Osha Fall Protection Roof Maintenance

Osha estimates the rule will prevent 29 fatalities and 5 842 injuries annually.

Osha fall protection roof maintenance.

On commercial roofs hvac units typically are located near the center of the roof which may significantly reduce the fall hazard exposures. Implement safe work practices to reduce the possibility of falls. We all know that according to osha when you re exposed to a fall greater than 6 in construction and 4 in general industry with a few exceptions you must be protected from that hazard. Osha s fall protection standard for construction 29 cfr part 1926 subpart m beginning at 1926 500 generally requires fall protection when there is a fall distance of 6 feet or more.

However where the potential for falls exists protection must be. Is the work considered maintenance covered under osha s general industry fall protection rules or repair subject to osha s construction rules. 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. Osha s fall protection standards at 29 cfr 1926 subpart m to protect workers exposed to falls six feet or more above a lower level.

With regard to fall protection requirements applicable to the construction work itself 1926 501 b 10 low slope roofs requires conventional fall protection a combination of a monitoring system and warning line or on roofs of 50 feet or less in width a monitoring system alone i e without a warning line be used. This makes it pretty obvious that anybody close to the roof s edge would need pfas rails or some means of fall protection. Supervise workers to ensure fall protection equipment is used and maintained correctly. 6 feet from the edge.

You send workers up on the flat roof to fix an hvac unit. This means that the building owner needs to work with their maintenance staff to develop a safe work plan for any work on the roof. Osha considers it a working area. You send workers in to a tank to clean and paint it.

Conversely they can leave it up to individual contractors to provide safe access to the roof during maintenance activities. General industry fall protection when performing hvac maintenance on roofs 1 osha s general industry standard 1910 132 a would apply. 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.