OSHA Requires Skylight Guarding on Building with Skylights

Skylight guarding is a specific type of safety gear that is required to be installed and placed over areas on your roof where skylights are in use. The exact specifications, requirements and regulations for this kind of guarding is based upon OSHA standards and have to be followed in order to create a safe, secure and compliant workplace. The reason guarding has to be placed over skylights is because they do not provide any support or protection in the event someone were to trip and fall onto the skylight. The person could easily fall through the skylight and be seriously injured, or may subsequently die as the result of the fall. In fact, OSHA views unprotected skylights just as if you had an open hole in the roof of your building.

You have different installation options available with skylight guarding. One option is to use OSHA compliant guarding manufactured and assembled to your specifications and measurements. The guarding must be able to support a load of at least 200 pounds, when applied perpendicular to any area on the screen. The screens must also be high enough away from the glass so they do not bend downward and cause the glass to break under ordinary impacts. These finished pieces are designed to be simply placed over the top of the skylight. There is no welding, mounting or drilling required with this style. Another option is to use this style and mount it to the surface of your roof, which may be required, depending upon local regulations, such as locations impacted by tropical storms and hurricanes.