Material handling in commercial roofing safety talk
There is plenty of room for error when it comes to material handling. Ensuring the safest material handling practices are in place can be challenging due to equipment available, location and convenience. Below are some tips to safely move equipment.
Crane/telehandler/forklift/carts
- Only trained and authorized employees should operate material handling equipment
- Use equipment to aid in material handling when possible such as cranes, telehandlers, forklifts, carts etc.
- Ensure route of travel is clear
- All material and equipment should be secured before transporting
- Once on the roof carts should be utilized to transport heavy equipment or to move stacks of debris
- Secure pallets and material with bands and wrap to prevent items from falling
- Load lifting aids with heaviest and largest items on the bottom
- Keep loads low when traveling
- Ensure the load is balanced
- Know the weight limit of your equipment and do not exceed
If manual lifting is required:
- Weight that a worker can carry should be limited with a maximum weight set
- Practice safe lifting techniques such as keeping back straight and bending at the knees
- If an item is to large or heavy such as large sheets of material that may act as a sail, ask for assistance from a team member
- Wear gloves with a good fit and grip when lifting material
