Safe Work Practices and Fall Protection Requirements for All Rooftops

Year after year, falls continue to be one of the most significant hazards in the workplace. In the construction industry alone, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that a third of workplace fatalities are attributed to falls. And of those falls, approximately 40% are due to falls from roofs.

Falls from roofs do not only occur during construction. Routine maintenance workers and contractors are also put at risk of falling whenever their tasks take them to the rooftop. This article will discuss general rooftop fall protection requirements building owners can anticipate for common occurrences and how requirements may vary depending on the different roof types.

General Fall Protection Requirements

In general, there are minimum heights that mandate the use of fall protection, but that can vary between states or specific industries. In the federal OSHA 1910 General Industry standard, whenever a worker is exposed to a fall of 4 feet or greater to the next lower level, their employer must provide some means of fall protection. In the federal OSHA 1926 Construction standard, that trigger height is when workers are exposed to falls of 6 feet or greater. At those heights, OSHA requires fall protection and permits the use of safety netting, guardrail, or a personal fall protection system to protect workers.

Rooftop Fall Protection Requirements

On many rooftops, OSHA uses the frequency of work being performed and the proximity near the roof’s edge to determine which type of fall protection systems are permitted. OSHA defines tasks as either “infrequent and temporary” or “regular and routine.” Further, there are certain restrictions to which fall protection methods are permitted on roofs above a certain slope.

Fall Protection on Low-Slope Roofs

First, we’ll discuss fall protection requirements for rooftops with a slope less than 4:12.

Infrequent and temporary tasks require no fall protection if they are being performed more than 15 feet away from the roof’s edge and a safety monitor is present. Warning lines can be used to protect infrequent and temporary workers only up to 6 feet within the leading edge. Any closer to the roof’s edge, more robust fall protection must be used, like an active or passive fall protection system.

A fall restraint system, horizontal lifeline, or single-point anchor system are examples of active fall protection systems. Active systems require an anchorage, body harness, and connection device.

A guardrail is an example of a passive fall protection system and is generally seen as more effective in protecting workers, as it can prevent the fall from occurring altogether and does not require special user training or action to work.

When regular and routine work is performed 15 feet or less from the roof’s edge, employers can choose between active or passive fall protection systems to protect workers, whichever is more feasible. But determining feasibility is not always straightforward, and the goal in any fall protection system should be providing workers with simple and practical means to prevent fall injuries. When in doubt, rely on reputable safety consultants or fall protection manufacturers to consider all possible options in providing safety to elevated workers.

The Hierarchy of Fall Protection Controls tells us that passive systems like guardrail will almost always be more effective in protecting workers from falls, as they prevent falls from occurring in the first place. However, passive systems are not always possible or feasible to install depending on the application, so it is up to the safety manager and other stakeholders to decide which system will be most effective in protecting workers for each circumstance.

OSHA requirements can provide some flexibility in which fall protection systems employers can choose to best protect their workers, but it is important to remember that worker safety and injury prevention are the ultimate goals. Keeping workers safe requires a delicate balance between meeting OSHA requirements & providing workers with effective solutions that will protect them from fall hazards. Preventing the fall will always be preferred to mitigating the consequences of a fall.

Fall Protection Requirements for Sloped Roofs

Next, let’s discuss fall protection requirements and restrictions for rooftops with slopes greater than a 4:12 pitch.

Steeper-sloped roofs bring greater chances of injury and offer less flexibility in choosing fall protection equipment. The nature of work on a sloped surface makes workers much more susceptible to falling, so extra precautions should be taken to prevent injuries.

On sloped roofs, the most effective fall protection would be guardrail with integrated toeboards. While workers must still be cautious as to try and not slip while working on a sloped roof, a physical barricade, like a permanent guardrail, can prevent them from falling off the roof’s edge. Furthermore, approximately a third of fall injuries and fatalities are attributed to dropped objects, according to BLS. Toeboards can also prevent tools and equipment from falling off the roof and injuring anyone working or walking below.

Fall restraint systems are sometimes used on extremely sloped roofs to help workers maintain their balance. However, sloped roof scenarios would require fall arrest equipment to be used in conjunction, as fall restraint is not considered safe enough to prevent injury in these scenarios. Additionally, fall restraint systems can be easily misused or neglected, so it is necessary to provide fall arrest methods simultaneously to account for potential human error.

Planning for Fall Protection

If work on sloped roofs is expected to occur, employers and building owners should determine what means of fall protection are most feasible before work begins. Permanent guardrail or temporary guardrail can be affixed to rooftops by means of using scissor or aerial lifts, for example. If fall arrest equipment will be utilized, permanent anchorages must be installed before rooftop work can begin. It would be ideal if more buildings had integrated fall protection anchors installed during initial construction, but there are always ways to retrofit rooftops to be safer for all workers.

Furthermore, depending on the size of the building, there are many portable fall protection options to protect workers. These can be useful for emergency maintenance jobs that must be addressed immediately. The urgency of the work should never take precedence over the safety of the workers, even if the means are seemingly costly or cumbersome.

Many manufacturers offer mobile davit arm systems that can supply overhead fall arrest anchorages up to 40 feet off the ground and can be relocated where needed by using a pickup truck or forklift. While these fall protection options are typically available to rent, companies that see frequent use of this equipment could consider ownership to become more cost-effective in the long term.

Conclusion

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of fall fatalities occurring in the workplace increases nearly every year. Since 1990, there has been a 17% increase in the number of fatal falls that occur annually.

In days long gone, there was not as much technology or resources available to safety managers to provide safety to their elevated workers. However, there now exist many innovative solutions and capabilities that building owners can utilize to protect anyone who may eventually work at heights on their facility. No worker should be asked to perform a job without the employer first securing the means to prevent injury and harm.