Repetitive Stress Roofer Injuries

Roof construction is an inherently dangerous industry. Roofers work high up so are at risk to fall. In competitive markets they are often on tight deadlines, so many Denver roofers get injured working in adverse weather. The combination of working outdoors, high above the ground, with heavy staple guns and materials make the job one of the most dangerous in Colorado.

The most common injuries for roofers are broken bones from falls. One slip and a Denver roofing contractor may be out of the business permanently. Clambering around beams requires a lot of nimbleness that may fade as roofers age. As data from aging roofers is collected, there is another possible injury being associated with Denver roofing companies, and that is repetitive stress injuries.

One study said that over half of all roofers who leave the Denver roofing industry do so because of pain induced by repetitive stress or other health reasons. Leaving the industry early can also be crippling financially. Many roofers do not have many other skills than constriction, so they may have trouble supporting themselves if they are forced into early retirement because of health reasons.

Repetitive stress is caused by doing the same stressful actions over and over. Things like carrying heavy roofing supplies up ladders and nailing frames are possible contributors. In houses with shingles or tile roofs, roof contractors have to nail thousands of shingles to the roof with a gun. They are often hunched over, nailing roofing tile after roofing tile in the sun. Each firing of the nail gun is like a small shock wave that can damage bone, nerves and connective tissue over time.

Unfortunately many of these roofers who have to retire early suffer from skeletal diseases. Being a roofer past the age of 50 is not very common because of the stresses on the body. So at a time when most occupations are reaching their peak, roofers are breaking down. They even seem to physically age faster than the norm. Most construction workers are paid by the hour, so as their bodies break down, older roofers have to take time off and miss work, which means they are getting paid less and face the possibility of not being rehired for the next job.

Beware Door to Door Roofing Scams

The roofing contractor business is going through a tight time now because of the economy and housing market. However any legitimate roofing company is not going to go door to door asking for free roof inspections and your business. But that is exactly what some "roofing contractors" are doing.

The scam works like this: the roofers drive through the neighborhood going door to door offering a free roof inspection. If the customer agrees, once on the roof, the roofer looks for damage and if there is any, reports it and tires to get a contract to fix it from the homeowner. This sounds just like any reputable roofing contractor in Denver would do, and it is. The difference is if the roof is fine, the scammers start damaging it.

So you have a 100% chance of having a damaged roof if you let a door to door roofer into your home. Legitimate Denver roofing companies may offer a free inspection, but they will not go door to door. In any case, it is a good idea to supervise workers, especially if you have not dealt with that company before. Benjamin Franklin had a plaque that applies in this case, saying: not to oversee workers is to leave your purse open.

Most people don't know the difference of what it looks like for someone on a roof to be repairing or damaging a roof. And most people just mind their own business. The owners are usually inside and can't see anything that is going on. The scammers run it as a numbers game: eventually someone will let them on their roof, and someone will pay for the damage. Since they are just manufacturing work out of nothing, it only takes a few houses to pay for their week.

The only people who might understand are construction workers and insurance adjusters. Insurance companies hate this kind of behavior because it inflates the probability of something happening far beyond the projected average. Don't be worried that big roofing companies only care about the lucrative Denver roof replacement jobs. Most will give you a free consultation because they want to build connections. At some time, everyone will need a little roof work.

There was a case where an insurance adjuster noticed that roofers were damaging the roof of his neighbor. These crooked contractors were using the aftermath of a hurricane as an excuse to create more "wind damage."

Integrating your roofing decisions into your home concept

Your roof covers about half the visible area of your home from the outside. You therefore have some very important decisions to make regarding what kind of roof you want. This is going to be a fun process because of all the different options you have available! For every roofing material, there are many different styles and concepts you can go with.

In the good ol' days, a roof was just straw or wood over your head. Even further back was stone... and in modern days some Denver roofers even offer stone roof tile! The first settlers in Denver used wood planks with tar paper for water proofing. If you are making a log cabin, you can still use wood as your roof, but add tar paper and shingles or metal sheeting as well to make it last. Most modern homes have shingle, tile or metal roofs.

Metal is the easiest and simplest roof. Roofing for metal roofs basically just involves screwing the metal to the roof and leaving. It can be hard to make a metal roof attractive, but painting usually works well. A painted red roof indicates a kind of country barnyard style. A light blue or white roof will reflect sun heat and could be striking in the right background. Metal does not need much maintenance, although it will rust eventually, this would be after you had replaced your shingles several times.

Shingles are very popular in Denver due to their cheap price, light weight and ease of installation. Asphalt shingle installation is a labor intensive process, where the Denver roofing workers staple rows of shingles to your tar paper. The price for the materials is cheap however and it does not require highly skilled workers. Wood shingles on the other hand look much nicer and require more work to make and install. Wood lasts around the same time as asphalt/fiberglass shingles despite their use of natural material.

Tile is like shingles but made of a hard material like clay or concrete. The ceramic shingles are made by hand, cut from clay. Tile shingles last much longer than wood or ceramic. The tiles will last at least 50 years as long as they do not break. These tiles are very hard and strong against weather. They will however break or slip off if hit by branches or if people walk on them. So for tile roofs, you will have to replace a few tiles every year, while shingled roofs have to be completely replaced once they wear out. Tiles can also operate in a more narrow range of roof grades.

Call your Denver roof company to see what the life of your shingles is expected to be because you want to replace them before they start casing weather damage to your home.

Tile or Shingles?

The great debate in roofing is tile or shingles. The debate is not black and white. It gets clouded as slate shingles... which look about halfway between shingles and tile. Asphalt shingles are the cheapest kind of shingle. They are light and any Denver roofing company can install them easily, but they are not the most durable good.

Asphalt shingles are easy to replace, but they wear out quickly and can be damaged by strong weather. The problem with all kinds of shingles, both wood and asphalt, is that weathering slowly deteriorates them. Asphalt shingles shrink and wood shingles rot, the eventual end result of which is water damage through the roof below. Wood shingles have a long history in Europe but have been replaced by asphalt and other synthetic materials in the US for most common applications.

On the other hand, the low cost and flexibility of shingles make them more resistant to impact than tile, and the replacement cost is lower. Tiles are also more fragile when it comes to people walking around on them. Tile can break and fall off, causing a hazard. The tiles may offer more protection from impacts, at the expense of destroying themselves. Roof tile is made from a hard material like ceramic, clay or slate. There are many different styles, from Spanish rounded roof tile to simple square slate tiles. Tile is heavier than shingles, so when switching roof styles, hire an engineer or Denver roofer to check your roof for structural stability.

When it comes to insulating abilities, roof tiles work a little better than shingles because they are made of thicker material. The real difference in heat loss is your insulation in the attic. Proper insulation and venting will make much more of an impact than the type of Denver roof materials you choose.

From a pure aesthetics standpoint, only wood shingles can compete with tile. Tile looks cleaner and more masculine because of its thicker shape. The barrel roof tiles of southwest architecture are usually red or earth tones and give a more laid back tropical image.

If you want to really go crazy with your roof, hire a custom roofer that knows how to do old-school European shingles. There are many designs to choose from and your roof will definitely be unique.