Helping Individuals Get Home Safely.
A rooftop safety educational and auditing program from FIXFAST USA. Working towards OSHA compliance in 5 easy to follow steps.
Why Fall Protection?
Fatalities
645
Fatalities from height in 2020.
Fines
$145,027
Fine per violation if it is willful or repeated.
Citations
#1
Fall protection was the #1 most cited violation by OSHA.
Lawsuits
$25 million
One lawsuit from 2019 reached a verdict of $25 million.
Before vs. after High Five™
Before
- Exposed skylights
- No clear, designated walkway
- Unsecured rooftop access
- Equipment near fall hazards
- Exposed leading edges
- Opened roof hatch
- Doors below working areas near the rooftop edge
After
- Skylights are protected with skylight screens
- A clear, designated walkway is present to provide employees with safe access to equipment
- Crossovers to continue walkways over obstructions
- Guardrail protecting workers around equipment that is in danger zones
- Toe-board on guardrail above doors
- Fixed ladder access with the proper egress methods
- Roof hatch guardrail protecting the hole that an open roof hatch creates
How we Approach Safety.
01
Roof Access
02
Roof Access Fall Hazards
03
Designated Walkway Routes
04
Equipment Near Fall Hazards
05
Unprotected Edges
01
Roof Access
The first step of the High Five Program is to identify how the roof is accessed. First and foremost having compliant access to the roof is paramount as this is where the majority of falls occur.
Some common methods of accessing a roof include an exterior fixed ladder, roof hatch, portable ladder, exterior stair system or EWP (elevated working platform).
Once you’ve identified how the roof is being accessed there are a few important questions to ask yourself. Is there fall protection required on the access method? Are access points secure? Is the access method OSHA compliant? Could unauthorized persons access the roof?
02
Roof Access Fall Hazards
The second step of the High Five Program is to identify what hazards may present themselves at the access or egress point. The important question to ask is, when accessing the roof, are workers exposed to a fall hazard of 4ft or more? If yes, then they are at risk and measures need to be taken.
There are some easy solutions to prevent workers from being exposed to fall hazards. Guardrails can provide solid fall protection around stairs, fixed ladders and roof hatches. Self-closing gates are required at access points to ensure that OSHA compliance is maintained.
If a portable ladder is being used for roof access, a ladder support bracket could easily be installed to ensure that the portable ladder is secured in place during use.
03
Designated Walkway Routes
The third step of the High Five Program is to ensure that designated walkway routes are in place and are clearly defined. A walkway can ensure workers avoid fall hazards and stay on the intended paths only. Employers should clearly communicate and train workers to not deviate from the designated walkway.
If hazards such as leading edges, skylights, pits, smoke vents, openings and elevation changes can be identified, then designated walkway routes should be installed to keep workers safe and away from these areas.
Walkway systems combined with guardrail provide the highest level of safe access. In some applications, something as simple as a permanent warning line system can also be effective.
04
Equipment Near Fall Hazards
The fourth step of the High Five Program is to locate all equipment on the roof that is within the danger zone. Each situation is different, but at some point in time, rooftop equipment needs maintenance. This means that a worker could be put at risk.
When working on a low slope roof, is there equipment that is within 15 ft. of the leading edge or fall hazard that requires maintenance? If the answer is yes then something must be done to ensure OSHA compliance.
Guardrail systems can be erected around rooftop equipment to provide passive protection. In some applications a warning line system can also be used. This is only if the task being performed is temporary or infrequent. Other solutions could be a fall restraint or fall arrest system.
05
Unprotected Edges
The fifth and final step of the High Five Program is to be aware of the hazards that present themselves when edges are left unprotected. Unprotected edges always pose a serious risk. If the previous steps of this program were followed, then the high-risk areas should have already been addressed.
Some common hazards presented by unprotected edges include sloped roofs with slippery surfaces and trip hazards. Weather can introduce hazards that may not have been previously considered.
Solutions for step 5 are quite similar to those of step 4. Roof guardrail systems, warning line systems (only if the task being performed is temporary and infrequent), fall restraint and fall arrest anchors or lifelines are all efficient solutions to hazards that are presented from unprotected edges.
Helping Indviduals Get Home Safely.
high five roof safety audits
A HIGH FIVE Roof Safety Audit provides a comprehensive package that lays out points of concern on a facility and the steps that need to be taken to address them.