What roofers need to know

Roofing is one of the hardest trades on the body and one of the easiest places to get killed by a fall. OSHA says roofers working 6 feet or more above a lower level generally need fall protection, and its roofing guidance centers on three systems that actually stop falls: guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems (PFAS).

BLS reports the median annual wage for roofers was $55,440 in May 2025, and employment is projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,300 openings a year on average. Good safety habits protect the paycheck and the body that earns it.

Systems that work on real jobs

  • Guardrails: Best for flat and low-slope roofs where you can install edge protection before work starts. OSHA treats guardrails as a primary conventional system.
  • PFAS: Best when edge protection is not practical. A full-body harness, connector, and properly rated anchor point are the core pieces. OSHA requires anchorage to support 5,000 pounds per worker or be designed under equivalent criteria.
  • Safety nets: Useful where workers are exposed to large open edges or where the job layout makes other systems awkward. They must be installed close enough to catch a fall before impact.
  • Warning lines and safety monitoring: These are limited tools, not substitutes for real protection. OSHA allows them only in specific low-slope situations and only under the right conditions.

What fails on roofs

Harnesses fail when anchors are guessed, lifelines are too long, or workers clip into the wrong structure. Guardrails fail when they are rushed, underbuilt, or removed for convenience. Safety nets fail when they are installed too low, not inspected, or used as a last-minute excuse instead of a planned system.

OSHA’s roofing materials also stress protecting roof openings and skylights with covers, guardrails, or PFAS. A hole in a roof is still a fall hazard, even when the deck feels solid around it.

Hard rules worth remembering

  • Use fall protection at 6 feet or more in roofing work.
  • Train workers to recognize fall hazards and use the system correctly.
  • Protect skylights, openings, and weak roof surfaces.
  • Do not treat tie-off as optional just because the job is “quick.” Most roofing falls happen on routine tasks, not the dramatic ones.

Bottom line for roofers

The best fall protection is the one the crew can use every day without shortcuts. On roofing jobs, that usually means guardrails where practical, PFAS where edge protection is not feasible, and a site plan that treats every edge and opening as a real hazard. The trade pays enough to make a living, but not enough to gamble with gravity.