Fall protection general industry - California

California’s state requirements regarding fall protection include a substantial amount of regulatory information beyond the federal requirements.

A summary of the additional requirements includes the following:

• Forty-two-inch guardrails are required on open sides of unenclosed elevated work areas more than 30 inches above the floor, ground, or other working areas of a building. Shorter rails are allowed where overhead clearance is low, and alternate protection must be used where guardrails are impracticable.
• Toeboards must be used on platforms, runways, or ramps that are 6 feet or more above where employees work or pass, or if tools, material, or equipment could otherwise fall and create a hazard.
• Exceptions to the guardrail standards are allowed for numerous, specific work environments.
• Permanent yard surface openings such as pits or sumps must be guarded using covers, guardrails, or the equivalent.
• Whenever aisles, walkways, or crawlways become slippery, high-friction surfaces, cleats, coverings, or other equivalent protection against slipping must be used. If employees must work on slippery floors, use mats, grates, cleats, or other methods to protect against slipping.
• Where the type of operation (except repair and maintenance) is such that employees could be exposed to materials falling through platform or runway openings, the openings must be small enough to prevent materials from falling through. Extra precautions must be taken when platform or runway gratings are used as work areas during repair or maintenance.
• Existing installations with impaired clearances must be well posted to indicate the hazards due to the impaired clearance, and must be guarded by guardrails, barricades, or other means.
• Access to every permanent elevated work location must be by means of either fixed ladders, or permanent ramps or stairways.

Related information

• Fall Protection ez-Explanation
• Fall Protection general industry state comparison
• Walking-Working Surfaces ezExplanation
• Walking-Working Surfaces state comparison

Citations

• California: Title 8, Division 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter 7, Group 1
• Federal: 29 CFR 1910.21, .22, .23, .24, .25, .26, .27, .28, .29, and .30