Roof Access Safety Awareness
• Roofs may only be accessed by
authorized personnel.
• Authorized personnel includes
all staff, outside contractors,
and regulatory agencies that
must access the roof to
perform their job.
• Roofs are classified as:
– Restricted Access Roofs
– General Access Roofs
– GMP Roofs
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Roof Hazards
• Roofs may contain potential
health and safety hazards
which includes:
– Exhaust gases
– Fumes
– Particles from chemical
hoods glove boxes, hot
water boilers, and building
sewer systems.
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Roof Hazards
•
Other potential hazards include
falling from:
– Edges of roofs
– roofs or access ladders
– through skylights
– electrical shock
– moving machinery
– ionizing and non-ionizing
radiation
– contamination from previous
operations or experiments.
– Note: Skylights are windows 42
inches or lower in height and 45
degrees to horizontal angle.
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Roof Classifications
• “Restricted-Access” means exposure to
hazardous materials or harmful physical agents
may exceed accepted criteria or unsafe
conditions may occur.
• “General-Access” means only ordinary hazards
associated with working at heights or with
machinery are present.
• “GMP” if there are GMP processes performed
within the facility’s structure. The GMP
classification may also be a Restricted-Access
Roof.
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Skylight Delineation
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Roof fall hazards have been
identified by delineation with
yellow and black striping.
Personnel should not cross striping
at anytime unless using proper fall
protection.
Personnel required to use fall
protection must attend fall
protection training.
– Note: Skylights are windows 42
inches or lower in height and 45
degrees from vertical to horizontal
angle.
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Guard Rail Installation
• Where striping of roofs was not
practical, guardrails were
installed.
• The configuration of the
guardrails was installed
depending upon the location of
the hazard.
• Guardrails are equipped with a
top rail and mid rail where
there was not a parapet.
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Identified Anchorages
• Where personal fall arrest
protection is required,
anchorages have been installed
and are identified in Red at
most locations.
• Horizontal Lifelines are not
marked red.
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General Access Roof Controls
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All potential hazards of roof access
shall be identified, including
hazardous materials in or on a roof
(or roofing material) and building
operations that may pose hazards to
roof access personnel, and a roofaccess classification shall be
established.
Appropriate safety plans and
procedures shall be established
before each roof access activity.
Individuals accessing roofs shall be
informed of all hazards, procedures,
or unusual situations related to each
building.
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Safe egress and access routes shall be
established.
Ladders of fixed and portable
equipment shall be inspected.
Locations of safety barriers, lanyards,
or slide-wire attachments for fall
protection shall be determined.
Protective equipment, including
garments, shall be identified.
All building materials or equipment
removed from roofs that is
potentially contaminated shall be
controlled, e.g., by swiping and
analysis prior to removal from an
area.
Restricted Access Roof Controls
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In addition to controls listed for
access to General Access Roofs:
A hazard evaluation, using a Job
Hazard Analysis (JHA), of operations
and systems in the facility that may
affect worker safety on the roof shall
be developed.
Restricted-Access Roof notification
shall be given to the F&E Manager or
designee, the Facility Supervisor (FS)
(or designee), and the health and
safety department shall be notified
as well.
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When necessary based on the JHA,
Caution signs that restrict hazardgenerating work within the building
shall be placed on hoods, glove boxes
and equipment during the roof
access period and promptly removed
when work is complete.
These signs are to be posted on all
equipment with any hazard potential
for roof access workers or building
employees.
Signage must be posted on the
equipment in such a way that the
work area is clearly labeled and
accidental usage of such equipment
would be highly unlikely.
Restricted-Access Roof Controls
(continued)
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A yellow chain, with a suspended sign
that can be draped across the hood
face, glove position or hazard
producing device control panel is
recommended.
Positive measures to control
unauthorized access to restrictedaccess roofs shall be established (e.g.
locked doors, ladder locks, etc.).
A Sign In/Out Procedure shall be
established such as a logbook, white
board, or chalkboard for each worker
to sign in and out when accessing or
vacating rooftops.
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The sign in/out device shall be placed
at the roof-access point or other
central location so that no one is
inadvertently locked onto a roof.
Communication devices such as
Nextels, Radios, or Cell Phones
should be carried by roof workers in
the event there is an or incident
involving medical emergency,
hazardous material release, or other
issue requiring immediate attention
by SES, EHS, or F and E personnel.
Accessing GMP Roofs
•
In addition to controls listed for
access to Restricted Access Roofs,
the following additional controls
shall be implemented:
  Coordination with Laboratory
Management and/or FPOC prior to
accessing GMP Roofs.
  Identifying all potentially affected
GMP equipment and locations.
•  Ensure that no non-conformance
may result from planned roof
work.
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