OSHA’s new Fall Protection standard for General Industry has a lot of MAJOR changes (for the better!) that we will be dealing with over the next several years (up to 20 years for some). One that caught my eye was the new requirements for our maintenance personnel who may be doing work on low-sloped roofs (defined as a roof having a slope less than or equal to 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal). Final paragraph (b)(13) is a new provision that establishes fall protection requirements when employees perform work on low-slope roofs. OSHA is adding this provision to make the general industry standard more consistent with the construction fall protection standard, which includes a provision addressing roofing work performed on low-slope roofs (§1926.501(b)(10)). Under paragraph (b)(13), the type of fall protection measures employers MUST use on low-slope roofs depends upon the distance they work from the roof edge. The final rule divides work on low-slope roofs into three (3) zones: