Rope study ?

Anybody know of a study ever done on roofer output being fully fall protected vs. unprotected. My guess is that it slows things down about 20%. In fact, the only way I could see it not slowing production would be if you had a worker that could channel the anger generated by the rope into working faster.>>>

Well i have enough hoses on the roof from the guns, i don't need exta obsticals. So that being said i like roof jacks better. on new construction it is maditory to have ropes and harness, with a hard hat go figger, with construction boots....>>>

It's here for all albums.http://rcs.si-sv2628.com/album_owners.asp

We can't link to pics though. :blink:>>>

If you see a roofer hanging from a rope around here its either a suicide or a homicide! lol 30% slower!>>>

Vaa, since the big change here, you're the only guy that has posted pictures. Are your pictures straight off your pute or are they through a picture site link?

Tom, About ten years ago I bought a couple of the yo-yo-on-a-stick elevated anchors. They had straps instead of cable. I liked them but one lasted about two years and the other about five. One of the drawbacks was it limited putting on the top battens and nailers around the ridge until much later in the project.

The guy I bought them from was delivering tile as a piece-work job for a tile company. He complained that the yoyo would catch and stop him whenever he tried to hurry and that he preferred the ropes like I had. I jokingly offered to trade him and he asked how much money I would give with the ropes to trade. I told him I could go to a cash machine and get him $200 and he jumped on it. Years later I found out they weren't his to sell, so I guess we both made out on that deal.>>>

Wywoody; I was going to address tile, but didn't think many on here did much....We used to do primarily tile...We used an elevated/swiveling anchor, (aprx. 48" off the roof peak), with retractable cables....Considerable expense over conventional ropes, but productivity increased substantially, as you didn't have the ropes tangling btwn. stacks of tile, knocking them over, etc....

It's been 10 yrs.....My best recollection of the increased labor costs over going with a non-fall arrest equipment would go something like this; On ptiches to 6/12 add 50% to the direct labor utilizing conventional ropes/harnesses....Add 25% if utilizing elevated, retractable cable systems.....The elevated/retractable route may prove in-efficient unless your doing enough quantity to justify the increased costs....We were doing aprx. 2,000 sqs./mo.>>>

It adds 10-15% to the time. Setting up takes time. Tearing down does too. Not just lost time stumbling around the stuff.

You also have to firure the ropes and harnesses are only good for X number of jobs and have to be regurally replaced to be fully compliant. Figure another $150. per job/day for wear and tear.>>>

Thanks for the responses, but so far no one has really addressed the issue I was seeking. I just wanted a guess at what percentage of output difference being roped up causes. For those of you that are now fully compliant, but were more lax in the past, how much (if any) did you raise your labor rates to be in compliance. I would think that for comp installation, it would have been very easy to check comparable jobs and get the difference in output figures to make an adjustment.

In my case, specializing in tile, to be in compliance required me to totally restructure my operation and drastically cut down the number of employees I have.>>>

Don't take my comments wrong. THis crap of safety harnesses on every roof is silly. Ropes all over a1 storey 4/12??????>>>

On very high & steep slopes, it hasn't hindered our production.....If fact, it may improve it through nothing more than worker safety confidence.

On lower slopes, it most definitely slows things down...However, it's just a cost of doing business, (kinda like the WC/labor burden thing).

I will commnet, that years ago, (aprx. 1983 I think), we were forced to utilize belts/harnesses on a 1/2 in 12 pitch BUR job we were doing.....Immediately one of my guys, stepped on a rope which rolled under his foot causing him to fall, thereby submerging his hand in a full mop kart.....Wasn't pretty...>>>

Fall Arrest Harnesses slow work a bit. They've tripped many a person too. Positioning harnesses speed work up.>>>