Fall protection in general industry

- Employers must protect workers from fall hazards along unprotected sides or edges.
The Walking-Working Surfaces standard requires employers to protect workers from fall hazards along unprotected sides or edges that are 4 feet or more above a lower level. It also requires fall protection in specific situations such as hoist areas, runways, areas above dangerous equipment, wall openings, repair pits, stairways, scaffolds, and slaughtering platforms. The standard sets requirements for the performance, inspection, use, and maintenance of personal fall protection systems.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines fall protection as “any equipment, device, or system that prevents a worker from falling from an elevation or mitigates the effect of such a fall.” Employers may choose from the following fall protection options:
- Guardrail system — A barrier erected along an unprotected or exposed side, edge, or other area of a walking-working surface to prevent workers from falling to a lower level.
- Safety net system — A horizontal or semi-horizontal, cantilever-style barrier that uses a netting system to stop falling workers before they make contact with a lower level or obstruction.
- Personal fall arrest system — A system that arrests/stops a fall before the worker contacts a lower level. Such a system consists of a body harness, anchorage, and connector, and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or a suitable combination. OSHA prohibits the use of body belts as part of a personal fall arrest system.
- Positioning system — A system of equipment and connectors that, when used with a body harness or body belt, allows a worker to be supported on an elevated vertical surface, such as a wall or windowsill, and work with both hands free.
- Travel restraint system — A combination of an anchorage, anchorage connector, lanyard (or other means of connection), and body support to eliminate the possibility of a worker going over the unprotected edge or side of a walking-working surface. A body belt may be used in this system.
- Ladder safety system — A system attached to a fixed ladder designed to eliminate or reduce the possibility of a worker falling off the ladder. A ladder safety system usually consists of a carrier, safety sleeve, lanyard, connectors, and body harness. Cages and wells are not considered ladder safety systems.
OSHA gives employers flexibility in choosing a fall protection system. For example, OSHA does not mandate guardrails as a primary fall protection method and allows employers to choose from accepted fall protection systems they believe will work best in a particular situation.
In addition, employers may use non-conventional fall protection in certain situations, such as designated areas on low-slope roofs. OSHA aligned fall protection requirements for general industry with those for construction, easing compliance for employers that perform both types of activities. For example, the general industry scaffold standards requires that employers comply with OSHA’s construction scaffold standards.