U.S. Department of Labor | ||||||
Occupational Safety & Health Administration |
Standard Interpretations
08/03/1999 - Fall protection methods when assembling and installing roofs. |
Standard Interpretations - Table of Contents |
Standard Number: | 1926.501 |
August 3, 1999 [Name & Address Withheld] Re: STD 3.1, 1926.500; Subpart M Dear [Name Withheld]: This is in response to your letter dated March 29, 1999, to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in which you asked if there were any feasible means to control and protect employees from falling off the building during the construction and installation of the roof framing, trusses, and components. Employers are protecting employees from fall hazards in these operations in several ways. Below are some that we are aware of:
With all the braces locked in place, the trusses can now be sheathed. The initial courses of sheathing, beginning at the eaves, are installed by workers who are on the inside of the structure on platforms. They remove the braces one at a time, as each sheet of sheathing is installed. Some employers will install all but the last (top) course from platforms on the inside. The last course is then sheathed by workers on the roof who are tied-off to the previously installed roof anchor(s). Others install added (wood) bracing sufficient to support a roof anchor so that the almost all of the sheathing courses can be installed by workers on the roof while tied-off. Once the sheathing is done, the weather-proofing material and roof-mounted equipment can be installed with workers tied-off to the previously installed roof anchor(s). There are a number of different types of roof anchors available for use during sheathing. Many are made of metal and attach by screws or nails to a truss or framing members. Another type is comprised of a D-ring attached to a fabric strap. The strap is nailed to and wrapped around one or more roof trusses. The anchor is removed by cutting the D-ring from the strap or using double-headed nails to allow the nails and the strap to be removed. For further information on fall protection in residential construction, you may want to contact: National Safety CouncilIf you need additional information, please contact us by fax at: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, Directorate of Construction, Office of Construction Standards and Guidance, fax # 202-693-1689. You can also contact us by mail at the above office, Room N3468, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, although there will be a delay in our receiving correspondence by mail. Sincerely, Russell B. Swanson, Director Directorate of Construction [Corrected 6/2/2005] 1 OSHA does not approve or endorse specific products. [ Back to text ] |
Standard Interpretations - Table of Contents |
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