osha reg on working alone

Daniel

Daniel

Carpal tunnel level member
Location
Suburban Philadelphia (Wayne)
A friend of mine is the head roofer for a local college and they have him cleaning gutters this time of year, by himself... I told him not to put up with it and that he should write a letter informing his employer that this is a violatoin of OSAHA regs... I believe you need two people to work at heights above 6 or 8'... I tried doing a quick web search but couldn't find the exacgt regulation.. Anyone know about this?

I don't know why he puts up with it... no reason... plus cleaning gutters by yourself has got to be really hard... So much easier with good teamwork..

Thanks
 
"Don't know why he puts up with it".

Good god man get a grip! What do you want to do...get you friends hours cut in half?

What about gutters is it that takes two people?

You sound like a bad influence on your friend.
 
Have not heard of that reg. but am interested to know the details about it.

How is cleaning gutters by yourself really hard? Whether it be on residential homes or taller college buildings?

I am surprised he's cleaning gutters by himself though. Seems like the perfect job for one worker to be doing while the 7 others stand around and watch.
 
This is Haverford College... A lot of old slate roofs.. some 4 stories up... When you work as a team, you can handle corners and move the leaves a lot farther by using a pole and working together, flip flopping the ladder... Up and down a ladder all day is hard work. Tandem blowers on the walkable roofs go so much faster than fighting it with a single.. Etc.. Just walking up a ladder can be dangerous, if there is no one to secure the base, in certain situations.
.. He's got knee problems and carpal tunnel in both wrists... This place is huge.. He shouldn't be doing it alone. PERIOD.. And from a safety perspective, what if he took a fall and no one was there to get him first aid? That could make the difference between life and death..
 
theres actually an ansi atandard for tree workers regarding working aloft.Its 12 feet I think before you have to have a co worker within hearing distance.
 
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.. He's got knee problems and carpal tunnel in both wrists... This place is huge.. He shouldn't be doing it alone. PERIOD.. And from a safety perspective, what if he took a fall and no one was there to get him first aid? That could make the difference between life and death..

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Maybe he should retire and work at wallmart, be a greater or cart checker. Then he wouldn't have to worry about his knees and bad hands. Plus it would allow a younger more healthier person to replace him and prob do more work per day than he does anyways. I mean come on if you can't clean gutters it really is time to get out of the work force and into slippers.
 
Gutterballs aside, it's a good question. I had looked around for regulations about working alone before and didn't come up with anything, except the line-clearance regs. When I started up at my current job, working solo was considered no problem, including emergency call-ins, etc. Aside from the inconvenience of rarely being off the on-call list, at least I don't have to clear a road at night alone anymore.
 
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.. He's got knee problems and carpal tunnel in both wrists... This place is huge.. He shouldn't be doing it alone. PERIOD.. And from a safety perspective, what if he took a fall and no one was there to get him first aid? That could make the difference between life and death..

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Maybe he should retire and work at wallmart, be a greater or cart checker. Then he wouldn't have to worry about his knees and bad hands. Plus it would allow a younger more healthier person to replace him and prob do more work per day than he does anyways. I mean come on if you can't clean gutters it really is time to get out of the work force and into slippers.

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In WA, the worker's comp risk class (WC is through WA state, not private insurers) for gutter cleaning is less than treework for single story houses.

For multi-story houses, the risk class for gutter cleaning is actually rated at roughly 1.5 times that of any/ all treework that includes any chainsaw use, chipper use, or climbing.

This is based on accidents, etc. Working off of a wet ladder, hauling leaves down the ladder, etc, etc with no fall arrest can be sketchy.

Yes, people clean their own gutters all the time, as they do their own treework.

Working solo, at height, in slippery conditions, up and down ladders, carrying or hauling on rope bags/bucket of leaves and a hose, with no fall arrest can be sketchier at times, especially on uneven ground.
 
I think that people here that think gutter cleaning is so easy might be used to walkable one and two story roofs.. That is not the kind of guter cleaning I AM talking about... This is a college with huge buildings and unwalkable slate roofs etc... Lots of them..Up and down ladders all day is hard work.. IMO..

that said.. I asked for assistance in locating OSHA regulations, not for your self-centered opinions... You're of course free to share them, it is just not what I asked for, nor do I apprecite it...

And I did recommend that he apply for disability.. He's hurtin' and his body is about worn out... He needs to give it some serious R&R..
 
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I think that people here that think gutter cleaning is so easy might be used to walkable one and two story roofs.. That is not the kind of guter cleaning I AM talking about... This is a college with huge buildings and unwalkable slate roofs etc... Lots of them..Up and down ladders all day is hard work.. IMO..

that said.. I asked for assistance in locating OSHA regulations, not for your self-centered opinions... You're of course free to share them, it is just not what I asked for, nor do I apprecite it...

And I did recommend that he apply for disability.. He's hurtin' and his body is about worn out... He needs to give it some serious R&R..

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I just cleaned my gutters out by myself on my house with steep roofs and high gutters....with my 70 foot cherry picker.

Why don't the cheapskates rent him a boom. He could probably access every situation. Gutter cleaning on ladders is dangerous I think because you always are just trying to reach a little further and the ladder can easily slip. Should have someone by that can call the ambulance if he is unable and help clean up./

Not familiar with the law tho.
 
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