OSHA includes many of the same terms defined in other general industry, construction, and maritime standards, as well as national consensus standards under the rule in an effort to make the new requirements easier to understand. The final rule also eliminates a number of terms the regulatory text no longer uses (e.g., qualified climber). There are, however, a number of new terms defined, including anchorage, authorized, designated area, failure, fall hazard, fall protection, low-slope roof, personal fall arrest system, personal fall protection system, positioning system, qualified, rope descent system, stepladder, stepstool, travel restraint system, unprotected sides and edges, and walking-working surface.
OSHA has made substantive changes with regard to inspection, maintenance, and repair of walking-working surfaces. Employers must now conduct regular inspections to ensure that all walking-working surfaces are in a safe condition for employee use. If a hazardous condition is found, the employer must promptly correct or repair the problem. If the repair cannot be made immediately, the hazard must be guarded to prevent employee use.
Scope
The Walking-Working Surfaces rule applies to all general industry employers and all the walking-working surfaces in their workplaces.
The rule generally, does not apply to agriculture, construction, maritime, mining, or transportation employers. However, the rule may apply to construction and transportation employers that have offices, maintenance shops, warehouses, or supply rooms.
Key definitions
- Authorized: An employee who the employer assigns to perform a specific type of duty, or allows in a specific location or area.
- Dangerous equipment: Equipment, such as vats, tanks, electrical equipment, machinery, equipment or machinery with protruding parts, or other similar units, that, because of their function or form, may harm an employee who falls into or onto the equipment.
- Designated area: A distinct portion of a walking-working surface delineated by a warning line in which employees may perform work without additional fall protection.
- Dockboard: A portable or fixed device that spans a gap or compensates for a difference in elevation between a loading platform and a transport vehicle. Dockboards include, but are not limited to, bridge plates, dock plates, and dock levelers.
- Equivalent: Alternative designs, equipment, materials, or methods, that the employer can demonstrate will provide an equal or greater degree of safety for employees compared to the designs, equipment, materials, or methods specified in this subpart.
- Failure: A load refusal, breakage, or separation of component parts. A load refusal is the point at which the ultimate strength of a component or object is exceeded.
- Fall hazard: Any condition on a walking-working surface that exposes an employee to a risk of harm from a fall on the same level or to a lower level.
- Fall protection: Any equipment, device, or system that prevents an employee from falling from an elevation or mitigates the effect of such a fall.
- Fixed ladder: A ladder with rails or individual rungs that is permanently attached to a structure, building, or equipment. Fixed ladders include individual-rung ladders, but not ship stairs, step bolts, or manhole steps.
- Guardrail system: A barrier erected along an unprotected or exposed side, edge, or other area of a walking-working surface to prevent employees from falling to a lower level.
- Ladder: A device with rungs, steps, or cleats used to gain access to a different elevation.
- Ladder safety system: A system designed to eliminate or reduce the possibility of falling from a ladder. A ladder safety system usually consists of a carrier, safety sleeve, lanyard, connectors, and body harness. Cages and wells are not ladder safety systems.
- Lower level: A surface or area to which an employee could fall. Such surfaces or areas include, but are not limited to, ground levels, floors, roofs, ramps, runways, excavations, pits, tanks, materials, water, equipment, and similar surfaces and structures, or portions thereof.
- Maximum intended load: The total load (weight and force) of all employees, equipment, vehicles, tools, materials, and other loads the employer reasonably anticipates to be applied to a walking-working surface at any one time.
- Opening: A gap or open space in a wall, partition, vertical walking-working surface, or similar surface that is at least 30 inches (76 cm) high and at least 18 inches (46 cm) wide, through which an employee can fall to a lower level.
- Personal fall arrest system: A system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a walking-working surface. It consists of a body harness, anchorage, and connector. The means of connection may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or a suitable combination of these.
- Personal fall protection system: A system (including all components) an employer uses to provide protection from falling or to safely arrest an employee’s fall if one occurs. Examples of personal fall protection systems include personal fall arrest systems, positioning systems, and travel restraint systems.
- Platform: A walking-working surface that is elevated above the surrounding area.
- Portable ladder: A ladder that can readily be moved or carried, and usually consists of side rails joined at intervals by steps, rungs, or cleats.
- Qualified: A person who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training, and experience has successfully demonstrated the ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.
- Ramp: An inclined walking-working surface used to access another level.
- Runway: An elevated walking-working surface, such as a catwalk, a foot walk along shafting, or an elevated walkway between buildings.
- Scaffold: Any temporary elevated or suspended platform and its supporting structure, including anchorage points, used to support employees, equipment, materials, and other items. For purposes of this subpart, a scaffold does not include a crane-suspended or derrick-suspended personnel platform or a rope descent system.
- Stairway (stairs): Risers and treads that connect one level with another, and includes any landings and platforms in between those levels. Stairways include standard, spiral, alternating tread-type, and ship stairs.
- Unprotected sides and edges: Any side or edge of a walking-working surface (except at entrances and other points of access) where there is no wall, guardrail system, or stair rail system to protect an employee from falling to a lower level.
- Walking-working surface: Any horizontal or vertical surface on or through which an employee walks, works, or gains access to a work area or workplace location.
Summary of requirements
The main parts of the Walking-Working Surfaces rule are hazard assessment, inspections, training, and equipment. All general industry employers must:
- Conduct hazard assessments to determine their workplace fall and falling object hazards.
- Inspect all walking and working surfaces for fall or falling object hazards on a regular basis and as necessary.
- Train and retrain when necessary their employees on fall protection systems and equipment.
- Fall protection systems include:
- Personal fall protection,
- Safety nets,
- Ladder safety systems,
- Portable guardrail systems,
- Dockboard systems, and
- Designated areas.
- Equipment that requires training includes:
- All ladder types, and
- Personal fall protection equipment.
