Governmental regulations and their enforcement are always a key concern for roofing contractors, and the rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were in the news a lot this year, as OSHA issued new residential fall protection enforcement guidelines.
Capital Safety announced its acquisition by the investment firm KKR. KKR has signed an agreement to pay $1.12 billion for the company to Arle Capital Partners, which had owned the company since mid-2007.
Working at heights is inherently dangerous, and safety should always be the most important concern when the workplace is on the roof. With the recent changes to OSHA’s residential fall protection guidelines and a well-publicized push to increase OSHA enforcement, safety has been in the spotlight more than ever.
Let’s define a roof fall as any unarrested free-fall of an employee originating from a roof deck launch point and resulting in a terminal impact with the ground or an impeding structure (like a lower roof). Like any other falling object, a fall victim will accelerate at 32 feet/second2.
“Here we go again!” a residential contractor recently complained to me, and I couldn’t really disagree with him. On June 16, 2011, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will be enacting yet another new residential fall protection compliance directive - STD 03-11-001.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a new fall protection directive that will change the way roofing contractors handle residential construction projects.OSHA defines fall protection requirements for residential construction activities in 29 CFR 1926.501 (b)(13).