Snow retention is a safety must!

By Dani Sheehan. 

It’s not just about protecting the rose beds below. Proper snow retention is a safety issue that can be mitigated with proper education and the right accessories. 

Tradeshows are an essential part of networking in the roofing industry and provide the opportunity to show off new products, catch up with old friends and in some cases, reminisce about running up and down the exhibit floor as a toddler. At least that was Ben Anderson’s experience when he caught up with Heidi J. Ellsworth for a live interview during METALCON 2023. Formally in charge of operations for the last 15 years, Ben’s father started TRA Snow & Sun in 1993 and Ben grew up immersed in roofing. He and coworker Mindy Dahlquist tell Heidi about the importance of snow retention and their newest metal solutions. 

Based in American Fork, Utah, Ben and Mindy are no strangers to the dangers of snow. Mindy says education is as important when it comes to snow retention as actually having it in place. She explains, “A lot of people understand the fact that a doorway or a garage door needs to be covered with snow retention... [But] educating yourself on how snow retention works to be able to engineer those systems [is important] because otherwise they can fail. If you’re just putting up one row of snow fence above the doorways, it can create more of a problem and a dangerous situation.” 

With metal roofing in particular, Ben says they are working to improve education and create standards for the industry. He goes on, “We’re trying to make it more knowledgeable, a little bit safer and trying to create some standards there so everybody understands how to install [snow retention accessories] properly.” They’ve been working on more solutions to improve their strengths and other design advancements for standing seam metal roofs. 

Watch the entire interview below to hear more about the great metal solutions coming from TRA Snow & Sun!