This video covers an inspection of an office building’s roof. First, you will see a white coating (elastomeric and reflective). It is there to protect the roof and add waterproofing and reflective measures. According to the owner of the building, the interior temperature of the building has dropped considerably as a result of the coating. You will find drainage components, rooftop units, vents, and electrical equipment, too.
You should give a heads up to everybody about the new OSHA ladder fall restraint rule. We ran into our first system last week on a 400,000 SF brand new commercial roof.
In a nut shell, no more ladder cages. They found that people were losing limbs as they fell down the cage. The new rule requires fall protection other than a cage. So the new buildings are installing ladders with no cages. This building had a 40 foot fixed ladder with no cage. The fall protection consisted of a fixed cable restraint system, which I didn’t have the hardware for. You need the ascent/descent arrest device for the cable, a retracting lanyard for the top of the ladder for when you transition and detach from the cable, a 5 point harness, and a means for rescue within 15 minutes. I also picked up a trauma strap to make sure I don’t croak if I get caught hanging.