Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor that sets and enforces workplace safety and health standards. For roofing, its most important role is regulating fall protection, since roofing is one of the most dangerous construction trades. Its website is osha.gov.

Falls in construction

OSHA states that falls are the leading cause of death in construction. Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it reports that in 2024 there were 389 fatal falls to a lower level out of 1,034 construction fatalities. Roofs, ladders and scaffolds are the main sources of these falls.

Fall protection rules

• In construction, OSHA requires fall protection when workers are at heights of 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level. Other industries have different triggers: 4 feet in general industry, 5 feet in shipyards and 8 feet in longshoring.
• Fall protection is required regardless of height when working over dangerous equipment or machinery.
• Acceptable systems for roofing typically include guardrails, safety nets and personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) with full-body harnesses and anchors. On low-slope roofs, warning lines combined with safety monitoring may be used in some situations.
• Holes, skylights and leading edges must be identified and protected.

Fall prevention campaign

Since 2012, OSHA has run a fall prevention campaign with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the NORA Construction Sector Council. Its message is to Plan, Provide, Train:

• Plan each job, including the cost of safety equipment in estimates;
• Provide the right fall protection, ladders and scaffolds, with fitted and inspected harnesses for workers who tie off;
• Train every worker to recognise hazards and use equipment correctly.

OSHA also promotes an annual National Safety Stand-Down, when employers pause work to talk about fall hazards.

State plans and other countries

Some U.S. states run their own OSHA-approved safety programs with equal or stricter rules. Other countries have their own regulators, such as the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain, WorkSafeBC in British Columbia and Safe Work Australia, each with different height thresholds and requirements.