In a bid to improve roofing safety in California, the Roofing Compliance Work Group has been launched by the state. The group is intended to make sure that compliance with roof safety guidelines and regulations is being carried out throughout California and that complaints can be responded to in an adequate and expedient manner.
The group is made up of industry and labor groups, university safety programs, and Cal/OSHA. The hope is that the efforts of this group (as well as the employers and employees being overseen by it) can help reduce the 367 falls that occurred between 2008 and 2010 in California, which make up around 30% of injuries to roofers. The Department of Industrial Relations estimates that these incidents added up to over $70 million in damages.
There are certain requirements in place by Cal/OSHA that businesses involved in roofing have to adhere to. Employers requiring workers to work on roofs must train those workers on safe practices and document their efforts to do so. That training must illuminate some of the most typical hazards posed on a worksite.
The agency also asks that employers limit exposure to harm by keeping objects away from the edges of roofs and not letting various gear and debris further clutter a work area. Openings that a person could fall into should be covered appropriately.