protecting asphalt roof shingles

So you use only those who are "light in the shoes" to visit the roof?

Do they need limp wrists and know the names of more than five colors?

Well, at least the roof won't be tacky.

It sounds like your problem is one of unskilled and untrained volunteers working on a roof. Why not train some of your volunteers how to work on roofs without damaging them, and then only allow ones with such training onto the roof?

Dave

It's THAT simple!

Pick the young ones; elders, not allowed up there. Somebody in this volunteer group has too have walked on a roof, before.

Sorry, but it's actually *not* that simple. Most volunteers work exactly one day before they go back to their job that has nothing to do with construction. The few people who come back are recruited for training, exactly as you recommend.

I remember the day that 20 CPAs from an accounting firm showed up. Most of them had never used a hammer before. By the end of the day, we had most of the siding and exterior trim up.

A large part of the volunteer experience is being able to go back and tell their friends, "I helped build a house (even though I don't know what I'm doing)."

Putting a strip of old carpet up there is the best suggestion so far.

"SteveB" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.motzarella.org:

Yep, done that one too. Just left it up there. Actually brought it up more times than I brought it down. Rainstorm, wind, fished it out of the pool.

It reminds me of people I would not give a coffee break too. You have to re-train them.

We accomplished similar task with a 12 Man Chian Gang, in the day. Amazing what you can do carrying a 12 ga.

As long as they don't tell the story about falling off the roof, harmed for ever, you know..

Got any old canvas paint cloth?

Ban boots and street shoes from the roof. I find the ten-buck Wally World tennis shoes great for roof work. Brush the soles before you go up the ladder, walk gently, never step in valleys and on peaks, no problems. I'm rather surprised your insurance carrier lets you use raw volunteers for high work- the Habitat sites around here try really hard to reserve those jobs for current or retired tradesmen who have a clue.

I hear you about the training curve- but can you add 'tennis shoes' to the list of stuff you tell people to bring, like gloves, appropriate outdoor clothes, etc? And can you gently discourage the heavyweights from roof work? All else being equal, the heavier the boot print, the more damage to the shingles.

Hard for me to understand somebody taking more than 5 seconds to grasp the concepts involved, but I grew up in the business, so I'm not a good judge of that.

-- aem sends...

aemeijers wrote in news:7GY5k.53231$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

Screw all the shoes. Just have Hindu firewalkers do the roof.

I've tried that myself. It tends to slide. I hate it when I walk on a 6/12 roof with things sliding under my feet.

with things sliding under my feet.

So do the volunteers. Lead by example :)

No leather sole shoes.