SEVERE WEATHER VS NORMAL WEATHER

We want to ensure your safety, so the following are scenarios when you shouldn’t climb ladders or go on the roof:

• Severe Weather (Manager Approved) [Extreme Weather/safety concern]

• Hail

• Heavy Rain (torrential downpour)

• Lightning (Any sign of lightning within 10 miles of location. When you see the lightning count in seconds (one-onethousand, two-onethousand) and when you hear the thunder, that will be the distance of the lightning strike in miles)

We should not pull off of jobs simply because it is raining or snowing

WHAT TO DO IN BAD WEATHER

For sever weather, hail, wind over 30 MPH, heavy rain:

• Make sure to still complete the interior survey

• Wait a period of 30 minutes for weather to clear up to a point where it is safe to complete the exterior survey.

  • If it is safe enough to do all exterior items that do not require a ladder, you will be expected to do so. This includes:

    • 360s around the house

    • Step backs of the roof as needed.

    • Make sure to wipe camera lens regularly. 

  • Once the weather clears up to a point where it is safe to complete the exterior electrical survey and to climb a ladder, you will be expected to do so.

We should only pull off of jobs and mark them "Cannot Complete," when we absolutely have to. Bad weather by itself cannot be the reason  if we haven't completed all other measures listed here first.

SNOW

Snow carries its own set of challenges. Here's some guidelines for completing exterior surveys in the snow:

1. Brush snow off of the roof to clear 2 ft spot showing shingle quality.

   • Snowy conditions will be too cold to take a reliable brittleness test on the shingles, so do not attempt.

   • Make sure to also collect shingle layer photo

2. If applicable ensure that your van has chains for rough driving conditions.

   • Again, you should only call off surveys for conditions that are not possible to drive in.

3. Ensure that your van has a brush/window scraper.

4. Ensure your van is equipped with a snow shovel in the winter months.

   • This can have a number of applications, but most importantly, to ensure your ladder footing is on secure ground, it is best to shovel a clear spot on the ground to set the ladder on.

5. Ensure that your van is equipped with a bag of salt during the winter months.

   • Sometimes there may be a layer of ice under the snow you shoveled to make a spot for your ladder; in most cases, salt will do the trick.

6. Make sure you are wearing gloves while handling aluminum ladders

Of course, during winter, layer up, wear wool socks, hats and other items to keep you warm and comfortable for exterior surveys. You should never pull off of a job because you are not dressed for the weather.

WHEN IT IS APPROPRIATE TO MARK CANNOT COMPLETE DUE TO WEATHER

1. Ideally, we should only pull of a job for weather if the weather is sever enough that it is not safe to drive to the appointment in the first place:

• When this is the case, you will still need to call your manager to confirm before marking Cannot Complete.

• Document:

  • Take photos of the conditions of your local roads

  • Upload screenshots of sever weather warnings.

2. If hazardous conditions such as lightning or torrential rain persist past the 30 minute waiting period after the interior survey has been completed, it may be appropriate to reschedule the exterior part of the survey:

   • When this is the case, you will still need to call your manager to confirm before marking Cannot Complete.

   • Document:

     1. Take photos of the conditions of your local roads

     2. Upload screenshots of sever weather warnings.

Regardless of the exterior weather, the interior survey should ALWAYS be completed. Ask the customer if they would prefer to be home for the exterior survey or not:

• This can be more efficient for scheduling purposes as it can allow us to schedule the appointment without the need for the client to be home.

• If driving to the location would be dangerous or the customer otherwise says the weather isn't good and they want to reschedule. If the customer prefers to reschedule all together that is fine

EXTEREME VS MANAGABLE WIND

Wind can be slightly nuanced based on a few different circumstances. We will explore each of these in depth, but use this general overview as a baseline guide:

• If winds exceed 30 MPH, use extreme caution:

  • Try to set up your ladder on the side of the home opposite the direction that the wind is blowing.

  • If that is not possible, the next best practice is to choose a location that is on a wall that is being directly hit by the wind.

  • Do not set up your ladder on a side of the house where the wind will be hitting the ladder from the side.

• If the roof is steeper than 30° tilt and the wind is stronger than typical or it’s raining heavily:

  • Try to get the shingle layers and get all roof photos from the ladder

  • Do not get on the roof.

• If it still feels unsafe following these guidelines, wait a period of 20 minutes to see if the wind will clear up and try again.

COMPLETE THE INTERIOR SURVEY

In most cases, there should be no reason that the interior survey cannot be completed:

• When wind is a concern, always take care of the interior survey first.

• After the interior survey is completed, follow the guidelines above for the exterior survey.

We should only pull off of jobs and mark them "Cannot Complete," when we absolutely have to. High wind by itself cannot be the reason  if we haven't completed all other measures listed here first.

WHEN IT IS APPROPRIATE TO MARK CANNOT COMPLETE DUE TO WIND

The only circumstances we should mark a survey "Cannot Complete" due to wind is when there are other coinciding circumstances:

1. There are higher than normal winds and the building height requires a 40 foot ladder.

2. The high wind speed is coinciding with extreme weather such as lightning or hail.

In each of these cases, you will need to follow these policies before marking "Cannot Complete:"

1. • You will still need to call your manager to confirm before marking Cannot Complete.

   • Document:

     • Upload screenshots of sever weather warnings.

