Dive summary:
- Tougher safety regulations for residential roofers take effect Dec. 15 and require guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall-arrest systems for workers who are 6 feet or more above the ground.
- OSHA looked at employers' insurance records and found that workers' compensation claims averaged more than $100,000.
- Companies in the industry say that safeguards used for decades – a slide guard – has worked on moderate-slope roofs and that having lifelines on roofs if installers have to wear harnesses makes it more likely workers will trip and fall.
From the article:
After Dec. 15, non-compliance employers would be cited and could be fined up to $7,000 per worker.
