Roof work safety is the set of controls used to protect people working on roofs from falls off edges and through skylights or openings, along with other rooftop hazards such as weather and falling objects.
Roof work safety is the planning, equipment and work practices used to protect people who work on roofs. It applies to roofers, but also to HVAC technicians, electricians, solar installers, inspectors, cleaners and facility maintenance staff who go onto roofs to service equipment.
The main hazard is falling, either from an unprotected roof edge or through a skylight, hole or fragile surface. Falls are one of the OSHA Focus Four hazards in construction. Other rooftop hazards include heat and cold, wind, wet or icy surfaces, overhead power lines, hot materials and objects falling onto people below.
OSHA's requirements depend on whether the work is construction or general industry, and on the slope of the roof. Under OSHA's construction definitions, a low-slope roof has a slope less than or equal to 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal), and a steep roof has a slope greater than 4 in 12.
Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(10), each employee doing roofing work on a low-slope roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above a lower level must be protected by one of the following:
Under 29 CFR 1926.502(f), a warning line must be at least 6 feet from the roof edge. Where mechanical equipment is used, it must be at least 6 feet from edges parallel to the direction of equipment operation and at least 10 feet from edges perpendicular to it. Mechanical equipment may not be used or stored where safety monitoring systems are being used.
Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(11), each employee on a steep roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above lower levels must be protected by guardrail systems with toeboards, safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems. Warning lines and safety monitoring systems are generally not an option on steep roofs.
Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13), workers doing residential construction 6 feet or more above lower levels must be protected by guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems. An employer can use a written fall protection plan under 29 CFR 1926.502(k) only if it can show that those systems are infeasible or create a greater hazard. OSHA presumes they are feasible, and the employer carries the burden of proving otherwise.
Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(4)(i), workers must be protected from falling through holes, including skylights, more than 6 feet above lower levels by personal fall arrest systems, covers or guardrails. See floor and wall openings.
For maintenance and other non-construction work, 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(13) sets requirements based on distance from the roof edge:
A facility maintenance technician needed to replace a fan belt on a rooftop unit about 25 feet from the edge of a flat warehouse roof. The task took less than an hour and happened only a few times a year. Two plastic skylights sat between the roof hatch and the unit.
Under the company's procedure, the technician's route from the hatch to the unit was set so he never came within 15 feet of the edge, and the skylights were fitted with screens rated as covers. The work rule prohibiting entry within 15 feet of the edge without fall protection was posted at the roof hatch. When a later project required work on a unit 8 feet from the edge, the company installed a portable guardrail section before the work began.
In construction, fall protection is required when workers are exposed to unprotected roof edges 6 feet or more above a lower level. In general industry, low-slope roof requirements depend on distance from the edge and how often and how long the work takes.
Only for roofing work on low-slope roofs that are 50 feet or less in width. Wider low-slope roofs need a warning line combined with another system, or another approved system.
Yes. Skylights are treated as holes. Workers must be protected by covers, guardrails or personal fall arrest systems where a fall through the skylight would be more than 6 feet in construction.
Under OSHA's construction rules, a low-slope roof has a slope of 4 in 12 or less, and a steep roof has a slope greater than 4 in 12. Steep roofs require guardrails with toeboards, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems.
The contractor is responsible for protecting its own workers. The building owner should share information about known hazards, such as skylights, fragile surfaces and anchor locations.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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