of the house.  The helpers could belay
>  the line as I ascend and descend, and while I'm at the peak, they could
>  tie the ends of the line to the porch posts.  Any problems with this plan?
>  
    No, but you can tie a knot in the middle of the rope and attach that to 
your safety belt. You can attach yourself to the knot with a carabiner or 
clevis (shackle) of an appropriate size. The knot can be tied so that it 
catches you before you go off the roof. Even if you fall you'll only slide as 
far as the knot so your chances of hitting the deck are pretty small 
(something would have to fail to do that). 

    The only tricky part is that you have to climb somewhat up the roof to 
rig the safety rope. Maybe you can throw a small line over the house and then 
pull your safety rope over with it. You can probably figure out a reasonable 
way to do it. I've also used a chimney as an anchor. 

    You didn't mention what your roofing material is. If you've got cedar 
shakes, you can use "creepers" which are like little crampons that'll let you 
walk right up wet cedar shakes. If you've got tile, that's a little more 
problematic. Regular composition material is relatively easy to walk up.

    Your safety belt D-ring should be in the back so you can take any safety 
belt and twist it around your waist until a D-ring is in the back. Attach 
your lanyard to the aforementioned knot in the rope. Actually you can tie 
yourself directly into the rope with a bowline, figure 8, etc. and skip the 
lanyard. If you don't know knots, either learn one or get some help from 
someone who does (most hams don't). 

    I hope this is reasonably clear but let me know if you need further 
explanations.

Cheers    Steve     K7LXC
Tower Tech - tower, roof and tree guy

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