Residential Guardrails

I am seeing advertisements saying that these are required now for the perimeter of steep slope roofs. Not sure if this is correct.

Any news out there?

Do it right and do it once!

When I bid and redo one of these, it gets done so it looks new, top and bottom, no shortcuts. I can see too much caulk here and there. Wedges up to 3" thick to fill gaps on the lookouts, etc. Probably why I don't land too many. The ones I landed are still there.

Just working on the roof OS. I'm scared to walk around to different areas in that BIG. It's a newish copper one done in 10' lenghts. About 5-6 years old, I think. Should be good for another year or two. Buckling has started. Decking was never properly renailed so nails are poking into it. Solidly nailed along the outer edge. Nails loosening, etc.

On something like that i would just set a scaffold platform along the bottom so it was easy to work on. Saftey comes into play too, but the ease of working on a platform as the gutter was rebuilt trumps everything else IMHO

I won't walk in the BIG of this one.

I have many repairs on the rear, porches andhedges in front, so I'm staging and climbing over to do the valleys on the front. The underside looks a bit dodgy to me.

I'll at least be able to restock my Buckingham 12x12's. It seems there are many repairs on this roof were done with them instead of the 20x12's the roof consists of.

At least the next one looks walkable.

Woody, I try not to take risks. Here's what I'm working on.

Can you believe that the day I went to look at this thing, I didn't have enough ladder. I crawled out a dormer window to check it out.

I have issues with the 3 rung rule. Ironlcally, before it became law, I would caution against employees raising the ladder that high because it could pivot at the eave contact point and slip and the fact that it feels safer to me to go up and over the top of the ladder on to the roof than to step around, not to mention tight spots where you don't have enough area to get on the roof from the side of the ladder. Plus the spot where the extension ladder changes from 2 rungs to 1 rung (a potential slip going down the ladder) is that much higher off the ground and increases the severity of a fall.

I do have a question about the 3 rung rule, if you are working just from the ladder and not stepping on the roof, does it still apply?

I regularly do all the most dangerous tasks on my crew, climbing up to install safety tie-offs, most of the tall ladder work, things where the cost of getting an employee compliant outwiegh the value of the task. Since I'm exempt, I do it myself. That said, Tinner takes risks I would never consider. I hope he keeps the blade of his slate ripper dull and doesn't need two hands to operate his camera.

Ah!

OS, it's all about balance. See the yellow rung? I can let the ladder slide down the roofa nd catch that rung as it gets to me and it goes over the side gentle as a baby and hangs vertical.

Pull a 16'er over the side with all the rungs in and the balance point leaves 8' above you. AND, it doesn't quit swinging until the bottom hits the house and/or flips you off the ladder.

Joe Jenkins says he has a 28 with al the rungs in that he can handle. He's a much better man than me.

Did you take out half of the rungs on the ladder to make it easier or lighter?

Egg sees the BIG picture. It can't be any safer, imho.

"that ladder is not high enough above the edge"

Not per OSHA, but I know exactly what he is doing there with that. He has absolutely no intention of exiting via the ladder by going around its side while in a standing position. Exiting from plane is much safer. I'd like to see it tied off but that is the only change I would recommend in those circumstances. Employees can not use a set-up like that. It is against the law (ignorance made law for the benefit of the ignorant) 4/12 and 5/12 are not to be an exception, by the way. OSHA doesn't recognize that distinction. It has nothing to do with whether it is "walkable." If it's over a six foot drop, it's Show Time under the Big Tent. You have to scaffold that too if that's the way you are going to go. Let's not forget to put on the face paint and the big red noses while we are at it. And the polkadot suits with the giant non-skid shoes. Oh, yeah. Keep your body low, keep your center of gravity low, keep your multiple points of contact close and keep everything balanced. If your body is not flexible, best pack up your stuff and pack it in.

I see it now. Sneaky. that ladder is not high enough above the edge either! gosh, be careful!

Larry got it.

It's the old slaters hook ladder. Use your slate ripper as a toe board, I've done it a hundred times.