8183 CROSS-ARM
STRAP
9186 LOOPED CROSSARM STRAP WITH
SHOCK ABSORBER
ALWAYS INSPECT YOUR FALL
PROTECTION EQUIPMENT!!!
Calculating Forces
Calculating Total Fall Distance
Freefall = 6 feet maximum
 Deceleration Distance = 3.5 feet maximum
 Lifeline elongation = 2 feet maximum
 Total fall before stopping = 11.5 feet
 Portion of body landing below attachment point
approximately 5 feet minimum
 Harness effect = 1 ft
 Total clearance below attachment point required
to avoid contacting lower level may be as great
as 18.5 feet or more!

When Utilizing Vertical Lifelines

Anchorage Devices
–
–

Vertical Lifelines
–
–
–

–
Size and construction shall be compatible with lifeline
Shall be positioned over head to minimize free fall distance (maximum of six
feet)
Shall be positioned in the proper direction – they only work in one direction
Lanyards
–
–

Shall never be wrapped around itself, or secured with knots
Shall be long enough to reach the lowest level and protected against sharp
edges
Regular 5/8” rope is not a lifeline, use lifeline rope with a 5,000 lbs. Minimum
breaking strength
Rope Grabs
–
–

Connected to a structure capable of supporting 5,000 pounds
Protected against damage from sharp edges
Shall have built-in shock absorber limiting force to 900 lbs.
Should be limited to 3 feet in length
Full-body Harness
–
Properly adjusted to the individual
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Steep Slope Roofs
(Greater than 4 and 12)
Sloped Roofing –
Roofing Brackets & Slide Guards
Steep Slope Commercial Roofing
Guardrails
 Scaffold Catch Platforms
 Fall Arrest System

Scaffold Catch Platform
 Scaffolding
erected at the perimeter of the
roof to limit a fall to less than six feet
 Addition fall protection may be required at
the rake or gable end of the building
 Guardrails would be required to prevent an
employee from rolling off of the scaffolding
 Scaffolding must be erected under a
trained supervisor and inspected daily by a
competent person.
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Sloped Roof - Guardrail Systems
Protection Before You Start
Fascia Rail
Platform Rail
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Sloped Roof – Guardrail Systems
Another version - Guardrail installed after
roof edge is finished.
Standing Seam Roof Anchors
Pictured above are standing seam roof anchors. There are now many types of
anchors available for difficult applications. Should you come across a situation
where you feel the fall protection provided will not work, or have difficulty locating a
suitable anchor location, notify your foreman who should contact Management or
the Safety Department immediately.
SUBPART
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
Fall Protection for Roofing
Requirements for PFAS (1926.502(d))
– Maximum “Free Fall” distance- 6 feet.
– Interps allow larger fall distance as long as other criteria
are met.
– Maximum force on your body when you come to a stop
is 1800 pounds.
• Force depends on your weight, fall distance, and deceleration
device (e.g., shock absorbing lanyard).
• The shorter the fall the better.
– Maximum deceleration distance is 3.5 feet.
• Stopping distance after your lanyard becomes tight & the shock
absorber begins to stretch. (one reason why you can’t tie two
lanyards together)
– No impacting of objects during fall
– Prompt rescue (10 min. max)
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Making the PFAS Work for You
 Think
before you tie! Will you stop?
– What are you attached to?
 Making
the connection
– Make sure the lock on your hook is working.
– Do not wrap around & hook back to lanyard.
– Do not shorten the lanyard with a knot.
– If possible, always hook up at ‘D’ ring height
or higher.
– Do not hook lanyards together.
– Take out of service any PFAS component
previously loaded by a fall
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Making the PFAS Work for You
 Other
requirements?
– Clearance distance – will you hit anything?
• Typically minimum of 10 ft- 6 ft for free fall + 3.5 ft
for deceleration and 0.5 ft for clearance.
– Swing fall hazard - will you be a pendulum?
• Are you anchored directly overhead?
• Extremely important for retractable lanyard due to
ratcheting effect
– RESCUE!
• If PFAS is your protection, then your employer’s
fall protection program must have a way to
promptly get you down (typically 10 minutes max).
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Warning Lines

