Roof Work Safety Requirements

Osha regulations for roofing focus on fall protection equipment to help protect the safety and health of roofing workers.

Roof work safety requirements.

Roof safety is a system of preventive measures when performing work and repairs on rooftops because it is one of the most dangerous jobs in the construction industry. 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. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry and the occupational safety and health administration osha cites that falls from roofs account for 34 of all. 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.

Proper fall protection measures personal protective equipment ppe and adhering to safe work practices can protect workers from fall hazards. Minor work on roofs that is not considered construction work for example cleaning roof gutters or replacing individual roof tiles can also have the same hazards especially the risk of falls. A safe and healthful workplace. Each year many roofers sustain injuries and even die on the job in the u s.

Roofing work poses safety risks for workers because of the high heights involved in installing roofs. Assessing all work at height. 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. Roof work what you need to do.

Examples of these activities include tiling roofing restoration and installing solar panels. The law says you must organise and plan all roof work so it is carried out safely. All work on roofs is highly dangerous even if a job only takes a few minutes. 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.

Demolishing or dismantling a roof of a structure. The occupational safety and health act requires employers to comply with safety and health standards promulgated by osha or by a state with an osha approved state plan.