It’s the time of the year where every house is perfectly decorated with lights and holiday decorations. Every year, families go over and beyond to create unique lighting and with the DIY trending, many people prefer to do it all by themselves. However, this has increased the number of injured during the holiday season. Many accidents happen while decorating homes, and some suffer from severe injuries and broken bones. It’s nice to have a well-decorated home, but it’s also essential to ensure your safety. Here are the important things you must keep in mind when decorating your rooftop.
Work During Daytime
Yes, you will only know how well you installed the lights around your house and on the roof during nighttime, and it can be really tempting to start decorating when it’s dark. However, working at this time can be dangerous. Before you start, make sure that you check the forecast and schedule enough time during the daytime to hang all the decorations and fix any issues that come along your way when decorating. Checking the weather beforehand will allow you to avoid working during rain, snow, and wind that can mess up the whole lights you’re trying to hang.
Check and Clear The Roof
One of the most important steps that you need to take in order to ensure your safety is to check the roof before you start decorating. Take a ladder and get on your roof to make sure that it’s clean and in good condition. Debris, dust, leaves, or anything on the rooftop can cause further problems when you hang the decorations. You should also take a look at the condition of your roof. Some rooftops may look okay but once you start putting any pressure on them, they might break, learn more here to know what to look for when checking your rooftop. This step is vital as it can avoid accidents that can result in serious injuries. For more safety measures, you can hire a professional to inspect the roof for you and ensure that it’s safe for you to go up there.
Prepare Your Tools and Decorations
Once you clear the roof, you’ll be able to have an idea of how your decorations will look like. Before you go up and start hanging the lights, prepare all the decorations and tools you might need. When you have a vision of how your decorations will be, gather all the lights needed, and some extra in case you want to add something. So instead of going up and down several times to get your tools, risking your safety, you will have everything you need on the rooftop.
Gear Up
Even the safest person can accidentally fall. You need to reduce this risk as much as possible. So when you’re up there hanging your decoration, make sure to wear safety clothes and use safety gear. The boots you wear should be made of soft rubber for easier movement. Have a tool belt ready to carry your tools without having to move a lot while you’re on the roof, and choose the right ladder that won’t risk you falling or slipping from it. It’s also important to avoid carrying any heavy items while climbing up the ladder, as it might mess up your balance.
Know How To Remove Them
When you’re hanging up the decoration, you’re not thinking of when or how you’ll remove these lights. However, it’s essential to consider how you’ll remove them once the holiday season is over while you’re setting them up. If you think about the ways of removing those decorations, you’ll be able to know how to set it up properly without messing up your rooftop. For example, if you don’t want to go up there and spend hours removing them, then you should use plastic clips and hooks instead of nails, glue guns, or a staple.
During the holiday season, there are around 250 accidents every day related to decoration. 40% of them suffer from serious injuries that will need months of treatment and care. A trip to a hospital’s emergency room during the holiday is definitely not fun, and it can ruin the whole holiday for you. That’s why, if you decide on decorating your rooftop by yourself, you should take all the safety measures to minimize the risks. It’s almost impossible to avoid accidents completely, but you need to limit it as much as you can. Before working, have a professional check the rooftop for you and if there are any problems, holes, or cracks, fix them before hanging any decorations.
