Rooftop Maintenance Requires the Right Roof Fall Protection

Maintenance is an essential task for every area of your industrial facility including the rooftop. More so than other areas of the building, however, the roof presents workers with several serious fall hazards that need to be addressed. In some instances, the hazard may be the leading edge, other times it's skylights and other openings. Choosing the right roof fall protection for roof maintenance work is vital to your employees’ safety, and it will help ensure your company is OSHA compliant. 

Your Duty to Provide Fall Protection

You're responsible for the safety and well-being of all your employees. You're already aware of that. You also know that the time to address fall hazards is before someone gets hurt, not after. Whether your rooftop is accessed on a regular basis, or just occasionally makes no difference. It's absolutely imperative that you have the proper systems in place to keep them safe before they step foot on the roof. Not only will that ensure their safety, it will also help you avoid costly OSHA fines for non-compliance.

Regular Roof Maintenance Is Essential

The roof of your industrial facility has to be in good condition in order to protect your building and the valuable equipment, machines, and products inside. Rooftop maintenance requires employees, and potentially contractors, to climb on the roof at regular intervals to perform inspections and make repairs. Just a few of the roof maintenance tasks that need to be performed include:

  • Visual inspections of the ceiling inside the building.

  • Removal of dirt and debris from the rooftop.

  • Inspection of the roof membrane and roofing materials.

  • Inspection of flashing, expansion joints, and the roof edge.

  • Check for damage to chimneys, vents, and pipes.

  • Inspection of the areas around skylights and equipment. 

During rooftop maintenance, workers need to traverse the entire roof, and they have to get close to potential hazards like the leading edge and roof openings. That means you'll need to provide them with the best possible fall protection devices like guardrail systems, personal fall arrest devices, or other OSHA approved fall safety equipment. 

Unscheduled Roof Maintenance and Repairs

You already know that regular maintenance will help to make sure that your industrial facility's rooftop is in good condition. But you also know that unscheduled maintenance and repairs are a fact of life with industrial roofs. Any number of things can happen that can cause your roof to be damaged. Just a few reasons you may need emergency roof repairs or even a replacement include:

  • Damage caused by strong winds.

  • Dangerous debris on the roof.

  • Standing water on the rooftop.

  • Equipment repairs and replacements.

  • Heavy ice and snow build-up.

No matter the reason, you have to make sure everyone who climbs on your roof is protected. Safety railings around the perimeter of the roof, around skylights, and around equipment minimizes the risk to workers in these emergency repair situations. You may also need to provide additional fall protection systems as well, depending on your roof.

How to Keep Workers Safe During Roof Maintenance

It’s your duty to provide fall protection under OSHA regulations on the inside of your facility. That means installing metal guardrails around your dangerous machinery and equipment and installing guardrail systems and safety gates on all your elevated working/walking surfaces. And that same attention to detail needs to be applied to your rooftop. Some of the areas you want to focus your attention on include:

The Leading Edge

This is, perhaps, the most obvious fall hazard on your rooftop. For flat roofs or roofs with a low slope, the most common form of OSHA approved fall protection is a safety railing or guardrail system. Whether you're installing metal guardrails or safety railings made of another material like PVC, they need to meet the following criteria:

  • They have to be 42" tall (+ or - 3"), measured from the working/walking surface.

  • Guardrails must be able to withstand 200 lbs of downward or upward force.

  • Guardrail systems have to be made of smooth materials that don't snag. 

Roof Hatches

OSHA roof fall protection rules require you to protect roof hatches and other roof access points. This can be accomplished with a safety railing placed around the exposed sides of the opening. However, since the hatch needs to be accessible, you'll need an offset safety gate installed on one side. 

  • Roof hatch guardrails must meet the same criteria as noted above.

  • Safety gates can be manual or automatic for ease of use.

  • Roof hatch safety rails can be customized to suit your building's aesthetic.

Skylights

These rooftop features are a great way to bring natural light into your facility. However, they're a potential fall hazard to anyone working on the rooftop performing maintenance tasks. Skylights are not suitable for walking on, nor are they strong enough to hold the weight of tools, equipment, or supplies and need to be protected.

  • A guardrail system that meets OSHA standards can be installed around skylights.
  • Skylight screens may be used, but they must be able to hold twice the intended weight.
  • Warning lines may also be installed to let workers know that skylight danger is present.

Rooftop Equipment

If your industrial rooftop houses equipment like your HVAC unit, you need to pay close attention to the area surrounding it. Keeping unauthorized personnel away from vital equipment is important and providing a safe environment for authorized workers is key. Some roof fall protection systems to consider include:

  • Metal guardrails installed around equipment.
  • A swing gate or other safety gate for access.
  • Warning lines to alert workers of equipment.

Your Rooftop Determines the Fall Protection

Keep in mind that OSHA doesn't demand that you use a specific type of fall protection on your roof. However, safety railings are the most common and most widely accepted. If your rooftop has a steep slope, or there's another reason you can't install a guardrail system, you'll have to find an alternative. Warning lines are a start, but you'll also want to provide workers with personal fall protection and fall arrest devices like a safety harness, lanyard, and lifeline. 

Get the Right Roof Fall Protection for Your Building

There's no avoiding industrial rooftop maintenance tasks. They're essential to keeping your building operational. Because workers need to access the roof regularly, you need to make sure that it's safe. That means mitigating fall hazards and installing the proper fall protection systems. This isn't an area you should procrastinate in – act quickly and make sure that your employees and contractors are protected with OSHA approved systems BEFORE a visit to the rooftop is necessary. 

Failure to provide adequate protection for your employees on the roof is a serious offense that can cost you dearly, especially if someone falls. Not sure what systems are right for you? Contact the fall protection specialists at BlueWater and we'll help you ensure your rooftop is safe and OSHA compliant.