Osha Regulations Roof Construction

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.

Osha regulations roof construction.

This includes guardrail systems personal fall arrest systems and safety nets. Two osha standards can apply 29 cfr 1910 which governs general industry safety standards and 29 cfr 1926 which governs construction sites specifically. 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. Previously osha stated no safe distance when it came to working on an unprotected roof edge.

Osha safety standards especially for roof fall protection can be a source of confusion for many industrial companies. Since roofs rarely have any sort of built in protective rails employers must provide fall protection for roof workers. 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. Osha 1910 29 b contains system requirements that employers must follow to ensure guardrail systems will protect workers from falling to lower levels.

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. Lay headers sheets of roofing or other materials no closer than 5 feet inside the edges of the roof and parallel to the roofline. Osha requires fall protection for workers on surfaces over six feet off the ground that do not have protection along the surface edges. Protecting roofing workers osha 3755 2015 english.

Reducing falls during residential construction. Re roofing fact sheet osha fs 3503 2012 english. Roof tarping blue roof safety fact sheet osha publication 3926 2017. However under the new rule if the distance is less than 6 feet from the roof edge conventional fall protection systems are required.