Fall Protection For Flat Roof Work

A lack of fall protection damaged fall protection equipment or improper setup will increase their risk of falling from height.

Fall protection for flat roof work.

Fall protection requirements for construction workers doing work while on a roof. Fall protection requirements falls are the leading cause of work related injuries and deaths among roofers. Roof workers installing maintaining or repairing flat roofs with a height more than 20 feet or using backward pulling machinery such as felt layers need protection from falls. For general industry employers must ensure that workers are protected at heights of 4 feet or more 1910 28 b 1 i.

Even the one exemption i know of isn t a full exemption. Fall protection still must be used when setting up this warning line system or when the work rules discussed earlier can not be met. Equipment and products used on a roof to provide protection from falls are subjected to extreme environmental factors. 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.

Each employee on a walking working surface 6 feet 1 8 m or more above a lower level where leading edges are under construction but who is not engaged in the leading edge work shall be protected from falling by a guardrail system safety net system or personal fall arrest system. Where work is of short duration tasks measured in minutes properly secured ladders to access the roof and proper roof ladders may be used. 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. Some rooftop work may be considered service or maintenance and would be enforced under the 1910 general industry standards.

One often over looked part of fall protection for roofs is durability and certification through design and testing. Hazards such as skylights are considered holes and must also be addressed. A roofing supply delivery person who is distributing materials on a roof can do so without fall protection however they must be protected as they gain access to the roof and if an anchor point is available once up there they must use it reference. Working six feet or more above lower levels put roofers at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall.