Roofing and Carpentry Safety Checklist
A safety observation report is a tool used by safety officers to document hazards as well as safety commendations in the workplace. Performing and documenting regular safety observations not only ensures a safer workplace but it can also help share best practices with other teams.
MaintainX
07/26/2022
Roofing and Carpentry Safety Checklist
A safety observation report is a tool used by safety officers to document hazards as well as safety commendations in the workplace. Performing and documenting regular safety observations not only ensures a safer workplace but it can also help share best practices with other teams.
Safety And Health Management Systems
Do you have an active safety and health program in operation that includes general safety and health program elements as well as the management of hazards specific to your work-site?
Is one person clearly responsible for the safety and health program?
Do you have a safety committee or group made up of management and labor representatives that meet regularly and reports in writing on its activities?
Comments/Corrective Action:
Scaffolds
Are scaffolds and scaffold components capable of supporting, without failure, its own weight and at least 4 times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it?
Are platforms on all working levels of scaffolds fully planked or decked between the front uprights and the guardrail supports?
Are scaffold platforms and walkways at least 18 inches wide?
Are platforms erected so that gaps between plank units and/or uprights are no more than 1 inch wide?
Are front edges of all platforms not more than 14 inches from the face of the work, unless guardrail systems are erected along the front edge and/or personal fall arrest systems are used?
Is the maximum distance from the face for outrigger scaffolds no more than 3 inches; and for plastering and lathing operations no more than 18 inches?
Is each end of a platform extended over the centerline of its support at least 6 inches (unless cleated or otherwise restrained by hooks or equivalent means)?
Is each end of a platform 10 feet or less in length extended no more than 12 inches over its support?
Are ends of platforms greater than 10 feet in length extended no more than 18 inches over its support?
Are scaffold planks ends (abutted to create a long platform) resting on a separate support?
On scaffolds that change direction (such as turning a corner), are platforms that rests on bearers NOT on a right angle laid first and then platforms that rest at right angles laid on top of the first platform?
Are wood platforms free from opaque finishes (except for identification purposes)?
Are scaffold components manufactured by different manufacturers not intermixed unless the components fit together without force and the scaffold’s structural integrity is maintained by the user; and are the components of the scaffold manufactured by different manufacturers not modified in order to intermix them unless a competent person determines the resulting scaffold is structurally sound?
Are scaffold components made of dissimilar metals NOT used together, unless a competent person has determined that galvanic action will not reduce the strength of any component to a level below that required (to be capable of supporting, without failure, its own weight and at least 4 times the maximum intended load applied or transmitted to it)?
Are supported scaffolds with a height to base width (including outrigger supports, if used) ratio of more than four to one (4:1), restrained from tipping by guying, tying, bracing, or equivalent means?
Do supported scaffold poles, legs, posts, frames, and uprights bear on base plates AND mud sills or other adequate firm foundation?
Are footings leveled, sound, rigid, and capable of supporting the loaded scaffold without settling or displacement?
Are only stable objects used to support scaffolds or platform units?
Are only stable objects used as working platforms?
Are supported scaffold poles, legs, posts, frames, and uprights plumb and braced to prevent swaying and displacement?
Is safe access (e.g., portable ladders, hook-on ladders, ramps, walkways, etc.) provided to scaffolding platforms, when the platforms are more than 2 feet above or below a point of access?
Are cross braces not used as a means of access?
Is portable, hook-on and attachable ladders positioned so as not to tip the scaffold?
Is hook-on and attachable ladders specifically designed for use with the type of scaffold used?
Do stairway type ladders have a minimum step width of 16 inches, except that mobile scaffold stairwaytype ladders have a minimum step width of 11 1/2 inches; and have slip-resistant treads on all steps and landings?
Is a stair rail consisting of an adequate top rail and an adequate midrail provided on each side of each scaffold stairway?
Are handrails and top rails that serve as handrails provided with an adequate handhold for employees grasping them to avoid falling?
Are stair rail systems and handrails surfaced to prevent injury to employees from punctures or lacerations, and to prevent snagging of clothing?
Is a landing platform at least 18 inches wide by at least 18 inches long provided at each level?
Is each scaffold stairway at least 18 inches wide between stair rails?
Are treads and landings provided with slip-resistant surfaces?
Are stairways installed between 40 degrees and 60 degrees from the horizontal?
Are guardrails of proper construction provided on the open sides and ends of each landing?
Are integral prefabricated scaffold access frames specifically designed and constructed for use as ladder rungs?
Are scaffolds and scaffold components inspected for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift, and after any occurrence that could affect a scaffold's structural integrity?
Is any part of a scaffold that has been damaged or weakened immediately repaired or replaced, or removed from service until repaired?
Are scaffolds not allowed to be moved horizontally while employees are on them, unless a registered professional engineer has designed them specifically for such movement?
Are scaffolds erected, moved, dismantled, or altered only under the supervision and direction of a competent person qualified in scaffold erection, moving, dismantling or alteration?
Are employees prohibited from working on scaffolds covered with snow, ice, or other slippery material except as necessary for removal of such materials?
Are tag lines or equivalent measures used to control the swinging loads?
Is work on or from scaffolds prohibited during storms or high winds unless a competent person has determined that it is safe for employees to be on the scaffold and those employees are protected by a personal fall arrest system or wind screens? Windscreens shall not be used unless the scaffold is secured against the anticipated wind forces imposed.
Are ladders and other makeshift devices not used on top of scaffold platforms to increase the working level height of employees?
Are employees who perform work while on a scaffold trained by a person qualified in the subject matter to recognize the hazards associated with the type of scaffold being used and to understand the procedures to control or minimize those hazards?
Are employees involved in erecting, disassembling, moving, operating, repairing, maintaining, or inspecting a scaffold trained by a competent person to recognize any hazards associated with the work in question?
Are employees retrained so that the requisite proficiency is gained, when the employer has reason to believe that an employee lacks the skill or understanding needed for safe work involving the erection, use or dismantling of scaffolds?
Comments/Corrective Action:
Fall Protection
Do you have a fall protection plan that effectively protects employees performing leading-edge work, precast concrete erection, or residential construction? Please note that alternative fall protection methods can only be used if the employer can demonstrate the infeasibility of conventional fall protection or that it creates a greater hazard.
Are employees doing construction work at a height of 6 feet or more above lower levels protected from falls by use of conventional fall protection which includes standard guardrails, safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems?
Are the walking/working surfaces on which employees are working on have the strength and structural integrity to support the employees safely?
Are employees on walking/working surfaces (horizontal and vertical surfaces) with an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet or more above a lower level protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems?
Are employees constructing a leading edge 6 feet or more above lower levels protected from falling?
Are employees on walking/working surfaces 6 feet or more above lower level where leading edges are under construction (but whom are not engaged in the leading edge work) protected from falling?
Are employees in a hoist area protected from falling, either by a guardrail system or a personal fall arrest system?
Are employees on walking/working surfaces protected from falling through holes (including skylights) more than 6 feet above lower levels, either by personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems erected around such holes?
Are employees on a walking/working surface protected from tripping-in or stepping-into or through holes (including skylights) by structurally sound covers?
Are employees working above dangerous equipment protected from falling into or onto the dangerous equipment by guardrail systems or by equipment guards?
Are employees engaged in roofing activities on low-slope roofs, with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above lower levels protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, or a combination of warning line system and guardrail system, warning line system and safety net system, or warning line system and personal fall arrest system, or warning line system and safety monitoring system? Or on roofs 50 feet or less in width, by the use of a safety monitoring
Are employees on a steep roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above lower levels protected from falling by guardrail systems with toeboards, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems?
Are employees engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet or more above lower levels protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems?
Are employees working on, at, above, or near wall openings (including those with chutes attached) where the outside bottom edge of the wall opening is 6 feet or more above lower levels and the inside bottom edge of the wall opening is less than 39 inches above the walking/working surface protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems?
Are personal fall arrest systems and positioning device systems inspected before each use?
