Osha Roof Harness Requirements

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 roof harness requirements.

A personal fall arrest system safety harness is required by osha whenever the employee is 6 feet above ground and is not protected by a guardrail or safety net during the assembly or removal of scaffolding with incomplete handrails systems and more than 10 feet above the ground and when using any aerial equipment that raises the employee higher than 6 feet. If wire rope is used for top rails it shall be flagged at not more than 6 foot intervals with high visibility material. Fall protection requirements falls are the leading cause of work related injuries and deaths among roofers. As far as osha is concerned there is no safe distance from the edge of a roof so you must be protected.

Place warning lines and headers around the entire roof perimeter. Roof edge protection is considered a passive fall prevention barrier because once erected or installed it requires no further on going adjustment alteration or operation by any person to ensure the integrity of the system to perform its function. A lack of fall protection damaged fall protection equipment or improper setup will increase their risk of falling from height. Except as provided elsewhere in this section the employer must ensure that each employee on a walking working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet 1 2 m or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following.

This means that you must have rails fall arrest systems or a warning line safety monitor setup no matter where it is you are working. For general industry employers must ensure that workers are protected at heights of 4 feet or more 1910 28 b 1 i. Top rails and midrails shall be at least one quarter inch 0 6 cm nominal diameter or thickness to prevent cuts and lacerations. Working six feet or more above lower levels put roofers at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall.

Scaffolding and brackets can be effective roof edge protection. Typical methods to access roofs are. Osha 1910 28 b 1 i 1910 23 a 4 ibc1015 7 roof access. Many accidents could be avoided if the most suitable equipment was used and those doing the work were given adequate information instruction training and supervision.

Safe access to a roof requires careful planning particularly where work progresses along the roof. Employees should wear footwear to reduce slipping and employers should either eliminate slipping hazards or have workers avoid them. Install warning lines no closer than 5 feet inside the roof edges and at a height of 34 to 45 inches.