Falls are one of the most dangerous parts of work. 13% of fatal workplace incidents are due to a fall from an elevated height—and it's not just roofers who are in danger from poor rooftop safety programs. HVAC maintenance teams, building inspectors, construction teams, and more. Any professional role that involves climbing onto a roof puts employees at risk. While your organization cannot do away with these tasks altogether, you can significantly reduce hazards and OSHA penalties by implementing strong rooftop safety protocols. To learn how, read ahead and see why purchasing the right rooftop safety equipment might be one of the most important safety projects your team can tackle.
Businesses fall into two main buckets when it comes to rooftop hazards that require rooftop safety equipment:
Businesses focused on rooftops: This includes construction services, rooftop inspectors, HVAC and utility teams, bird prevention installation companies, and so on. These third-party teams need access to your roof and your business shares responsibility for ensuring their personnel can safely do the jobs. While the roof-centric business is responsible for bringing fall prevention harnesses, for example, your facility is responsible for installing safety equipment like barriers and safety gates.
Businesses that need to maintain their roofs: This can include anything from warehousing to universities with internal HVAC servicing employees. Your safety and facility management teams must provide structural rooftop safety equipment and wearable fall prevention systems so maintenance workers can complete their tasks.
If you operate out of a commercial building, you either fall into one of those categories or hire companies that do. That means you must purchase fall protection solutions that mitigate fall hazards like loose footing, unsafe ladders and railings, steep roofs, icy surfaces, and more. OSHA requires adequate fall protection to be in place whenever there's an elevated surface of four feet or more—or six feet in construction—and your rooftops qualify.
The right rooftop safety systems, like penetrating or non penetrating roof guardrails, safety rail systems, and specialized one-way safety gates, can all feel like big-ticket items when trying to maximize safety and OSHA compliance purchases within a set budget. However, purchasing these systems is essential for protecting your staff, third-party contractors, and the continued viability of the business. Consider these long-run benefits:
There are two broad buckets of fall protection standards from OSHA (and CCOHS and your local regulatory powers will often have similar or additional requirements): OSHA 1910 standards for general industry like warehouses, retail, and maintenance, and OSHA 1926 standards for construction. By installing non penetrating roof guardrails and safety rail systems according to the regulations that apply to your business, you're setting a solid foundation for staying OSHA-compliant.
Over the long term, OSHA compliance increases your business reputation, keeps your workers safe, and protects the business from fines, punitive scrutiny, and additional complications.
General falls from heights of four feet and six feet can lead to severe injury—falls from rooftops are much more dangerous. Adding structural barriers provides these direct safety benefits:
Visually indicating the edges of rooftops or, conversely, marking the approved pathways in potentially treacherous footing
Bodily blocking rooftop employees from falling off the edge of the roof
Providing additional handrails and grips in the event of a trip, fall, or unsteady moment
Providing additional safety around a ladder or hatch by visually indicating it and providing stable handholds
They address two aspects of fall safety—letting people know where the danger is so they can take precautions and physically obstructing potential falls.
Your company doesn't just benefit from a strong reputation through high-quality goods and services; your organization can also benefit from being known as a responsible employer. Customers want to know that your organization cares about worker safety, doesn't cut corners, and fits safety into continuous business operations.
Prospective employees and partnering organizations also care about your safety practices. If you proactively install OSHA-compliant rooftop safety equipment and have a clean record of rooftop safety, you're a more competitive employer who appeals to more qualified staff. This provides long-term wins for your company, from reduced turnover to securing more of the market.
In 2024, OSHA adjusted its maximum penalty for serious and other-than-serious infractions to $16,131 per violation. But these violations can quickly stack up. Depending on the severity and duration of the violations, you might receive dozens of fines, have increased inspection requirements that bog down your production operations, and even receive penalties for willful and repeated violations.
Perform internal audits now and resolve any unmet standards so you can eliminate the financial risks of non-compliance.
Ultimately, the right rooftop safety equipment benefits your company by keeping the number of falls and safety incidents at zero. No organization wants to have employees encountering dangerous rooftop conditions, and investing in the right structural guardrails and safety rail systems now is the answer. Equipment built to comply with OSHA and ANSI regulations can check many safety tasks off your to-do list, making it much simpler to inspect your property, be confident it will pass third-party inspections, and focus on other safety aspects.
It's not enough to just have some rooftop safety equipment—you need gapless perimeters made from non penetrating roof guardrails and gates that meet or exceed OSHA's strength requirements and comply with the details regarding height, kickplates, and placement. At BlueWater by Tractel, we develop our fall protection rails, harnesses, and rooftop safety gear to comply with OSHA requirements. Explore our fall protection solutions today to see which ones can do the heavy lifting in making your company safer from both falls and fines.
