SAFETY: Occupational Health Risks for Roofers

For more info about occupational disease and workplace health and safety, contact the Workplace  Safety and Insurance Board: 1-800-465-9646.

Tasks and possible hazards

 All tasks

• dust and insulation fibres on construction sites
• hazardous materials from industrial work sites (coke ovens, refineries, chemical plants, glass plants, factories,cement plants, pulp and paper mills, power plants)
• awkward postures, vibration, and hazardous noise whileusing power tools, grinders, saws, and mobile equipment
• extreme tempuratures (hot and cold environments)
• musculoskeletal injuries from carrying or lifting materials and tools

Installation and removal

• asphalt fumes/coal tar pitch volatiles
• asbestos/insulation fibres (could be part of the insulation or in building materials)
• lead adhesives, solvents, epoxies
• exhaust fumes from gas- or diesel-powered equipment
• noise and vibration
• animal and bird droppings

How to protect your health

✓ Ask your supervisor or employer for safe work instructions and training.
✓ Consult industrial clients on site-specific health and safety procedures.
✓ Ask about any hazardous materials or unknown chemicals when entering an industrial site for work.
✓ Ensure proper ventilation.
✓ Wear a proper respirator when you suspect asbestos may be a hazard working in dusty atmospheres welding using solvents, adhesives, or other hazardous substances using metalworking fluids (cutting oils).
✓ Wear gloves, coveralls, welding jackets, or use barrier creams to protect the skin.
✓ Consult material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for information about hazardous chemicals used at work, and obey workplace health and safety rules.
✓ Never eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum in areas contaminated with asbestos, lead, or toxic chemicals.
✓ Wash or wipe your hands clean before eating, drinking, or smoking.
✓ Always clean up and change out of contaminated clothing before going home at the end of a shift.
✓ Wash work clothes separately from casual and other family members’ clothes.
✓ Report hazards to your employer.

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This booklet was prepared by the Ontario construction industry’s Occupational Disease and Research Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee with assistance from the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and labour and employers in Ontario construction.
The information presented here is for general information only. It should not be regarded or relied upon as a definitive guide to health risks in the trade. This information is, to the best of our knowledge, current at the time of publication. For more information, contact the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association. 1-800-781-2726 info.construction@ihsa.ca  www.ihsa.ca