If you're having work done on your roof this summer, make sure you provide the lemonade.
Imagine working on a black, tar roof in 95-degree weather with 500-degree asphalt. Or picture freezing on a roof in the December cold, trying to patch a leak.But the weather is not the only thing a roofer needs to worry about.
Roofing is one of the most dangerous jobs in Utah, local roofing contractors say.
Eight Utahns in special trade construction, which includes roofing, were killed in 1995, according to Utah Occupational Safety & Health statistics.
Nationally, 613 people in special trade construction were killed last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
At Pioneer Roofing Co., there were three accidents in the past 15 years, said company president John Stout. One roofer slipped and fell on hot asphalt. Another poured hot asphalt into his boot. A third roofer fell through a skylight 20 feet to a concrete floor.
However, following safety rules and precautions can prevent accidents, said Stout.
Occupational Safety & Health Administration guidelines require employees engaged in roofing activities to be protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems and personal fall arrest systems, which include body belts and ropes.
Falling is the immediate concern of roofers, but the equipment they use can be dangerous as well.
Shawn Whitaker, president of Whitaker Roofing Services Inc., said special precaution must be taken with ladders, nail guns and sharp blades.
The weather presents certain problems and health concerns also.
During the summer, roofers watch out for dehydration, Stout said. To prevent the problem from occurring, roofers begin jobs early in the day.
Roofers drink plenty of fluids and wear sunscreen on summer days. They must be adequately clothed in the winter, said Shaw Roofing president Abe Shaw.
"Who wants to become a roofer?" said Greg Ray, a salesman at Wesley Green Roofing Inc. "It's not a pleasant job no matter how you look at it."
A lot of people agree. At certain times of the year, his company will go out and buy work because of the labor shortage for the amount of work it has, Ray said.
The labor shortage also affects Stout's business. "We can't find good people," he said.
Roofing is hard work and labor intensive, Stout said. A person must be in good health and have a strong body.
Stout's company has an apprenticeship program in which participants start out as laborers. "Most of the time they don't stay long enough to be an apprentice," he said.
Whitaker said the Utah Roofing Association will be implementing an apprenticeship program at Salt Lake Community College winter quarter 1997.
Apprenticeship programs "bump up the profession," Whitaker said. They show that it takes more than a hammer and a ladder to be roofer, he said.
Roofers are paid by piece work, Whitaker said, which encourages them to be aggressive workers. A roofer can make $500 to $1,000 a week, he said.
Whitaker believes the best time for roofing is in the spring but fall is the busiest season by far.
Between the months of August and December, there is three times as much work as other months, Stout said. "We would rather have even work all year round."
The abundance in work leads to an increase in prices, an incentive to get your roof done in the spring. "The roofs are always less expensive in the springtime," Stout said.
How much does it cost to get your roof done?
The price tag on a roofing job depends on the amount of roofing area, the pitch of the roof and the extent to which the roofing project needs to go, Shaw said.
An average house with 2,000 square feet of roofing surface costs $4,000 for a tar and gravel roof and $2,000 for a shingle job, said Ray.
Tar and gravel roofs are among the most common. Other popular roofs include the asphalt shingle, wood shingle, cement or concrete tile and single ply, said Shaw.
New products have been introduced over the years, Stout said, but "there are a lot of problems with failures."
New, high-tech roofing techniques are not efficient in Utah, Ray said.
"None of them are any good," he said. "Traditional types of roofing . . . have proven to be the best."
Techniques that were once uncommon are no longer unusual, said Whitaker.
More and more residential homes are having metal roofs placed on their homes - for a more resort look, said Whitaker.
The different colors of metal roofs make a difference. "It used to be real ugly," he said.
As cost and style varies, so does the amount of time it takes to complete a roofing project.
Most roofing projects take three to five days but can take up to two weeks to complete, Shaw said.
The length of a project also depends on the number of people working on it, Stout said.