Are rail cars required to have fall protection guards?

Federal OSHA does not have specific requirements for fall protection on trucks and rail cars. The general requirements are that when a worker is four feet or more above ground level, some type of fall protection must be provided, such as a standard guard rail or body harness. A harness system works well if there is somewhere overhead to anchor the lanyard to. There are several companies that manufacture moveable ladders with platforms enclosed with guardrails that can be maneuvered over the top of tanker trucks and rail cars.

OSHA has provided some general information about fall protection on “moving stock” in an interpretive letter dated 10/18/96 and two standard directives, STD 1-1.13 and STD 1-1.5.