Skylight Railing

In 2005, according to OSHA statistics, there were 767 falls resulting in death and 79,310 falls to a lower level causing serious injury.  Many of these falls were through skylights.  Your first reaction is to wonder how in the world can anybody fall through a skylight?  Here at Safety Rail Source, we unfortunately hear of these sad tragedies almost daily and the stories behind them.

First, you need to understand that most skylights are made of molded plastic or fiberglass panels.  When first made, these materials generally will withstand substantial impact such as a falling body.  However, once installed on the rooftop, the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays beat down on the skylight and through time, change the chemical makeup of the plastic.  The skylight becomes brittle and can no longer withstand an impact.  This sets the stage for skylight tragedies.

How do these accidents happen?  The answer is simple; either a person sits on the skylight, slips, and falls into it or walks on it.  You may now ask how someone can walk on a skylight?  Well, if you have been on a roof that has either corrugated or standing seam skylights, you know that these are flat, translucent panels that look like patches in the roof.  Therein lays the danger.  You should be able to walk on a roof patch, so you do and down you go.  These flat type skylights are particularly dangerous when the roof is snow covered; they can’t be seen at all.