Safety standards for roofs

For work carried out at heights, companies both large and small must place great importance on roof safety. To do this, the roofs on which workers will perform manoeuvres must follow certain safety standards. First of all, it’s important to ensure that the selected equipment is suitable for its intended use. Before starting any work or sending employees to the roof, it’s necessary to evaluate the integrity of the roof. In particular, it’s essential to check the condition of the means of preventing the risks of falling, including the means of access to the roof. The recognition of the anchor points must allow you to check their accessibility and resistance. They must be safely accessible and located – in most cases – above the workstation. The route from one anchor point to the next must also be identified, as well as the means of supply and evaluation of the materials.

Limit the risks of falling with a plan

The workstations for performing work at heights must be accessible in complete safety, and it must be possible to safely move around at heights. Work at heights on roofs must therefore be carried out according to a work plan designed to protect the health and safety of the workers. This safety plan must also allow the work to be performed in ergonomic conditions.

This prevention of falls from heights using a work plan can easily be ensured by various collective protection methods, and the elements to privilege are integrated or securely attached guardrails that are rigid and sufficiently resistant.

All steps must be taken to prevent the execution of a specific job from leading to the temporary removal of the collective protection devices. Preferably, the collective protection devices must be designed and installed in an almost permanent manner. In addition, the organization of the work plan must allow the workers never to work alone. The organization must also provide for a means of fast rescue in the event of a fall.

Generally speaking, when working at heights, it is forbidden:

• To use ladders, stepladders, and stools as workstations.
• To use techniques of access and positioning by means of ropes to constitute a workstation.
• To perform work at heights, regardless of the facilities or the equipment, when weather conditions or the environmental conditions of the workstation are likely to compromise the health and safety of the workers.

Operations at heights must be carried out by people who have received training.

Every employer is obliged to inform their employees of occupational risks and how to prevent them, as well as to train them on safety and at their workstation. In addition, specific training is provided for the use of certain work equipment, such as scaffolding and motorized equipment for working at heights.

Canadian and international safety standards

Certain portions of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (COHSR) include requirements that apply to work at heights. But when it comes to fall prevention, it’s necessary to go far beyond the framework of the CSST and even that of the country. Certain measures and efforts taken by the CSST have made it possible to establish an international ISO standard for many types of safety equipment that it’s preferable to follow in addition to the regional standards.