# Forum Home Renovation Roofing  How do I work safely on steep roof?

## ptrott

I need to do some work on the A/C unit on my roof, but it is a corrugated iron roof at about 45 degrees (older house) and I can't stand on it without slipping / sliding. 
I have tried bare feet, boots, thongs, sneakers, but nothing will grip it sufficiently well. 
What the hell do people do in this situation? Sky hook???

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## leeton

Dunlop Volley's and a harness...you wouldn't want to fall.

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## bugsy

pay someone to do it.
then sit back and watch them fall

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## looseless

DANGER DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON. :Eek:  :Eek:  :Shock:  :Shock:  :Confused:  
Do not try to work on a 45 degree pitch roof without some fall protection. A harness would be ideal. 
Make a roof ladder (timber or steel) with a cleat or brackets you can attach to the roof, or hang over the ridge. Take time to make it safe, as no job is worth serious injury or YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!  :Shock:  :No:  :No:  :Cry:  :Cry:  
If you can you may be able to make some brackets that can screw to the roof which you can mount a plank on. I have done this when installing solar panels on a steep roof. Good Luck and be careful.  
If this is too hard, take the advice of the previous posts.  :Brava: brava

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## chipps

You don't say what type of work it needs, 
Anyways...........Agree with the safety concerns. Life's to short ptrott, play safe & get an aircon tradie to deal with it.

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## Gooner

Guy at work a while ago decided to do some work on his roof and slipped off. Single story roof, but fell badly and broke his neck.  
Was off work for the best part of the year and his head was in a steel brace screwed into his skull for months. Can still see the dints in his head where the brace once was screwed in. Has recovered quite well, but goes to show that a simple fall can have devastating effects.

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## kombiman

I am a Nurse as my day job. 
You would not believe the amount of people I meet that have fallen off roofs.  
I specialise in psychiatry which gives you an idea the damage beyond immediate physical injuries that an event like this can do to your whole life, for the rest of your life. 
Risk manage this job as if your life depends on it (oh wait....) 
The roof ladder is a great idea so you can move freely.  A full harness and fall arrestor (like a self braked pulley your safety rope goes on, will only turn slowly to release the rope as a short sharp stop on the end of a rope can be just as fatal as hitting the ground when your neck snaps....) would be the minimum I would use.

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## ptrott

Thanks guys. 
I am going to try the harness and make a ladder that I can screw to the roof.

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## flynnsart

You can hire the harnesses at equipment hire places, around 35 a day. 
Donna

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