1926.502(h): Safety Monitoring Systems
A safety monitor must be a competent person who recognizes fall hazards, warns workers, stays on the same surface within sight and talking distance, and has no other duties. Mechanical equipment is not allowed in monitored low-slope roofing areas, and only roofers or workers under a fall protection plan may be in the monitored area.
Official text: 29 CFR 1926.502(h)
(h) Safety monitoring systems. Safety monitoring systems [See §§ 1926.501(b)(10) and 1926.502(k)] and their use shall comply with the following provisions:
112 citations(1) The employer shall designate a competent person to monitor the safety of other employees and the employer shall ensure that the safety monitor complies with the following requirements:
Open (h)(1) 111 citations(ii) The safety monitor shall warn the employee when it appears that the employee is unaware of a fall hazard or is acting in an unsafe manner;
Open (h)(1)(ii) 5 citations(iii) The safety monitor shall be on the same walking/working surface and within visual sighting distance of the employee being monitored;
Open (h)(1)(iii) 19 citations(iv) The safety monitor shall be close enough to communicate orally with the employee; and
Open (h)(1)(iv) 1 citations(v) The safety monitor shall not have other responsibilities which could take the monitor's attention from the monitoring function.
Open (h)(1)(v) 56 citations(2) Mechanical equipment shall not be used or stored in areas where safety monitoring systems are being used to monitor employees engaged in roofing operations on low-slope roofs.
Open (h)(2) 1 citations(3) No employee, other than an employee engaged in roofing work [on low-sloped roofs] or an employee covered by a fall protection plan, shall be allowed in an area where an employee is being protected by a safety monitoring system.
(4) Each employee working in a controlled access zone shall be directed to comply promptly with fall hazard warnings from safety monitors.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1926.502.
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A 5-minute crew talk on 1926.502(h), plus alerts when this rule changes. Free.
Injuries linked to this rule
2 injury cases in the last 3 years came from inspections where OSHA cited 1926.502(h), including 2 deaths.
At 4:15 p.m. on January 9, 2025, Employee #1 was working as a roofer for a general contractor and was working on a new construction low-slope commercial roof. Employee #1 was was installing plastic membrane material to the flat roofsurface in close proximity to the…
Full case list with employer, penalty, filters and download is part of OSHA Data (Purple Belt).
Unlock with Purple BeltWhere and how often it was cited
| Year | Citations |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 50 |
| 2025 | 25 |
| 2026 | 29 |
Top states: IL (12), PA (11), OH (11), NY (9), NJ (9)
Largest penalties
| Employer | Location | Penalty for this rule |
|---|---|---|
| KAPILI CONSTRUCTION LLC | HONOLULU, HI | $17,735 |
| EMBREE CONSTRUCTION GROUP INC | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $16,554 |
| BOAK AND SONS INC. | INDEPENDENCE, OH | $16,550 |
| KEMPSVILLE ROOFING INC. | CHESAPEAKE, VA | $16,287 |
| INTERSTATE ROOFING & WATERPROOFING, INC. | WINDSOR, WI | $14,068 |
OSHA interpretation letters
- Clarification on the use of safety monitors as a method of fall protection on a low-slope roof. (2012-04-20)
- Residential fall protection: safety monitors; walking top plate of braced walls in installation; warning line; plating exterior walls; height limitation; non-roofer PPE; slide guards (2004-11-30)
- OSHA compliance of Terra Flex stair system (models L-400 and A-500). (2001-05-23)
- Fall protection: determination of roof width on irregular shaped roofs. (2001-01-16)
- Clarification of when mechanical equipment can be used on sloped roofs. (2000-10-17)
Related parts of this rule
- 1926.502(h)(1) 111 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(v) 56 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(iii) 19 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(ii) 5 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(i) 4 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(iv) 1 citations
- 1926.502(h)(2) 1 citations
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About this page
Official text from the eCFR. Citation and injury numbers from public U.S. Department of Labor enforcement and accident records, copied nightly; 3-year window; data as of 2026-10-18. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.