Osha Railing Requirements For Roof

Osha guardrail height requirements.

Osha railing requirements for roof. Each employee on a steep roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet 1 8 m or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems with toeboards safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems. Place warning lines and headers around the entire roof perimeter. Industry standard says that protection must be in place for anyone working within 15 feet of the roof edge. Top edge height of top rails or equivalent guardrail system members shall be 42 inches 1 1 m plus or minus 3 inches 8 cm above the walking working level.

The top edge height may exceed 45 inches 114 cm provided the guardrail system meets all other criteria of paragraph b of this section see figure d 11 of this section. When conditions warrant the height of the top edge may exceed the 45 inch height provided the guardrail system meets all other criteria of this paragraph. The top rails of a guardrail system must be 39 to 45 inches above the walking working surface 29 cfr 1926 502 b 1. 08 27 2008 1910 23 e handrail and railing specifications for general industry.

This allows construction applications more leeway in setting up osha compliant guardrail. Ibc guardrail is required to be a minimum of 42 above the leading edge of the tread or walking surface. Install warning lines no closer than 5 feet inside the roof edges and at a height of 34 to 45 inches. Ibc guardrail height requirements.

Osha requires that workers exposed to a fall hazard must have fall protection. Guardrail height requirements 1910 29 b 1 the height of top rails must be 42 inches plus or minus 3 inches above the walking working surface. Osha also requires a top rail at 42 above the working working surface but allows for some flexibility of 3 inches from the 42. The best solution and the simplest is to install roof edge guard railing around the trouble spots to eliminate the fall hazard completely.

For a roof railing to be effective in preventing a fall it must meet system requirements laid out in osha 1910 29. Intermediate structural members for example midrails or screens must be installed when there is no wall or parapet wall at least 21 inches high 29 cfr 1926 502 b 2. 1910 23 e compliance of stair and platform railings with height requirements in osha standards for fixed industrial stairs. Osha 1910 29 b contains system requirements that employers must follow to ensure guardrail systems will protect workers from falling to lower levels.