Sloping roofs and solar panels.
Low sloped roof fall protection.
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.
29 cfr 1926 500 defines low slope roof as a roof having a slope less than or equal to 4 in 12 vertical to horizontal 29 cfr 1926 501 b 10 allows the use of a safety monitor on a low slope roof.
For information about fall accidents on steep and low sloped roofs check out our blogs about osha s top 5 fall protection violations part 2 steep roofs and part 3 low sloped roofs.
Working on a sloped roof is one of the most dangerous jobs in construction.
This means that painters chimney sweeps and workers installing say solar panels are also not allowed to work on sloping roofs higher then 2 5 meters 10 feet if they re not protected against fall accidents.
Just a small slip or loss of balance can lead to a life altering injury or even death.
Fall protection osha tagged with.
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.
If employers elect to use a safety monitoring system they must designate a competent person to monitor the safety of workers and to warn them when their work puts them close to a fall hazard.
See 1926 501 b 2 12 and 13 because of feasibility limitations the standard permits the use of a warning line in combination with other measures instead of conventional fall protection guardrail systems personal fall arrest systems or safety net systems to keep employees away from an edge.
However not many people know that fall protection must also be used for short term maintenance jobs on existing structures.
Roofs that have a slope of 4 12 or less so a slope of 18 5 or less are referred to as low sloped roofs.
A safety monitoring system is an alternative fall protection option for low slope roofing work under 29 cfr 1926 501 b 10.
The extremely high danger zone less than six feet from the roof s edge requires one of the following.
Osha has designated three work zones on low slope roofs with unprotected edges that are four feet or more above a lower level.
In a few very specific situations low slope roof work some leading edge work precast concrete erection and residential construction.
Aerial lifts may be used to transport personnel so long as the requirements in 29 cfr 1926 453 which cover aerial lifts are met.