Does a competent person train each employee? Training should include the nature of fall hazards in the work area; the correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting the fall protection systems to be used; the use and operation of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems, warning line systems, safety monitoring systems, controlled access zones, and other protection to be used; the role of each employee in the safety monitoring system when this system is
Did the employer certify fall protection training by preparing a written certification record?
Comments/Corrective Action:
Guardrails
Is the top edge height of top rails, or equivalent guardrail system members 42 inches plus or minus 3 inches above the walking/working level?
Is the top edge height of the top rail, or equivalent member, increased an amount equal to the height of the stilts, ladders etc. from which an employee may be working?
Are midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, or equivalent intermediate structural members installed between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working surface when there is no wall or parapet wall at least 21 inches high?
Are midrails installed at a height midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working level?
Is guardrail systems capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds applied within 2 inches of the top edge, in any outward or downward direction, at any point along the top edge?
Do midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, solid panels, and equivalent structural members capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 150 pounds applied in any downward or outward direction at any point along the midrail or other member?
Are guardrail systems surfaced to prevent injury to an employee from punctures or lacerations, and to prevent snagging of clothing?
Are top rails and midrails at least one-quarter inch nominal diameter or thickness?
Is wire rope used for top rails flagged at no more than 6-foot intervals with high-visibility material?
Are guardrails systems when used at hoisting areas equipped with a chain, gate or removable guardrail section placed across the access opening between guardrail sections when hoisting operations are not taking place?
Are guardrail systems, when used at holes, erected on all unprotected sides or edges of a hole?
Are guardrail systems used around holes that are used as points of access (such as ladder ways), provided with a gate, or be so offset that a person cannot walk directly into the hole?
Are manila, plastic or synthetic rope being used for top rails or midrails inspected as frequently as necessary to ensure that it continues to meet the strength requirements?
Comments/Corrective Action:
Personal Fall Arrest Systems
Are body belts prohibited as part of a personal fall arrest system? Note: The use of a body belt in a positioning device system is acceptable.
Is personal fall arrest systems inspected prior to each use for wear, damage and other deterioration, and defective components removed from service?
Do connectors have a corrosion-resistant finish, and all surfaces and edges smooth to prevent damage to interfacing parts of the system?
Do dee-rings and snaphooks have a minimum tensile strength of 5,000 pounds?
Are dee-rings and snaphooks proof-tested to a minimum tensile load of 3,600 pounds without cracking, breaking, or taking permanent deformation?
Are only “locking-type” snaphooks used?
Are horizontal lifelines designed, installed, and used, under the supervision of a qualified person, as part of a complete personal fall arrest system, which maintains a safety factor of at least two?
Do lanyards and vertical lifelines have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds?
Is each employee attached to a separate vertical lifeline?
Are lifelines protected against being cut or abraded?
Do self-retracting lifelines and lanyards, which automatically limit free fall, distance to 2 feet or less, capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 3,000 pounds applied to the device with the lifeline or lanyard in the fully extended position?
Do self-retracting lifelines and lanyards (which do not limit free fall distance to 2 feet or less) rip stitch lanyards, and tearing and deforming lanyards capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 5,000 pounds applied to the device with the lifeline or lanyard in the fully extended position?
Are anchorages used for attachment of personal fall arrest equipment independent of any anchorage being used to support or suspend platforms and capable of supporting at least 5,000?
Do personal fall arrest systems, when stopping a fall:
Limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 1,800 pounds when used with a body harness?
Rigged such that an employee can neither free fall more than 6 feet nor contact any lower level?
Bring an employee to a complete stop and limit maximum deceleration distance an employee travels to 3.5 feet?
Have sufficient strength to withstand twice the potential impact energy of an employee free falling a distance of 6 feet, or the free fall distance permitted by the system, whichever is less?
Does the employer appropriately modify the criteria and protocols for personal fall protection systems to provide proper protection for a system being used by an employee having a combined tool and body weight of 310 pounds or more?
Does the employer have in place a method for prompt rescue of employees in the event of a fall or assure that employees are able to rescue themselves?
Comments/Corrective Action:
Source: MaintainX (Community Member)