"One of the first things I hear is, 'I didn't think green roofs required maintenance.' I'm quick to point out that green roofs all require maintenance. They need to take that into consideration early on."Photo: Bill WillisRoofing projects are just one of the activities front-line technicians perform regularly in institutional commercial facilities that can put them at risk of serious injury from a fall. Paint and coating applications, relamping projects, and facade inspections, among many others, also can threaten worker safety in this way.
The challenge for maintenance and engineering managers is to provide the personal protection equipment (PPE), training and other resources technicians need to remain safe in the workplace, no matter the task. Whether conducting a hazard assessment or developing a comprehensive fall-protection plan, managers need to consider the hazards before the work begins and focus technicians’ attention on prevention efforts.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued two publications designed to keep workers safe from falls:
• Protecting Roofing Workers, publication 3755
• Fall Protection in Construction, publication 3146.
OSHA’s page, How to Protect Workers from Falls, also offers managers a host of resources designed to help them develop, implement and fine-tune a fall-protection program to protect front-line technicians from such hazards. For more information, click here.
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