Loïc Plasse, Roofer: "Style is important to us"

Can you introduce yourself and tell us what is your job?

My name is Loic Plasse and I've been a roofer-zinguist for 21 years. I started my own business just 1 year ago.

What are the risks related to your job? 

In this profession, our body is put to a severe test. Often squatting, kneeling, bent over, our knees, ankles and backs are put under a lot of strain every day.

During the winter period, we have to be careful with frost when climbing on the roof. Indeed, the risks of slipping and falling are increased tenfold. We must also protect ourselves from wind, cold and rain which complicate the progress of our work.

In the summer, when it is very hot, we prefer to start our days earlier because the tiles and zinc keep the heat in and in the afternoons without shade, the roofs become a furnace.

What kind of shoes do you use to work?

We mainly use soft yet sturdy safety shoes for ease of movement, with a soft rubber sole with light spikes to grip the tile. I generally prefer low shoes to keep my ankles flexible, but other colleagues prefer high shoes.

What type of clothing do you use for work?

In France, "largeots" pants are typical of the traditional carpenter/roofer's outfit, made of black moleskin (very strong) or velvet for the winter. Some have places to insert knee pads. The cut of these pants is loose to be comfortable in the movements and tighten on the bottom. They simply have 2 pockets on the side and 1 pocket for the reglet. The roofer often carries his hammer and his satchel with a point/screw at the waist.

The clothes are worn all day long from 7am to 5pm, style is important to us.

What other PPE is used by roofers?

We mainly wear a safety harness for fall risks, especially when the bottom of the slope protections are not installed.

We also need sunglasses and metal splinter/tile protection. We wear ear muffs or molded in ear plugs when operating certain electrical machines.

Just like the rest of our equipment, we like to keep it comfortable and high quality. Price remains a key factor as PPE can get damaged quite quickly.