Osha Fall Protection Roof Maintenance

Osha 1910 walking working surfaces standard requirements.

Osha fall protection roof maintenance.

Osha estimates the rule will prevent 29 fatalities and 5 842 injuries annually. You send workers in to a tank to clean and paint it. This makes it pretty obvious that anybody close to the roof s edge would need pfas rails or some means of fall protection. 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.

Conversely they can leave it up to individual contractors to provide safe access to the roof during maintenance activities. 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. Is the work considered maintenance covered under osha s general industry fall protection rules or repair subject to osha s construction rules. You send workers up on the flat roof to fix an hvac unit.

General industry fall protection when performing hvac maintenance on roofs 1 osha s general industry standard 1910 132 a would apply. 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. However where the potential for falls exists protection must be. Supervise workers to ensure fall protection equipment is used and maintained correctly.

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. 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. 6 feet from the edge. Implement safe work practices to reduce the possibility of falls.

Osha considers it a working area. Conventional fall protection guardrail fall restraint or fall arrest system is required. On commercial roofs hvac units typically are located near the center of the roof which may significantly reduce the fall hazard exposures.