Roof Inspection Safety and Access
Domain 2 tests fall protection, ladder setup, roof walkability, and electrical hazards. The key point is that the Standards of Practice do not require you to walk every roof; they require a safe inspection and an honest description of what you could and could not observe.
Fall protection and ladders
- OSHA's construction fall-protection trigger is 6 feet. Use a harness, lanyard, and anchor when exposed to a fall hazard, and follow manufacturer instructions.
- Set ladders at a 4:1 ratio (1 foot out for every 4 feet up). Extend the ladder at least 3 feet above the roof edge, secure the top, and maintain three points of contact.
- Inspect the ladder before use: feet, rungs, rails, locks. Keep metal ladders away from energized lines, and keep at least 10 feet from overhead power lines unless trained and authorized.
Deciding whether to walk
Pitch, material, and weather drive the decision. Dry asphalt shingles at 5:12 or 6:12 are commonly walkable for experienced inspectors; steep, wet, frosty, mossy, or metal roofs are not. Tile and slate are fragile and can be damaged by walking. If walking is unsafe, inspect from the ground with binoculars, from a ladder, or from a safe window or hatch, and report the limitation.
Worked example
A dry 5:12 asphalt roof is accessible only by a 28-foot extension ladder whose top is 2 feet above the eave. What is wrong? The ladder should extend 3 feet above the eave and be secured. The 5:12 pitch may be walkable, but the access setup is deficient.
Traps
Do not assume the SOP requires walking the roof. Do not reverse the 4:1 rule. Do not stand on the top rung. Do not treat a metal roof as walkable just because the pitch is low.