Skylight fall protection, screens, guards and netting for rooftops across the U.S. and Canada. Ships nationwide. Protecting skylights on your building? Call 949-954-6581.
A skylight is a hole, and OSHA says so in those words
This is not an interpretation. The standard names skylights explicitly. Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(4)(i), each employee on a walking or working surface must be protected from falling through holes including skylights more than 6 feet above a lower level, by personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems erected around such holes. Paragraphs (b)(4)(ii) and (b)(4)(iii) add protection from stepping into or through holes including skylights, and from objects falling through them.
In general industry the trigger is lower. 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(3) requires protection from falling through any hole 4 feet or more above a lower level.
The part that gets people killed: the skylight is not a cover
The recurring fatality in this category is a worker who steps or falls onto a skylight dome believing it will hold, or who does not see it at all in low light or under dust. Acrylic and polycarbonate domes are weatherproofing, not walking surfaces, and they degrade in UV for years before they fail. Age is the variable nobody checks.
If you are using a cover as the protection, it has to meet the cover criteria at 29 CFR 1926.502(i), and most improvised plywood does not:
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Strength. Covers must support at least twice the weight of employees, equipment and materials that may be imposed on them at any one time. Covers in roadways and vehicular aisles must support at least twice the maximum axle load of the largest vehicle expected to cross them.
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Secured. All covers must be secured when installed to prevent accidental displacement by wind, equipment or employees. A sheet of plywood laid over an opening is not secured.
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Marked. All covers must be color coded, or marked with the word HOLE or COVER, to warn of the hazard.
An unmarked, unsecured piece of plywood over a skylight fails all three, and it is worse than nothing because it reads as a floor.
Screens, netting or guardrail
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Screens and guards mount over or around the skylight and stay there. They are the answer where the roof gets regular traffic (HVAC access, inspections, re-roofing), because they protect everyone who goes up, including the people who never got the briefing.
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Netting suits temporary work and irregular openings, and it deploys quickly across a run of skylights during a re-roof.
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Guardrail around the opening is the passive option where the skylight has to stay clear for light or access. See guardrail systems.
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Personal fall arrest is the fallback where none of the above fits, and on a roof with no anchor that usually means a mobile fall protection system.
Skylights and roof hatches are usually surveyed together, because they are the same category of hazard on the same roof and crews walk past both.
Skylight fall protection FAQ
Does OSHA require skylight protection?
Yes, and the standard names skylights specifically. 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(4)(i) requires protection from falling through holes including skylights more than 6 feet above a lower level, by personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail erected around the hole. In general industry, 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(3) applies at 4 feet or more.
Can a worker stand on a skylight dome?
No. Skylight domes are weatherproofing, not a walking surface, and acrylic and polycarbonate degrade under UV for years before they fail. Age is the variable nobody checks, and the failure is sudden.
Is plywood over a skylight acceptable?
Only if it meets the cover requirements at 29 CFR 1926.502(i), and most improvised plywood does not. A cover must support at least twice the weight of employees, equipment and materials that may be imposed on it at any one time, be secured against accidental displacement by wind, equipment or employees, and be color coded or marked with the word HOLE or COVER. Unmarked, unsecured plywood fails all three and is worse than nothing because it reads as a floor.
How strong does a skylight cover have to be?
At least twice the weight of the employees, equipment and materials that may be imposed on it at any one time, per 29 CFR 1926.502(i)(2). Covers in roadways and vehicular aisles must hold at least twice the maximum axle load of the largest vehicle expected to cross them.
Screens or netting, which do I need?
Screens and guards mount over or around the skylight permanently and suit roofs with regular traffic, because they protect everyone who goes up including people who never got the briefing. Netting suits temporary work, irregular openings, and deploying fast across a run of skylights during a re-roof.
Do skylight screens damage the roof?
Mounting depends on the curb and the membrane. Tell us the skylight dimensions, the curb height and the roof type when you call and we will match the product to them rather than guess.
