An OPOS — Operating Procedures Outline Sheet — is a color-coded schematic of your building’s roof equipment showing drop zones, danger areas, tie-back locations, and emergency procedures. If your building is over 36 feet tall, Cal-OSHA Article 5 requires one, and it has to be developed by a licensed SIT contractor — not supplied as a manufacturer’s operating manual. That last part is where most buildings unknowingly fall out of compliance.

An OPOS is a safety map, not paperwork. Picture a single-page diagram of your rooftop that tells anyone working up there — your maintenance crew, a window-washing contractor, an emergency responder — exactly where it’s safe to walk, where the tie-back anchors are, where the danger zones sit, and what to do if something goes wrong. It’s built specifically for your building’s actual equipment layout, not a generic template.

The 36-foot threshold is the trigger, not a suggestion. Cal-OSHA Article 5 requires a proper OPOS for any building over 36 feet with facade access or rooftop maintenance equipment. If your building crosses that line and doesn’t have one on file, that’s a compliance gap most property managers don’t find out about until an inspection flags it — or until an incident does.

Your equipment manufacturer’s manual is not a substitute. This is the single most common misunderstanding buildings have about OPOS requirements. A manufacturer’s operating manual explains how to run the equipment; it says nothing about your building’s specific drop zones, tie-back locations, or emergency procedures. Cal-OSHA does not accept a manufacturer’s manual in place of an OPOS, and it has to come from a licensed SIT company — not the equipment vendor.

OPOS and EBM plans solve different problems. An EBM (Exterior Building Maintenance) plan is the master strategy for how your entire facade gets accessed for cleaning and repairs over its lifecycle — structural load mapping, anchor points, long-term planning. The OPOS is the day-to-day operating schematic for the equipment itself. Most buildings that need one need both, and confusing the two is a common reason buildings think they’re covered when they’re not.

When to get one built. The earlier, the better — ideally during design development on new construction, so drop zones and anchor points get engineered into the building instead of retrofitted around finished construction. For existing buildings, an OPOS should be developed alongside your next SIT inspection or any retrofit that changes your equipment setup, since a substantive modification requires updated OPOS documentation before recertification.

Quick answers:

Does every commercial building need an OPOS? Only buildings over 36 feet with permanently installed facade access or rooftop maintenance equipment, per Cal-OSHA Article 5.

Can our facilities team write our own OPOS? No — Cal-OSHA requires it be developed by a licensed SIT contractor, not building staff or the equipment manufacturer.

Does a retrofit require a new OPOS? Yes — any substantive modification to your equipment requires updated OPOS documentation before the equipment can be recertified.

If you’re not sure whether your building has a current, code-compliant OPOS on file, call (310) 324-1786 or email info@feis-sit.com and FEIS can confirm what’s on record and what’s missing.