Regardless, if it is safe to drive to the appointment, the interior survey should ALWAYS be completed. Ask the customer if they would prefer to be home for the exterior survey or not:

• This can be more efficient for scheduling purposes as it can allow us to schedule the appointment without the need for the client to be home.

PETS

Pets can be a safety  concern, even if they are friendly. Use the following guidelines for pets:

1. When you arrive, look for signs of pets such as a gate, a sign indicating a dog on the premises, etc.

   • When this is the case, it's best to confirm with the customer if they have pets.

   • Politely ask the customer if they could secure the pets in a safe area until the survey is completed:

     • You do not need to go into any more detail than simply explaining that this is a policy in place to limit liability and promote safety for both ION personnel and the pet.

2. As a rule of thumb, even if you don't notice any signs of a pet being present in the home, you should always knock on back doors and gates into back yards before entering to see if a dog comes running before entering.

Pets should basically never be a reason to mark a survey "Cannot Complete". This can be considered by your manager on a case by case basis if you deem that the pet is excessively aggressive and the customer refuses to cooperate.

PRECAUTIONS

When there are children on site, more often than not, they won't cause any issues, but you should take some extra precautions since safety liability increases significantly when children are near tools, ladders or other survey equipment.

1. Keep an eye on your tools:

   1. Don't put them somewhere easily accessible by a child

   2. Make sure kids do not touch or play with tools

2. Make sure no children follow you into the attic from the ladder.

3. Make sure children are not anywhere near electrical equipment when completing the electrical survey.

If this becomes an issue, politely ask the customer to help keep the child occupied until such time that the survey is completed. We should never pull off of a job simply because children are present at home.

BIOHAZRDS

For your safety, you should take biohazards extremely seriously. If you are completing an interior survey and notice any of the following, it could be grounds to mark "Cannot Complete"

1. PPE should be worn when applicable.

2. Feces of any kind in the main areas of the home:

   • Piles of dog, cat, or human feces in the walking path to parts of the home you need to get to would be grounds to contact your manager and document.

   • If there are feces in the home but not your walking path to survey check points we should continue survey as normal. 

   • If you notice rodent droppings in the attic, this is an indication of pests that the customer should be notified about, but as long as you can avoid the feces, you shouldn't need to pull of the job.

3. Excessive trash/clutter:

   • You may still be able to navigate the survey using PPE (mask, gloves) if a pathway can be made to all the checkpoints of the survey.

   • If it is excessive enough that it would not be possible or reasonable to clear a path to all survey checkpoints, contact your manager.  For example needing to do a load baring wall sketch but the walls are lined with objects. 

GATES

Gates equipped with locks should always be documented for design and installation purposes. When you encounter a locked gate, use the following guidelines:

• If the gate is locked, ask the customer if they have a key to unlock the gate

• If gate is locked and customer does not have a key, see if you can take a ladder through the home so that you can still complete all survey items.

Gates shouldn't be a reason to pull off of a job. Make sure to do your due diligence to complete all surveys as needed.

PADLOCKS ON ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

We need to do everything we can to get photos of all electrical panels on the premises. If the equipment has a padlock on it, follow these guidelines:

1. Ask the customer if they have a key or combo to any locked equipment.

2. If the customer does not have a key, you may need to cut the lock:

   • Surveyors should have a bolt cutter and spare lock on hand for cases like this.

   • Explain to the customer that you will need to remove the lock but that you will replace the lock and leave the key in their possession.

UTILITY TAGS

It is common to see a utility tag on meter boxes, but occasionally you may see one locking a meter/main enclosure.

1. Never cut a utility tag as it is not legal for us to do so and ION will be met with fines for this.

2. Document these tags locking the MSP enclosure.

   1. Contact your manager to let them know and mark the job Cannot Complete.

Regardless, if it is safe to drive to the appointment, the interior survey should ALWAYS be completed. Ask the customer if they would prefer to be home for the exterior survey or not:

• This can be more efficient for scheduling purposes as it can allow us to schedule the appointment without the need for the client to be home.

BLOCKED ATTICS

In most cases we can overcome clutter in the attic and simple clutter should never be a reason to pull off of a job. Follow these guidelines for blocked attic access:

1. See if there is ANY WAY to access the attic:

   • See if there's any way to move obstructions to allow access

2. If the attic absolutely cannot be accessed, look for other methods to complete the needed attic survey such as can lights, turtle vents, etc.

3. Always call Compliance before taking extreme measure such as making cuts in the attic to new overbuild sections or cuts in the ceiling.

WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED AND WHAT TO DO

40 foot ladders are generally only needed when we have a roof that is 3 stories or taller. Use these guidelines when this is the case:

1. Before considering a 40 foot ladder, call compliance to confirm if satellite imagery will be sufficient for roof obstructions.

   • If there is good satellite imagery, simply get step back photos far enough away to see the general layout of obstructions on the roof and the general roof condition.

2. If there is not sufficient satellite imagery, complete the following steps:

   • Check if there is a different ground level in a different point of the home. Maybe on the back. Do NOT setup ladders on back porches or unsolid locations. Also do NOT perform double jumps with ladders.

   • See if there is an upper story window that you can stick your go-pro pole through to get the roof photos.

     • Always ask the customer before doing this.

3. If none of these are available, reach out to the team chat to see if anyone is close by that can help you complete the survey with a 40 foot ladder (2 man job).

If none of these options work, reach out to your manager to advise on next steps.