Fixed guard rail system with toe boards and roof attachments on a 12/12 (45 degree) sloped roof

We occasionally receive requests for fall protection guard rail systems to be used on sloped roofs. Our permanent guard rail system can be customized for many applications, and we’ve used it on roofs with a surprising degree of slope (or pitch).

For roofs with very minor slope, our non-penetrating Portable Guard Rail system can be used as is. This will work for roofs with a slope of  0 to 1 (or 1/12 — for every 12 feet of horizontal length, the roof rises vertically 1 foot, for a slope angle of 4.76 degrees).

For roofs with a slope of 1-2, we recommend a customized, fixed guard rail. These permanent guard rails have angled posts to keep the rails vertical, are drilled into the roof to prevent the rail from slipping or tipping, and have a toe board (or “toe rail”). OSHA requires a 3″ toe board on flat roofs whenever there is a possibility of tools being kicked off the roof and onto people below. For permanent guard rails for use on a sloped roof, we use an 8″ high toe board that is strong enough to withstand the impact of a sliding body.