# Working near roof edges

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/roof-edge-work
Last updated: 2026-10-23

This week we have crews working on roofs, and the edge is where people get hurt. A fall from a roof edge can kill you or change your life in a second. Today we talk about how we stay protected every time we get near that edge.

## Key points

1. Before you go up, know the fall protection plan for this roof: guardrails, safety nets, or a personal fall arrest system. If you don't know it, ask before you climb.
2. Inspect your harness, lanyard, and connectors every day. Look for cuts, frayed webbing, burns, bent hooks, or a deployed shock pack, and take bad gear out of service.
3. Tie off only to an anchor that is meant for it and set up by someone who knows how. Never clip to a vent pipe, conduit, or gutter.
4. Keep your lanyard short and your anchor overhead or at your back when you can. Check that you would not hit the ground or a lower level before the line stops you.
5. If guardrails are up, don't lean on them, sit on them, or remove a section without telling the foreman and putting other protection in place first.
6. Treat skylights and roof openings like edges. Make sure they are covered with a secured, marked cover that can hold the weight, and never step on a skylight.
7. Keep the area near the edge clean. Hoses, cords, scrap, and loose shingles can trip you right where a slip hurts most.

## Talk it over

- Where on our roof today is there an edge or opening that isn't protected yet?
- What are our anchor points on this job, and who checked them?
- If someone falls and is hanging in a harness, what is our plan to get them down fast?

> **Remember:** Near the edge, you are always protected—no exceptions, not even for one minute.

## Official sources

- [29 CFR 1926.501](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.501) — Duty to have fall protection
- [29 CFR 1926.502](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.502) — Fall protection systems criteria and practices

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.