Rooftop platforms and rooftop walking platforms help workers to safely move about on roofs and gain access to work areas. They also help to prevent the main cause of puncture damage to industrial roofs — foot traffic.
They are like insurance, except that they don’t provide value only when something has gone wrong. Instead they can stop costly problems from occurring while they make daily operations more efficient and even help with morale by eliminating dangerous, stress-producing situations.
What is a rooftop platform?
Rooftop platforms are combinations of ladders and platforms that allow safe access over pipes, walls, ductwork and other obstacles on roofs. They are seen most often at commercial and industrial buildings with large flat roofs.
Similar equipment, called rooftop walking platforms, are a series of platforms, usually only slightly elevated, that create a walkway on a rooftop. Generally speaking, they are not attached to rooftop platforms, although many sites require both. These walking paths don’t have railings, as rooftop platforms do.
Both rooftop platforms and rooftop walking platforms have special support feet that are designed and made to distribute weight and prevent damage to roofs.
Roofs can see a surprising amount of foot traffic from satellite technicians, plumbers, painters, HVAC repairmen, people washing skylights and even people taking a cigarette break.
Dropped tools can puncture membranes and other types of roofing. People can put a hole in a roof simply by walking across it, sometimes because gravel may be stuck in their shoes.
Do I need a rooftop platform system?
It falls on business managers and property owners to examine the amount of activity that takes place on the roofs of their facilities. Among the safety and liability issues to consider:
- How many people need to work on the roof, and how often?
- Where are they working?
- What tasks are they performing?
- Do they cross over ductwork, pipes or walls? Are they carrying equipment?
- How close to the edge of the roof and different roof levels are they walking and working?
- How vulnerable is the roofing material to foot traffic and dropped tools?
- What does the warrant on my last roofing job cover?
The answers to those questions can help them weigh the potential costs from the injury to, or the death of, a worker; the damage that a leaking roof would cause and the cost of finding and repairing the leak; and the cost of a rooftop platform or rooftop walking platform.
Tri-Arc, the Pittsburgh company that manufactures work ladders and platforms, has experts who can walk people through the decision-making process.
The company’s website also sells both types of product under its U-Design Configurable Products line. The considerations are similar to the company’s crossover platform products.
The specifications for the rooftop platforms include:
- Aluminum, 1 inch by 2 inch rectangular tube construction
- 500 lb. rated capacity
- 36 inch wide steps and bridge spans, which come with guardrails and toeboards
- Grip Strut non-slip tread surface
- Non-Penetrating Caddy feet, which distribute weight evenly to protect roof surface
- 42 inch guardrail height
- 40 inch long bridge spans that can be combined to create up to 120 inches of uninhibited clearance length
The specifications for the rooftop walking platforms include:
- Aluminum construction
- 500 lb. rated capacity
- Adjustable height range from 11 inches to 14 inches
- 36 inch by 36 inch Grip Strut platform
- Non-Penetrating Caddy feet, which distribute weight evenly to protect roof surface
How to configure a rooftop platform
Tri-Arc offers a three-step process on its website that helps building owners figure out what components they need.
- Select Ladders by Height and Incline. Based on the height that you need the platform to be and the amount of “floor space” available for the base of the ladder, select from one of three different ladder types.
- Select the Bridge Span Platforms. The platforms are 40 inches long and 36 inches wide, and come with safety rails. Choose as many as you need to cross the distance of your obstacle. If you need to cross more than 120 inches, you also will need a “leg it” to support the platforms.
- Select the Configuration. Special units called “turn platforms,” which also come with safety rails, allow you to create different configurations: straight, L shaped, U shaped or Z shaped.
As for the walking platforms, which have 30-inch-thick aluminum construction, they can be combined together to create safe walking paths, but they cannot be joined to the crossover platform components.
Do I need fall protection on a roof?
OSHA, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has fairly complicated safety requirements regarding fall protection. The regulations cover safety gear, inspections, training and other issues.
For rooftop platforms, these regulations can come into play, in addition to the guidelines for ladder safety and work platform safety.
For most industries, fall protection is required for anyone working more than 4 feet higher than the ground or the next level down. In the construction industry, that figure is 6 feet higher.
Also, if they are working over dangerous equipment, machinery or hazards that they could fall into, they must have fall protection or there must be machine guarding for the hazard.
There are different rules for actual roofers.
The fall protection, or fall safety solution, could be railings or personal protective equipment (PPE) such as harnesses, lanyards, and lifelines.
OSHA requirements include:
- When work is performed less than 6 feet from the roof edge, the employer must ensure each employee is protected from falling by a guardrail system, safety net system, travel restraint system, or personal fall arrest system (PFAS).
- When work is performed at least 6 feet but less than 15 feet from the roof edge, the employer must ensure each employee is protected from falling by using a guardrail system, safety net system, travel restraint system, or personal fall arrest system. The employer may use a designated area when performing work that is both infrequent and temporary.
- When work is performed 15 feet or more from the roof edge, the employer must:
- Protect each employee from falling by a guardrail system, safety net system, travel restraint system, or personal fall arrest system or a designated area. The employer is not required to provide any fall protection, provided the work is both infrequent and temporary; and
- Implement and enforce a work rule prohibiting employees from going within 15 feet of the roof edge without using fall protection.
What is the most common type of roof fall protection?
For roof safety, workers use four basic types of fall protection systems: fall arrest, positioning, suspension and retrieval.
Fall arrest
This involves a system composed of a roof anchor, a body harness, and a lanyard made of rope, cable or other material.
Positioning
This sort of safety equipment allows a worker to sit back in a harness will working with both hands. OSHA requires that it be used along with a fall arrest system, such as body belts, full-body harnesses and other fall restraint components.
Retrieval
The section of a fall protection plan involves how to retrieve a worker who has fallen. OSHA requires that a plan be written up, but does not give details on that.
Suspension
This covers the type of protective equipment used by window washers and painters. A fall arrest system must be used alongside the suspension system.
Deciding on a rooftop platform
A rooftop platform and rooftop walking platform can be a valuable investment in the safety of your workers and longevity of your roof. Tri-Arc makes all the components for these systems at its manufacturing plant in Pittsburgh. These modular systems are part of its U-Design Configurable Products line. Use the U-Design feature on its website or talk to a Tri-Arc representative to find out the best rooftop solution for your business.