Although federal regulations applica ble to fall protection in
the roofing industry are complex, California recently amended its
own fall-protection requirements. California's rules are
comprehensive and apply differently depending on the type of roof
system being installed.
Most roofing contractors are required to adhere to federal
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules even if
their states are "state-plan" states—that is, states
responsible for enforcing their own occupational safety and health
rules. Most state-plan states incorporate federal OSHA rules into
the body of worker safety rules enforced by their state agencies
responsible for occupational safety and health. States under
federal jurisdiction have OSHA rules enforced by a regional OSHA
office.
California is a state-plan state that is active in pursuing
worker health and safety issues, and California's Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) regulations are
wide-ranging and, in many cases, more detailed than their federal
counterparts. And though Cal/OSHA regulations may not apply to
contractors outside California, such regulations may influence the
federal rulemaking process, which makes it important for you to be
familiar with them. A review of Cal/OSHA's amended fall-protection
rules relating to roofing work follows.
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