Bryon: A hole is defined: a gap or open space in a floor, roof, horizontal walking-working
surface, or similar surface that is at least two inches, in its least dimension.
A hole is talking about any opening in a horizontal surface.
So, when you're walking across the floor, if there is a hole in the floor, it is a hole.
A skylight would be a definition, or an example, of a hole that is in a roof.
Trever: When roofing homes, new construction, or re-roof, tearing off an existing roof,
and putting a new one on, we come across skylights on a regular basis.
In our area, a majority of homes have a minimum of one skylight, and sometimes more than that.
So, it's a big hazard, especially new construction like what's shown here, is the framers will
frame the skylight curb, is what it's called, so we can flash around it, then we put the
new skylight on.
But, it's a huge hole going all the way down; it's a big hazard.
What the law is, and what we do, is when those skylights are open, you have to have a piece
of plywood or something on site, to where you can put it over the top, fasten it, you
know, marked hole that it's a danger so nobody will step into it.
There's been a lot of injuries over the years where people, you know, they don't do this,
and they'll be walking backwards, just not knowing where it's at, and they'll trip and
fall.
And some people have even died during this process.
So, it's really important to take the time and, you know, to cover the holes on the roofs,
if it's new construction or even during a residential re-roof.
Jeff: So, if you're up there on that roof, the thing we want you to do is prevention,
okay.
We always want prevention.
The skylight covers, anything you can do.
The guard rail systems, demarcation, anything you can do to protect against those skylights
is the very first.
Temporary guardrail systems like we said, you know, block it off, make it so you can't
get to it.
Most guys just want to tie off and run around.
But remember, the thing about skylights are is that you could tie off on this side, walk
up to a skylight, you could walk up to it you're fine, but once you walk around it and
you're on the other side, you're no longer tied off.
Because if you fall back through, you're going down through.
Okay, so, you always have to, kind of treat it like a leading edge.
You can go up to it, but you can't go around it.
If you're going to go around it, you have to replace your anchor.
An owner that has a building that has a lot of skylights, I would tell him permanent fault
protection system.
That way a guy is hooked off, he's always hooked off.
Those things start at one end and go all the way to the other.
So, we can wrap them through, they�re cleated, so when you walk through and you've got the
little, we call them travelers, tie up points, they just click, click, break through.
So you never have to untie.
Matt: One of the common things that we come across with roofing are skylights, or at least
openings to let sunlight come in.
Oftentimes on commercial buildings is where you'll find just the openings around the perimeter
of the building, so that those exterior windows can get some natural light.
Residential or commercial jobs, a lot of times, have skylights as well, and those have their
own fall protection hazards that you need to address.
And so, what we do is, we will build, or take a sheet of plywood, and cover those skylight
areas so that we can eliminate that risk of falling through, either the opening, or tripping
and falling through the skylight itself is a potential.
And so, by taking plywood and covering those holes, or those skylights up, is critical.
And that is something that happens at the very beginning of a job.
When the foreman gets to the job, they look on their material list, they look on the job
sheet, they see there's a skylight.
They know that they need to address that right away, so when they go up to get their fall
protection installed, they will then take care of that skylight as well.