If you currently work in the roofing industry, you are likely to be hurt in a work accident. Being injured as a result of a mishap due to someone else’s fault can lead you to feel anguished, confused, and worried about your finances since you may be physically unable to work.

Nonetheless, knowing more about the most common roofing injuries, how to prevent them, and what steps you should take after suffering a roofing accident, can allow you to make sure your workers’ comp claim has success. With this blog article, here at Castan & Lecca, we want to provide you with the information you need to know how to prevent and react to these work hazards.

Most common injuries caused in roofing accidents

In 2021, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the most frequently violated standard was not having the proper fall protection in place for construction workers. This fact becomes more appalling when you take into consideration that more than 10,350 workers suffer serious injuries each year when they fall from heights.

Since most roofing contractors work from heights, they’re at risk of falling off a roof and getting hurt. The most common injuries that stem from these accidents are:

• Bone fractures: when a roofer falls off a ceiling, the brunt of their landing can result in broken bones.
• Traumatic Brain Injury: if a worker falls from a significant height or gets hit by an object, the impact can lead them to suffer traumatic brain injuries. Long-term effects from these physical traumas may cause impairment in their emotional, mental, and cognitive abilities.
• Spinal Cord and Back Injuries: falling from heights on a construction site can generate serious back and spinal cord injuries. In some cases, a spinal cord injury may cause partial or complete paralysis.

But not only are roofers exposed to fall accidents. Other work hazards that can cause them injuries are:

• Puncture Wounds: roofers may puncture themselves by using a nail gun without the proper care.
• Repetitive motion injuries: performing activities such as nailing or hammering boards for long periods of time can cause long-term effects such as tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and pinched nerves.
• Heat-related injuries: working under the sun for long hours, especially during the summer, can cause roofers to suffer heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and receive severe sunburns.
• Electrocution: roofers are most likely to face this danger when their metal ladders come in contact with power lines.
• Falling objects: roofers may be hit by falling objects such as debris, materials, scaffolding, bricks, and unsecured construction materials (e.g., ladders).

How to prevent roofing injuries

Employers are legally obligated to keep their workers safe. In the roofing industry, OSHA standards are intended to keep workers safe while they perform their jobs. For example, proper safety materials must be provided to them in order to prevent workplace injuries. These are the personal protective equipment employees must have and use:

• Personal Fall Arrest Systems
• Guardrail systems
• Hard hats
• Gloves
• Goggles
• Earplugs
• First Aid Kits
• Orange vests

However, not only personal protective equipment keeps roofers safe while doing their job. Other OSHA standards that roofing employers must follow to avoid workplace hazards at a minimum are:

• Train all workers in fall protection.
• Supervise workers to make sure fall protection equipment is being used correctly.
• Warn workers of potential hazards using color codes, safety posters, labels, and signs.
• Place the official OSHA poster on the construction site to inform roofers of their rights and responsibilities.
•  Keep records of workplace injuries and illnesses.
• Provide employees and their representatives with access to medical records.

Not only employers are fully responsible for preventing workplace injuries. As an employee, the CDC has published a list of recommendations to prevent roofers from falling. Monitoring weather conditions, using a buddy system when working at heights, properly using a ladder, and securing scaffolds are some tips you should follow and apply to ensure both you and your coworkers’ safety.

Most accidents in the roofing industry can be prevented by making sure both you and your employer are taking the right steps in planning, training, and properly using safety protocols and equipment.

What to do when in jured in a roofing accident

In the tragic event, you were to get injured in a roofing accident, knowing what steps to immediately take whilst knowing your workers’ rights and workers’ comp laws can help you receive the compensation you deserve.

The first step you should follow is to report the accident to your employer and/or construction site manager. In fact, if you inform your injuries after a month, you may not be eligible to receive compensation.

We also recommend you get the names and contact information of witnesses who saw you get injured on the job. Additionally, taking pictures and videos of the accident scene can further back up your case when you’re filing a workers’ comp claim.

Next, you should seek medical attention right away. Remember, you cannot choose your personal physician to check your injuries. Only an approved doctor by your employer can examine your trauma and give you the medical care you need.

However, taking these steps is not the only thing that is going to help your workers’ comp claim. Since the legal process can become overwhelming, hiring an attorney that specializes in workers’ comp can help you with:

• Securing the proper documentation and evidence to help your case, such as medical records.
• Meeting deadlines to file your claim.
• Negotiating with insurance companies.
• Providing you with a legal strategy to identify weak points in your case.

Since Georgia operates on a no-fault workers’ comp system, as long as the accident happened during your work shift or was caused by any work activity, you’re eligible to receive benefits without not necessarily showing hard evidence to prove your injuries were caused by your employer’s negligence.

Get the legal help you deserve

If you were to get injured in a roofing accident, here at Castan & Lecca, our many years of experience in Workers’ Comp laws will make sure you receive the compensation you are rightfully owed. Contact us to have a free consultation to start working on your case right away.