Roof edge protection is fall protection equipment most commonly used during the construction of commercial buildings or residential housing. It often consists of a toe board

Toe board

A roofing toe board is one of the most basic pieces of safety equipment a roofer can use. A toe board is a long piece of 2'x4' wood nailed horizontally along a roof in various locations...

, a main guard rail and an intermediate rail.".

Legal requirements

Many US federal and state laws require building contractors to implement measures to prevent workers falling from heights. These laws often expressly require the use of edge protection or harness systems.

Edge Protection is often required to meet strict technical safety standards

Safety standards

Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory...

 set by Government authorities.

Legal compliance

Depending on occupational safety requirements in any given country or region, the quality of edge protection used on building and construction sites can be examined by government inspectors.

Builders can be prosecuted for using a non compliant height safety protection system.

External links

• Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) - US
• WorkCover Authority of New South Wales, Australia
• Victorian WorkCover Authority, Australia