Osha Roof Work

Proper fall protection measures personal protective equipment ppe and adhering to safe work practices can protect workers from fall hazards.

Osha roof work.

Simply consider the task you are performing whether that be maintenance construction or really anything else assess the hazards divide by the number of workers and factor in the use of personal protective equipment adjusted for recent revisions to written policy and you will find that without fail. Each year many roofers sustain injuries and even die on the job in the u s. Roofing work on low slope roofs except as otherwise provided in paragraph b of this section each employee engaged in roofing activities on low slope roofs with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet 1 8 m or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems safety net systems personal fall arrest systems or a. Roofing work poses safety risks for workers because of the high heights involved in installing roofs.

This is in response to your fax submitted on september 2 2003 to the occupational safety and health administration osha and as a follow up to a telephone conversation on september 22 2003. Exterior egress beyond ladders staff should exercise situation awareness when accessing the roof via hatches elevators penthouse doors scaffolding or power equipment such as scissor lifts and aerial work platforms says brad richardson a certified safety professional and director of environmental health and safety for d. Occupational safety and health administration osha standards. Roofing safety all employers in the construction industry must have a safety program.

Osha regulations for roofing focus on fall protection equipment to help protect the safety and health of roofing workers. Roofing industry fall protection from a to z worker injuries in the construction industry in 2011 the private construction industry experienced 721 fatal work injuries. Previously osha stated no safe distance when it came to working on an unprotected roof edge. In regards specifically to roof fall protection the 1910 standard specifies for low slope roofs that when work is performed less than 6 feet 1 6 m from the roof edge the employer must ensure each employee is protected from falling by a guardrail system safety net system travel restraint system or personal fall arrest system.

Contractors and employers who perform construction work must comply with standards in 29 cfr 1926 subpart c general safety and health provisions as well as other applicable photo courtesy of acta safety peterson dean roofing. This includes guardrail systems personal fall arrest systems and safety nets. Fall protection requirements for construction workers doing work while on a roof. Single unit monolithic roofing applied to flat roofs may seem safer to some roof workers but the work is still at height and subject to many similar hazards and safety requirements as sloped roof work.