Safe Solutions

• Photo courtesy of Roofmaster Products Co., Los Angeles.

One summer morning, Joe and his crew were working on a small office roof. It was a torch-applied job that required two torching wagons, as well as hand torches.

Joe had worked for Guildhall Roofing for five years and had gained valuable experience as a foreman. For this project, he had met with the building owner and discussed possible torching hazards. They inspected the deck's underside and the building's attic space for potentially hazardous conditions, such as insulation and flammable materials. They also had inspected the building for flammable or hazardous materials that could ignite if exposed to the torches.

Before work began, Joe ensured the roof's surface was noncombustible so it wouldn't be ignited by torch flames. He checked that there were enough fire extinguishers nearby and made sure workers were wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, including eye and face protection, long-sleeved shirts buttoned at the wrist, work gloves, long pants and high-top work boots with sturdy soles.

Joe made sure appropriate fall protection, such as warning lines for the low-slope roof system, was in place and the torching equipment was in good operating condition. The workers had been trained in the use of torches, and Joe felt confident about the job. He had explained the local fire codes and safety regulations to them and made certain the telephone number of the local fire department was programmed into several of the crew members' cell phones, including his own.

The crew worked through the morning, and before it stopped for lunch, gas lines were turned off and torches set down on their stands. Joe made sure his crew drank plenty of water to minimize the risk of dehydration.

The crew worked steadily during the afternoon. One worker, George, was torching near an exhaust vent. Unseen by Joe, he torched directly to the substrate area around the vent, failing to notice that flame from the torch was sucked into the vent.

He completed flashing the area and moved on to another task. An hour before work ended, Joe assigned himself the job of firewatch, inspecting the deck and other areas for signs of heat that would indicate a smoldering fire. He used an infrared heat sensor for the task and continued the inspection for one more hour after everyone had left the roof. Satisfied there was no problem, he prepared to leave. But he suddenly became aware of the smell of smoke and noticed smoke wisps rising from the exhaust vent.

Joe reacted quickly. He found a fire extinguisher, aimed it at the base of the vent and sprayed. He continued until the fire appeared to be out. On his way down from the roof, he called the fire department to report the fire and called the building owner to alert him and urge him to evacuate the building's occupants. Next, he called Guildhall Roofing's owner, Ray, and notified him of the problem.

Firefighters arrived moments later, and Joe explained what had happened. The firefighters entered the building and conducted a thorough investigation.

A firefighter reported he had found a small fire around the vent in the building's attic space but had extinguished it. There was minimal damage, and the building was safe. Only the interior wood framing adjacent to the vent had been burned.

Although there was no serious damage, the situation had been dangerous. Ray talked with Joe about additional training for Guildhall Roofing's workers. Although the crew had worked safely, it had not been familiar with some key precautions, such as not torching near vent openings and exhaust vents. Ray decided his workers needed additional torch safety training and scheduled a training session.

The following week, an instructor visited Guildhall Roofing and guided the workers through the necessary steps for safe torching application. He explained they should not torch directly to a combustible surface, such as a wood deck. Such surfaces should be completely covered with fire-retardant materials, such as fiberglass base sheets approved for the system.

They also learned never to torch directly to a substrate when applying flashing near openings, projections, air intakes, exhaust vents, grease traps or collection pans. A flame could be drawn into hidden areas containing combustible material. Extra care must be taken when installing flashing around air intakes and exhaust vents. Vents should be turned off or covered to prevent flames from entering.

The instructor also demonstrated the "torch-and-flop" method for installing flashing around these areas. To apply heat to modified bitumen, he explained, workers should point the flame directly to the underside of the roll. When the underside of a roll is thoroughly heated, it is flopped into place.

Ray and Joe felt confident Guildhall Roofing's newly trained workers possessed the skills to operate torching equipment safely.

Peter Greenbaum is NRCA's manager of education programs.