Fall protection for construction activities

Scope

The Fall Protection standard sets requirements and criteria for fall protection in construction workplaces.

Regulatory citations

• 29 CFR Subpart M — Fall Protection.

Key definitions

• Guardrail system: A barrier erected to prevent employees from falling to lower levels.
• Lower levels: Those areas or surfaces to which an employee can fall. Such areas or surfaces include, but are not limited to, ground levels, floors, platforms, ramps, runways, excavations, pits, tanks, material, water, equipment, structures, or portions thereof.
• Low-slope roof: A roof having a slope less than or equal to 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal).
• Overhand bricklaying and related work: The process of laying bricks and masonry units such that the surface of the wall to be jointed is on the opposite side of the wall from the mason, requiring the mason to lean over the wall to complete the work. Related work includes mason tending and electrical installation incorporated into the brick wall during the overhand bricklaying process.
• Personal fall arrest system: A system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body belt or body harness and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these. As of January 1, 1998, the use of a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited.
• Steep roof: A roof having a slope greater than 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal).
• Unprotected sides and edges: Any side or edge (except at entrances to points of access) of a walking/working surface, e.g., floor, roof, ramp, or runway where there is no wall or guardrail system at least 39 inches (1.0 m) high.
• Walking/working surface: Any surface, whether horizontal or vertical on which an employee walks or works, including, but not limited to, floors, roofs, ramps, bridges, runways, formwork and concrete reinforcing steel but not including ladders, vehicles, or trailers, on which employees must be located in order to perform their job duties.

Summary of requirements

• OSHA requires the use of fall protection when construction workers are working at heights of six feet or greater above a lower level. It applies at heights of less than six feet when working near dangerous equipment, for example, working over machinery with open drive belts, pulleys or gears, or open vats of degreasing agents or acid.
• Initially, employers must assess the workplace to determine if walking or working surfaces have the necessary strength and structural integrity to safely support the workers;
• Once it is determined that the work surfaces will safely support the work activity, the employer must determine whether fall protection is required per 1926.501; and
• If so, select and provide workers with fall protection systems that comply with the criteria at 1926.502.