Osha Regulations Roof Construction

Roof tarping blue roof safety fact sheet osha publication 3926 2017.

Osha regulations roof construction.

Osha safety standards especially for roof fall protection can be a source of confusion for many industrial companies. Osha 1910 29 b contains system requirements that employers must follow to ensure guardrail systems will protect workers from falling to lower levels. 1910 29 b 1 the top edge height of top rails or equivalent guardrail system members are 42 inches 107 cm plus or minus 3 inches 8 cm above the walking working surface. However under the new rule if the distance is less than 6 feet from the roof edge conventional fall protection systems are required.

Osha standards frequently cited during fy 2013 inspections of roofing contractors naics 238160 rank by number of citations issued categories standard 1 duty to have fall protection 1926 501 2 ladder safety 1926 1053 3 fall protection training requirements 1926 503 4 eye and face protection 1926 102 5 general scaffold requirements 1926 451 6 general safety and health provisions 1926 20. Lay headers sheets of roofing or other materials no closer than 5 feet inside the edges of the roof and parallel to the roofline. Re roofing fact sheet osha fs 3503 2012 english. When the fall protection measures listed above are not used mark the edges of the flat roof with headers and warning lines to notify workers of potential fall hazard areas using the following guidelines.

The osha general industry standards exclude construction as well as agriculture and marine industries which also have their own standards but both standards can sometimes apply to the same. Since roofs rarely have any sort of built in protective rails employers must provide fall protection for roof workers. Two osha standards can apply 29 cfr 1910 which governs general industry safety standards and 29 cfr 1926 which governs construction sites specifically. Protecting roofing workers osha 3755 2015 english.

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 combination of warning line system and guardrail system warning line system and safety net system or warning line system and personal fall arrest system or warning line system and. Osha requires fall protection for workers on surfaces over six feet off the ground that do not have protection along the surface edges. However in a few specifically identified circumstances low slope roof work some leading edge work precast concrete erection and residential construction due to feasibility limitations the standard permits the use of a warning line in combination with other measures as an alternative to conventional fall protection guardrail systems personal fall arrest systems or safety net systems for the purpose of keeping employees away from an edge. Fall protection in construction osha publication 3146 2015.