flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

How owners should comply with OSHA roofing safety guidelines

Codes and Standards

How owners should comply with OSHA roofing safety guidelines

Buildings should have fall protection and restraint provisions for those who go on roofs.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | June 1, 2020

Courtesy Pixabay

Building owners have a responsibility to protect people who venture on their roofs, according to OSHA.

OSHA prescribed certain safety requirements that were introduced in January 2017. Among them are a raised warning line 15 feet from the roof edge, and a guardrail or cage around skylights.

OSHA has designated three work zones on low-slope roofs with unprotected edges that are four feet or more above a lower level. The extremely high danger zone (less than six feet from the roof’s edge) requires a protective feature such as a guardrail system, safety net system, personal fall protection systems (e.g., personal fall arrest, travel restraint, positioning system), or a 42-inch-high parapet.

Guardrails are typically installed six feet from the roof’s edge. If there is something near the edge like a condenser unit requiring periodic maintenance, then guardrails must be placed right up to the roof edge.

Related Stories

| Dec 22, 2011

Federal home weatherization program has impacted 6.8 million homes

More than 6.8 million homes have been weatherized using federal, state, utility, and other funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

| Dec 22, 2011

Group developing BIM data standards

A collaboration among Georgia Tech’s Digital Building Lab, the Precast Concrete Institute, the American Concrete Institute, and the American Institute of Steel Construction aims to develop global standards for transportation of three-dimensional digital models among fabricator, architecture, engineering, and construction groups.

| Dec 22, 2011

New green code spells out thermal requirement for roof retrofits

The 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) includes a straightforward approach to minimum thermal requirements for roof and wall systems.

| Dec 22, 2011

AGC’s safety conference Jan. 11-13 in San Antonio

The Associated General Contractors of America’s national meeting for safety and health professionals will take place Jan. 11-13, 2012 in San Antonio, TX.

| Dec 22, 2011

Proposed New York City zoning revamp encourages rooftop solar and wind energy

New zoning regulation proposals to make it easier for building owners in New York City to make their structures more sustainable have entered the public approval process.

| Dec 15, 2011

Dayton, Ohio schools saving $2.6 million annually by building to LEED

On average, green schools save about $100,000 a year on operating costs, including energy and water savings.

| Dec 15, 2011

Building to LEED standards can pose new risks for construction workers

Workers on these projects suffer a 24% increase in falls to lower levels during roof work, which researchers attributed to the installation of solar panels, and a few other risks.

| Dec 15, 2011

NRDC charges Maine governor with weakening green wood requirement

The FSC program is administered through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and requires wood to be harvested in a sustainable way.

| Dec 15, 2011

Post-tornado, Tuscaloosa seeks to create walkable urban, retail areas

Block sizes initially were limited to a maximum perimeter of 1,750 feet, with no side of the block being longer than 500 feet.

| Dec 15, 2011

Allentown, Pa. city council asked to repeal union-friendly law

The mayor of Allentown, Pa. asked the City Council to repeal a year-old ordinance that forces contractors to hire union workers for large city projects funded with state and federal dollars.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021

Â