The safety harness is a roofer’s best friend. Choosing the right safety harness and using it properly will protect you from falls and serious injuries.
Fall protection harnesses are just one option among many fall arrest devices. They are widely used by residential roofers. Typically, roofers do not want to take the time to install guardrails on residential homes and find fall protection harnesses to be a practical and safe alternative.
Although fall protection harnesses have become more comfortable to use in recent years, some roofers do not take them as seriously as they should, resulting in multiple falls per year (an average of 37 fatal falls per year in the United States). Therefore, it is essential to stay up to date on how to use a fall protection harness and other safety training.
This guide will explain the basics of a fall arrest system and how to use it properly. You will also find the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for fall arrest systems and the Canadian Occupational Safety and Health Act standards on the subject. We will also look at recent changes to the CSA Group standards for rope grabs.
At what minimum height should a fall arrest device be worn?
First, you need to know when to wear a fall protection harness. As a professional roofer, you are required to wear a fall arrest system when working from a certain height. In most U.S. jurisdictions, OSHA requires a roofer to use a fall arrest system if they are working on a sloped roof that is at least six feet from the ground and they are not using a guardrail or safety net. If they are working on a low-slope roof of 4:12 or less, six feet from the ground, they have the option of using a fall arrest system or a However, they should check their local regulations, which may differ from their national regulations.
In Canada, workplace safety regulations vary from province to province. However, in most provinces, including Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, a roofer must wear fall arrest if there is a risk of falling from a height of three metres or more and there is no guardrail.
What is the difference between a fall arrest device and a fall restraint?
Before you rush out and buy a safety harness, you should know that there are two main types of harnesses. In Canada and the United States, workplace safety regulations distinguish between a fall arrest device and a fall restraint.
A fall arrest system, when used properly, prevents you from working on the edge of the roof; in other words, you cannot reach the edge of the roof and fall. On the other hand, a fall arrest system allows you to work on the edge of the roof, but prevents you from touching the ground if you fall (provided, of course, that it is used properly).
A roofer must use a fall arrest system because he often has to reach the edge of the roof to perform his work. A fall arrest system may not provide enough protection to meet safety requirements. In this article, we will only discuss the use of the fall arrest system.
Components of the individual fall arrest device
A fall arrest device, to be adequate, is made up of five components which must all be in good working order:
Anchor point: A metal anchor that connects the fall arrester to the roof. It has holes for nails or screws. You must attach the anchor according to the manufacturer’s recommendations before attaching to it. Below we discuss how to attach the anchor point to the roof.
roof safety harness anchor attached to shingle roof
