When the danger is invisible

By Emma Peterson. 

How NFRC is raising awareness of long-term, less visible safety risks in roofing. 

Over the years, our understanding of safety practices in the roofing trade has grown exponentially. There was a time not too long ago where something as simple as earplugs on a jobsite were much less commonly used. What changed? Our understanding that not all danger is visible. To learn more about handling safety issues when the threat is not visible, we sat down with Gary Walpole from National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

In the industry, the easy to address safety risks are the ones that are immediate and visible. Think slipping and twisting your ankle because you don’t have the correct type of boots on. But the harder to spot issues are the ones that are invisible, or don’t become visible until years down the road. Gary explained:  

We’re good at recognizing causation damage – you did xyz wrong and now you’re hurt. But there are things like silica dust exposure that have a much longer timeline. And so, it feels less serious; people don’t respect the risk as much and then suddenly our aging workforce has lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory issues. 

Working to raise awareness and respect for these less visible safety risks is something that NFRC is very passionate about. In fact, going back to Gary’s example of silica dust, NFRC has a campaign called Cut the Dust that is entirely focused on helping roofing professionals mitigate this issue. In this campaign, they not only highlight the health risks that come with inhaling silica dust (which is often produced on jobsites when cutting concrete roof tiles), but also ways to mitigate the risks. These strategies include:  

• Design for the fewest cuts needed 
• Have a dedicated cutting area 
• Vacuum up the dust rather than sweeping 
• Use water suppression to keep dust down 
• Require proper PPE (personal protective equipment)  

All of these strategies require dedication from leaders on jobsites and within their companies. Gary explained, “If the operatives see the leadership within the company don't care then obviously that breeds a poor culture. And mitigating widespread safety issues like this is all about cultural change.” 

If you are interested in being a part of the change, NFRC provides a variety of resources, like posters, toolbox talks and more that can help you take responsibility and make change on your jobsite.  

Want to learn more about safety in the roofing sector? Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording.