Some roofers also waterproof and dampproof masonry and concrete walls and floors. To prepare surfaces for waterproofing, they hammer and chisel away rough spots or remove them with a rubbing brick before applying a coat of liquid waterproofing compound. They may also paint or spray surfaces with a waterproofing material or attach waterproofing membrane to surfaces. When dampproofing, they usually spray a bitumen-based coating on interior or exterior surfaces. It involves heavy lifting, as well as climbing, bending, and kneeling.
Roofers work outdoors in all types of weather, particularly when making repairs.
These workers risk injuries from slips or falls from scaffolds, ladders, or roofs or from burns from hot bitumen. In addition, roofs become extremely hot during the summer. In fact, of all construction industries, the roofing industry has the highest accident rate. Almost all wage and salary roofers worked for roofing contractors. About 1 out of every 3 roofers was self-employed.