Must be functional, not just visual.
– Minimum 500 pounds tensile strength.
– Stanchions resist 16 lbs. tipping force.
– Must be 34” to 39” above the roof surface.
– Safety monitor or PFAS if outside lines.
– Secured at each stanchion so line
doesn’t pull through when contacted.
– Install line and stanchions according
to the manufacturer.
– Adjust as necessary – lines may stretch
as the day gets hotter.
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Warning Lines
Manual work: place
line >6’ from edge.
Mechanical work: place line
>6’ from edge parallel to
equipment direction and >10’
from edge perpendicular to
equipment direction.
• Competent in recognizing fall hazards
•
•
•
•
Able to see, communicate orally with, and be on the same roof as, the employee monitored
Avoid responsibilities which could distract their attention
Must wear an orange vest
A safety monitor is a competent person who monitors the safety of employees working outside the
warning lines
• Can be used for edge Fall Protection when applying a hot asphalt roof, spraying acrylic, or foam
applications. Hose attendant must serve as Safety Monitor for trigger man only!
NOTE: Roofs smaller than fifty feet in their least dimension can use just a safety monitor.
What are OSHA’s requirements?




The Safety Monitor shall be competent to recognize
fall hazards
The Safety Monitor shall warn the employees when it
appears that the employee is unaware of a fall
hazard or is acting in an unsafe manner
The Safety Monitor shall be on the same
working/walking surface and be within visual sighting
distance of the employees being monitored
The Safety Monitor shall be close enough to
communicate orally with all the employees.
What are the fall hazards I should be
warning employees about?
Backing up to close to the edge
 Any unprotected roof opening
 Tangled extension cords
 Airborne debris
 Bees, Wasps, Hornets
 Water, ice, or other slippery
conditions
 Any change in walking/working
conditions

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Fall Protection for Roofing
Low-Slope Roofs
Barrier tape is
not an adequate
warning line as it
provides no
resistance to a
person contacting
it.
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Low-Slope Roofs –
Perimeter Guarding
Parapet Walls less than 39”
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Low-Slope Roofs –
Perimeter Guarding
Extending the parapet wall
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Low-Slope Roofs –
Perimeter Guarding
Guardrail for parapet walls
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Low-Slope Roofs –
Perimeter Guarding
Wall-Mounted Guardrail Systems
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Residential Construction- alternative
procedures based on feasibility/greater
hazard of using conventional fall protection
May follow the alternative procedures in STD 03-00001 (formerly 3-0.1A) provided the structure meets its
definition of “residential construction”. “Residential
construction” means same materials and methods as
a typical single family home
– Includes ‘discrete parts” of commercial buildings,
such as shingled entranceways
 Otherwise employer must demonstrate infeasibility or
greater hazard to follow alternative procedures
developed in a written alternative fall protection plan
(502(k)) maintained on site

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Fall Protection for Roofing
STD 03-00-001- Alternative
procedures for residential roofing

Allowed only for areas where slope is < 8:12 and < 25 ft eave to
ground height
– Specially trained workers only
– Inspect roof surface for slip hazards and eliminate such hazards
or take other effective measures. Have workers wear appropriate
footwear.
– Suspend work when hazardous conditions exist due to adverse
weather
– Holes/openings effectively guarded or covered
– Ladders/scaffolds meet Subparts X and L.
– No ascending/descending roof within 6 ft of the rake edge
– Locate supplies/materials more than 6 ft from rake edge or 3 ft for
tile roof installations
– No impalement hazards below the eaves/rakes
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
STD 03-00-001- Alternative
procedures for residential roofing
Low
slope roofs (< 4:12) safety
monitor or slide guards
>4:12
and < 8:12 (not tile or metal
roof) slide guards
tile
or metal roof < 8:12 safety
monitor or slide guards
SUBPART
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Fall Protection for Roofing
STD 03-00-001- Alternative
procedures for residential roofing

Slide guard requirements
– 2”x6” nominal stock minimum (90 degrees)
– No more than 3 rows of roofing material installed
before installing slide guard
– Installed continuously along eave
– For >6:12, install additional slide guards at intervals
of 8 ft maximum
– Remove guards on way down the slope
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Fall Protection for Roofing
Q&A




What are the fall protection requirements when installing
fall protection systems, including guardrails?
Can a roofing contractor use warning lines to demarcate a
roof opening, specifically a skylight or series of skylights?
Isn’t the goal to prevent employees from going within 6 ft of
the skylight?
What is the minimum height of a warning line?
What do I have to consider before tying myself off, or
allowing an employee to tie off?