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