This upsidedown photo shows a unsafe condition on the roof of a home that was having shingles replaced. The roofer was walking on the roof untethered. He was using a piece of foam to help him stay on the roof. There was no supervisor present on site. The ladder he was using, which is not pictured, was not level on the ground and was at an unsafe angle. Safety is paramount when anyone is accessing or walking on a roof, particularly during repairs or construction.
I studied a photo in the inspection gallery about ceiling fans. Interestingly, I learned that the outlet box must be marked “acceptable for fan support 45 lbs”. This weight rating is to keep the fan from falling.
The composition roof covering is applied correctly. The pitch of the roof is approximately 8:12. The roof pitch is excessively steep, and would be hazardous to walk on. A proper ladder should be used to access the roof, and the roof covering observed from the top of the ladder.
Attic access ladders can be hazardous is not correctly installed. The are often installed by the homeowners or other non-professionals, and are not installed correctly. Common installation defects to look out for are structural attic members cut and weakened during installation, installation with improper nails and screws, and fastened with an inadequate number of screws.
The following fixture shows a ladder that has not been properly secured. This ladder was noted to be placed on a slanted roof and the ladder feet were not secured in place. Also, the top of the ladder was not secured and did not extend three feet beyond the edge of the roof.
I have enjoyed reading the article by Nick Gromicko titled “Crawlspace Hazards and Inspection”. By reading this article I have learned of various hazards a residential crawl space can pose to a home inspector. A few of these dangers include asbestos insulation, mold/fungus inhalation and external irritants, and exposure to raw sewage. An inspector may also encounter dangers such as entrapment due to structural failure, a virus carried by rodents called Hantavirus, and live exposed electrical wires. When entering a crawl space, a home inspector needs to be knowledgeable of the risks an take proper precautions.
One additional piece of safety equipment I would like to add to the list is hearing conservation. Construction site can be notorious for banging sounds, jack hammering, dumping, large machine operations, small machine operations such as circular saws, radial arm saws, rivet guns, etc. Some companies even perform baseline hearing tests as part of their pre-employment exams.
I did my research article on “15 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own” I agree in part with the article except I would reclassify the following: Safety Glasses / Goggles and Respirator / Safety Mask as being PPE rather than tools and reclassify: Duct Tape as a material. Perhaps adding to the materials list “Gorilla Glue” A tool that I would add to my personal list is an inexpensive rotary device to clear pipes such as drains. The article mentions that the list is not comprehensive and each homeowner may have their own tool list based on their unique predicament.
On a recent inspection I found vines from the side wall had continued to grow through the attic space and out the water heater flue vent flashing. Client was inform of the safety hazard and recommended to remove all vines from around flue and attic space. It was also recommended to remove all vines from the exterior wall to minimize moisture and pest entry.
The ladder safety article reaffirms the need for safety. Most items are common sense but after the years of climbing a ladder I have become over confident in the proper was to use a ladder safely. One never thinks it will happen to you but reading the article I realized that there have been several times in years gone by that I either fell or nearly fell because of not thinking and utilizing good safety practices. I plan to institute the this article into our procedures and review it regularly among our employees. As well as myself.
When inspecting the exterior of a home, a step ladder would be acceptable in this situation if you only wanted to look at the gutter or lower roof system. If you were wanting to view the roofing system from the roof, this ladder would not be acceptable as it does not reach the roof surface and the ladder does not extend at least three rungs past the edge of the surface to be climbed upon.
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Ladders are a commonly used piece of equipment for a home inspector. While there are multiple types of ladders, nine to be exact, only seven styles are used by home inspectors. Of those seven styles, the types can be more generalized to two styles of ladders. First would be a climbing type ladder be it an extension or telescoping ladder. The second would be a self-supporting type ladder be it a tripod, an articulating, or a step ladder.
Roof covering inspection
During the roof inspection on the home a hole was observed to a ridge cap shingle at the front gable area of the home. This could cause further problems such as, latent moisture and wood rot. It would be recommended having a roofer further evaluate / correct.
The ladder shown in the photo is 6 ft., and the roof eave is over 9 feet. This ladder is not appropriate or safe to use in accessing the roof
The article on 3-point control for climbing ladders clearly explains the difference between 3 points of contact vs. 3 point control. Three points of contact simply is making sure you have some contact with the ladder, either vertical rails or horizontal rungs. Three point control is making sure your hands are in contact with therungs, where you can support your bodyweight in addition to having your feet on the rungs. if you are holding the vertical rails and slip, you will not be able to support your weight and a fall is emminate.
Every stairway floor opening shall be guarded by a standard railing constructed in accordance with appropriate industry standards (OSHA). The railing shall be provided on all exposed sides (except at entrance to stairway). For infrequently used stairways where traffic across the opening prevents the use of fixed standard railing (as when located in aisle spaces, etc.), the guard shall consist of a hinged floor opening cover of standard strength and construction and removable standard railings on all exposed sides (except at entrance to stairway).
Fires can occur from a number of various situations and conditions (lightning strikes, faulty wiring, furnace malfunctions, and other electrical and heating system-related mishaps). When, in 2008, the number of home fires were 403,000, that resulted in an estimated 13,500 injuries and 2,780 deaths; The need for better public education for fire safety is necessary. The article ‘Fire Safety for the Home’ does just that by providing ‘8 Steps’ and that many more ‘Tips’ to aide in better understanding and prevention of home fires.
Notice the base of this ladder. It is supported on 12” blocks. The cmu sit atop other blocks. There is no guard or fall protection in place and the top of the ladder does not extend 3’ above the edge of the roof
I read an article on what is required and when its required,to obtain a building permit for a project. Most projects requiring structuralalterations require building permits. Penalties for not obtaining permits areusually double fees but work can be required to be removed if not done in amanner satisfactory to the building code official. A lot of small nonstructuralrepairs do not require permits. You should check with your local municipality
The second article I read was on firestops. It explains thatthey seal unprotected openings in firewalls (And fire partitions) A fireseparation can be the area between a garage and living space or the wall areabetween different uses in an unprotected commercial space. Sometimes during aninspection you run across a damaged firestop that was due to a repair or workby a contractor and the integrity of the firestop was not maintained…
For this inspection, I inspected this water heater which is located in the attic. It is a 50 gallon electric heater. It is wrap with an insulation blanket. The supply line has a brass inline ball valve to cut the water off. The temperature and pressure relief valve is located on top. The tested pressure is at 300psi and working condition is at 150 psi. There is a catch pan located at the bottom in which the heater sits on.
