The Occupational Safety and Health Administration  provided new OSHA Rooftop Safety Standards back in Fall 2016. These Rooftop Fall Protection updates became effective January 2017.  They are meant to clarify general OSHA industry regulations regarding the need for rooftop access safety using guardrails, ladders, and stairways.  Despite the implementation of these latest OSHA Rooftop Safety Standards, many property managers and general contractors question what type of Fall Protection system their building requires.

Falling off a roof is one of the most common causes of injury and death in the construction industry.  Many rooftops are pitched and make for risky access and climbing.  Any pitch can be extremely hazardous when wet.  Rooftop obstructions like elevated pipes, fire walls, ducts, exhaust fans, and HVAC equipment can prove quite hazardous as well.  Furthermore, there is no single safe height or safe distance from a roof edge that satisfies all rooftop fall protection safety requirement solutions. 

For general industry, employers must ensure that workers are protected at heights of 4 feet or more.  OSHA defines specific Fall Protection Requirements based on how close employees are to the edge of the roof.

Employers are required to ensure that each employee is protected from falling when:

1. Less than 6 feet from the roof's edge requires:

• Guardrails
• Safety Net System
• Fall Restraint
• Fall Arrest System

   2. Between 6 and 15 feet from the roof's edge requires:

• Non-penetrating or Ballasted Guardrails
• Safety Net System
• Removable Handrails
• Fall Restraint
• Fall Arrest System
• A secured designated area instead of the rooftop fall protection systems is acceptable when the work is infrequent and temporary. 
• A Warning Line is required at 6 feet to serve as a warning that a worker is nearing an unprotected edge.

   3.  More than 15 feet from the roof's edge requires:

• Mobile 360 degree Guardrails
• Safety Net System
• Roof Hatch Guardrails
• Fall Restraint
• Fall Arrest System
• Employers are not required to provide fall protection, but a rule prohibiting employees from going within 15 feet of the roof's edge without fall protection needs to be implemented and enforced. 

Every rooftop work site has its own safety and access challenges.  Call us for a free quotation on the best system or combination of systems in order for your property to best meet OSHA's latest Rooftop Safety Standards.