Every contactor, solar installer, tree trimmer, house painter, satellite dish company, holiday light hanger, chimney repair and sweepers all have to have insurance to protect themselves and their business from accidents and damage caused while on the job. It is a necessary evil we all have to pay for and the costs of insurance only go up as more homeowners become more litigious in their pursuit to rectify damages caused by workers just doing their jobs.
For centuries it was just an accepted part of the job that when you worked on a metal, tile, composite or other fragile roof surface, the worker would cause damage because no matter how careful or experienced you could be, things happen, people slip, feet step on the wrong spot and the roof covers break. One solar installation company recently complained that they average about $1,500 in tile damage for every install they do. Total the number of installations done each year and we're talking the possibility of hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on roof repairs. It should also be taken into consideration the amount of time it takes to go back and fix the damage and what all this does to your insurance rates.
Insurance companies are concerned with risk and liability.
For people working on a roof the risks are obvious. Slipping and falling of the worker brings worker's comp insurance claims and sometimes personal injury claims. When your equipment or material fall off the roof , then we have damage claims for ruined tools and material loss or, if any of these items falls off the roof and hits a car, or worse, a person, now we are talking about some major liability claims.
There are different safety tools and equipment on the market to help prevent the worker from falling and some to help steady the person while on a roof, but these fall arrest tools like an anchored harness or ladder braces and roof climbing devices, don't always do a good job in stopping the roof worker from slipping and none of these can prevent damage to the roof surface.
The insurance companies would love to find something that can solve both issues thereby mitigating the risks of slipping and falling of the workers and their tools and materials AND at the same time stop their clients from breaking tile, metal and other roof surfaces. This would greatly reduce their need to fight costly litigation and pay out claims.
The RoofSmartPad is now on the market to solve both of these problems and insurance companies are starting to take notice.
The RoofSmartPad with it's hard plastic shell and soft-foam rubber non-slip bottom provides a secure foot-hold for anyone working on a roof and at the same time the pad will evenly disperse the worker's weight preventing them from breaking surfaces like terra cotta, metal, composite, asphalt, concrete and wood.
The RoofSmartPad is able to be tied off to an anchor or counter-weight for 9:12 and 12:12 pitches and can be used independently or tied together depending upon how you wish to configure your work space. The RoofSmart Ladder Brace attaches to the pad and tied to the ladder keeps it in place and provides a perfect transition landing pad for the worker to move from ladder to roof without worrying about ladder movement, slipping and damage to the roof.
Add the RoofSmart Steep Step for steep inclines for a more comfortable platform to work on and the RoofSmart Toolbox that fits over the pads to keep your tools and materials from falling off the roof and you've got an all around safety tool and system that will increase productivity while reducing slip risks, and damage to roofs.
It's no wonder that insurance companies have an interest in getting their clients to use the RoofSmartPads and accessories to mitigate slip and fall risks and stop the damage to roofs that cost them and their clients so much money, time and reputations.
