Conversely they can leave it up to individual contractors to provide safe access to the roof during maintenance activities.
Osha fall protection roof maintenance.
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.
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.
You send workers in to a tank to clean and paint it.
Conventional fall protection guardrail fall restraint or fall arrest system is required.
For general industry working at a 4 foot height or a low sloped roof osha requires.
This makes it pretty obvious that anybody close to the roof s edge would need pfas rails or some means of fall protection.
Supervise workers to ensure fall protection equipment is used and maintained correctly.
Osha considers it a working area.
General industry fall protection when performing hvac maintenance on roofs 1 osha s general industry standard 1910 132 a would apply.
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.
You send workers up on the flat roof to fix an hvac unit.
On commercial roofs hvac units typically are located near the center of the roof which may significantly reduce the fall hazard exposures.
However where the potential for falls exists protection must be.
6 feet from the edge.
Is the work considered maintenance covered under osha s general industry fall protection rules or repair subject to osha s construction rules.
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.
Osha estimates the rule will prevent 29 fatalities and 5 842 injuries annually.
Implement safe work practices to reduce the possibility of falls.
Osha 1910 walking working surfaces standard requirements.
