Roofing Fall Protection

Falls from roofs are one of the leading causes of death in construction. The UK Health and Safety Executive reports that almost one in five construction deaths involve roof work. Every major jurisdiction regulates fall protection for roofers, although thresholds and accepted methods differ.

United States (OSHA)

Under 29 CFR 1926.501, construction workers on surfaces with an unprotected side or edge 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level must be protected by guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems.

• Low-slope roofs (4:12 or less): roofing work may also be protected by a warning line system combined with a safety monitoring system, or by a safety monitor alone on roofs 50 ft (15.25 m) or less wide.
• Steep roofs: guardrails with toeboards, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems.
• Residential construction: conventional systems are required unless the employer can show they are infeasible or create a greater hazard, in which case a written, site-specific fall protection plan prepared by a qualified person may be used. OSHA guidance says slide guards cannot be used alone as a substitute for conventional fall protection.

Canada

Provincial regulations apply. Canadian roofing industry guidance covers guardrails, travel restraint, fall arrest and anchor systems, and notes that a fall arrest system must keep the peak arrest force at or below 8 kN.

United Kingdom

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require employers to avoid work at height where reasonably practicable, then to prevent falls, then to minimise the distance and consequences of any fall. HSE guidance calls for edge protection at eaves, double guardrails and toeboards on flat roofs, and treating every roof as fragile until a competent person confirms otherwise.

Australia

Model WHS codes of practice set a hierarchy from eliminating the hazard through passive fall prevention (guardrails, catch platforms), travel restraint and fall arrest, down to ladders and administrative controls.

Common equipment

Guardrail and parapet systems, scaffolding at eaves, roof brackets with planks, safety nets, warning lines, harnesses with lanyards or self-retracting lifelines, and permanent or temporary roof anchors. Fall arrest systems also require a rescue plan, since a person suspended in a harness needs prompt rescue.