Roof Fall Protection: Why It Matters and How You Can Protect Workers

Roofers and construction workers have dangerous careers. Their work environments are significantly more high-risk than other occupations. Some projects are less risky than others, but it’s vital to utilize fall protection procedures with all of them. 

Since falls are one of the leading causes of injury and death at the workplace, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established extensive safety guidelines and requirements for roofers and construction workers. These rules are put in place to try to protect workers.

Even though OSHA provides requirements for businesses and workers, workers still fall and get injured often. If businesses or organizations don’t have a solid safety program for fall protection, it’s best they establish one right away to avoid injuries, death or OSHA violations.

Take a look at the top rooftop fall protection violations for roofers:

• Wet surfaces
• Uneven surfaces
• Ladders that aren’t properly set up
• Ladders that are damaged or have defects
• Poor lighting
• Overcrowded workspaces
• Threatening weather conditions
• Failure to provide protection for face, head and other areas for fall protection
• Failure to appoint a safety monitor
• Insufficient amount of guards on pulleys and belts

Overall, human error accounts for numerous fall protection violations. Workers might use broken ladders, misuse ladders, rush through safety procedures, fail to utilize proper equipment or make other mistakes.