After several postponements and “phase-in” periods, OSHA’s
2010 directive on fall protection for residential construction finally goes
into effect on December 15. Its new rule represents the latest chapter in the
ongoing debate among contractors, insurers, and the government over how best to
prevent injuries and fatalities caused by jobsite falls.
Set crews working on modular homes will be affected by the
new rules. It will be interesting to see how they work within the guidelines
seeing that about 80% of the homes’ roof is typically shingled in the factory.
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| This roofer appears to be using a safety tether strap in compliance with OSHA |
On average, 40 construction workers die each year from
falls, the industry’s leading cause of death. An OSHA survey of insured
employers in 36 states found that their workman’s compensation liability for
roofers injured from falls exceeds $100,000.
However, a trade group representing 2,500 roofing
contractors contends that the new regulations take away the easiest fall
protection that roofers have used on sloped roofs for decades, and could
actually lead to other unintended jobsite accidents.
In the past OSHA had allowed employers to use specified
alternative methods of fall protection on slopes greater than 4:12, meaning
that the incline is 4 inches for every foot of roofing space.
The most commonly used protection on lower-slope roofs had
been a slide guard, a piece of wood attached horizontally to rafters by a
90-degree bracket that slips under existing shingles, which installers step on
for support as they move up and down the incline. On roofs with inclines of
4:12 to 6:12, the slide guard was typically installed at the eave of the roof;
and at every eight feet of roof space on roofs with 6:12 to 8:12 slopes.
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