We often talk about guardrails and man anchors as safety precautions during construction, or for roofs that perform some kind of function, such as green roofs and solar panel installations.
One issue we rarely focus on in detail, however, is the need to maintain the roof itself against weather damage; and with the winter months receding, it’s a good time to make sure yours survived intact.
Last weekend, the Met Office issued a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert, which warns of extremely cold temperatures over a prolonged period, accompanied by snow or ice.
A greater problem for roofs, though, can be hail, which hits with much greater force than snowfall, and much more quickly than the rate at which ice forms.
Hail can cause hard-to-see isolated areas of damage that, if left unchecked, can ultimately lead to leaks further down the line.
Unlike wind damage, though, it is often hard to spot; there may not be missing or broken roof tiles, but only very small damaged spots.
For this reason you’ll need to get up close and personal with your roof to inspect for damage – and when you do, it’s wise to use man anchors to prevent any falls, and guardrails to keep people and equipment alike safely on the roof.