Having work done on your roof? Ask your contractor to play it safe.
It only takes a few simple questions…

<image of a residential home under construction with scaffolding and ladders set up> “Site where a 45-year-old Massachusetts carpenter fell to his death from the roof of a two-story single-family home under construction, 2012.”

Did you know?
•	Every year, nationwide, about 100 construction workers are killed in falls from roofs and around 1,300 are seriously injured.
•	Here in Massachusetts, 44 of the 78 construction worker deaths from 2007-2011 were due to falls.
•	In most cases, the workers who fell from roofs were not using adequate fall protection.

Ask the contractor a few simple questions before you sign a contract:
•	Are you licensed?
•	Do you have workers’ compensation insurance? (Ask to see a copy of their insurance certificate.)
•	Do your workers work directly for your company? (If they are “independent contractors” they are not covered by workers’ compensation.)
•	Will your workers be using fall protection, such as lifelines or guardrails, while on the roof?

If the prospective contractor answers “No” to any of these questions, look for another contractor. There’s a chance you could share in liability if there were a serious incident on your property. 

Falls are the leading cause of death among construction workers, and falls from rooftops are the most common type of fall. Even years of experience does not negate the need for safety equipment.

Asking a few questions can save someone’s life!

Learn more about the National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction and the Massachusetts FACE Project:
www.stopconstructionfalls.com |  www.mass.gov/dph/FACE 

This information was produced by the National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction and the Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Project (MA FACE). MA FACE seeks to prevent work fatalities by identifying and investigating these incidents and developing prevention strategies for those who can intervene in the workplace.

Our campaign was launched as an effort of construction industry professionals and organizations working with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.

Production of this information was funded through grant OH0009762 and cooperative agreement 2U60OH008490-06 from NIOSH. This document may be copied freely.