Residential builders typically do little to promote the use of fall protection.
Roofing Contractor applauded the idea of designing in permanent fall anchorage on commercial, low-slope roofing and retrofit roofing projects more than three years ago (Seaming, February 2001). To date, this concept may not have gained wide acceptance, but we do see evidence that things are changing. Examples of this include the growing use of railings around roof hatches, screens on skylights, and anchorage points being added near roof edges. Some industrial owners now specify permanent edge railing systems on all of their low-slope roofs.
The time to address the addition of permanent fall protection is when a building is being built or when significant upgrades to the roofing system are made. Putting fall protection in place only to remove it later does not make sense in many cases. Many buildings are topped with mechanical equipment that requires maintenance people to be on the roof regularly. Even when there is no other reason to be on the roof, what roofing contractor, manufacturer, designer, or consultant does not recommend putting people on the roof for routine, at least annual maintenance? And what kind of inspection would it be without inspecting the roof edges?