Skylight Fall Protection Awareness & Fall Prevention Guidelines

There are more than a dozen trades in which workers are permitted regular access to flat or low-sloped roofs, including but not limited to roofing, building maintenance, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and telecommunications personnel.

It is difficult to determine how many workers are exposed to the fall hazards on a roof every day. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there are more than 120,000 roofers alone who are obviously at risk. Add in the other trades that frequently access flat or low-sloped roofs and MILLIONS of existing unit skylights on the roofs...the risk exposure is significant. Read more.

Skylight Fall Protection OSHA Act Criteria

In January of 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s (OSHA Act) updated criteria, created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), went into effect. The update included new criteria for protecting workers from falls through skylight openings. However, the state of California did not update their Cal/OSHA requirements (see endnote). The updated OSHA Act criteria for skylight openings allows for more flexibility for the building owner and contractors to comply, but also increases confusion on demonstrating compliance. This is largely due to removing the previous language without replacing it with more specific criteria. Read more.