Safety is paramount working at any type of height; rooftop solar installations are no exception. OSHA says that any solar worker exposed to fall distances of 6 ft or more must be protected from falls either through guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems.
So put on a harness; hook on to some anchors. How hard can it be?
For metal standing seam roofs, it is a little more complicated. You can’t penetrate into the roofing system as you would a shingled roof to attach an anchor because that would void the roof’s warranty. Instead, a compatible clamping system must be secured through screws or compression. We spoke with Howie Scarboro, CEO of Fall Protection Distributors, which manufactures a universal standing seam roof anchor, among other fall protection equipment, about the issues that come with working up on metal roofs.
SPW: What are safety issues related with metal standing seam roofs?
Scarboro: On a standing seam roof system, you can’t just penetrate the panel; you have to attach to the seam. You have to have a good clamping system to get onto the seam. If a contractor is working on different roofs every day, moving from roof to roof, [some] clamping systems aren’t a universal fit. It’s easy to hand an anchor to somebody and that anchor may not be compatible with that roof system. They might have grabbed the wrong anchor that day. A big safety issue is making sure the anchor assembly is compatible with the seam. Proper installation goes without saying. We use set screws, some use compression clamps—however you do it, proper torque on the screws is imperative. If it’s too high, you can damage the seam. If it’s too low and somebody falls, you’re not at full strength. Properly torqued settings on installation is the No. 1 rule.
SPW: What’s a common issue contractors run into when using roof anchors?
Scarboro: They either install it improperly or they put the worker in a position where swingfall is a big issue. Say they’re working at a 45° angle and they have 25 ft of rope. They slip and fall off of the eave. They have enough slope that that gravity wants to pull them where the rope is straight up and down—that’s called a swingfall. If they swing, they can slam into things, the rope can get abraded over the eave, and it can cut the rope that’s supporting them. You’ve got to protect the worker from swingfalls. There has to be a competent person on site that knows where to place the anchors and where the worker can work without putting them in danger of a swingfall.
Fall Protection Distributors’ universal Standing Seam Roof Anchor 1 product
SPW: Does price matter when it comes to safety equipment?
Scarboro: A big issue is cheap, inexpensive equipment. You’re supposed to limit the worker to 900 lbs of impact on his body. Even if I can stop a big guy from falling off the roof, he may still die because the harness could kill him. The big thing is limiting the load to 900 lb, and we do that with shock packs. There are inline straps you can buy that stretch. They’re sewn together and when they’re under load, that stitching is designed to pull out a few extra inches. Instead of wearing a $30 harness, this guy had on a good $200, contractor-quality harness with break-away stitching that softens that impact. We need to be careful that we keep the workers under 900 lb of impact during a fall with shock packs and good quality harnesses.