Hand and portable powered tools and equipment

Scope

Employers are responsible for the safe condition of tools and equipment used by employees, including tools and equipment which may be furnished by employees. All tools may only be used for the jobs for which they were intended. Unsafe tools may not be used.

Regulatory citations

California: Title 8, Division 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter 7

• 3301 — Use of compressed air or gases
• 3330 — Special handtools
• 3425 — Portable power hand tools
• 3426 — Hand tools
• 3555 — Definitions
• 3556 — General
• 3557 — Switches and controls for power tools
• 3558 — Portable power-driven circular saws
• 3559 — Pneumatic and powder-actuated tools
• 3559.1 — Airless spray guns
• 3562 — Jacks
• 3563 — Power lawn mowers
• 3564 — Portable winches
• 29 CFR 1910.242 — Hand and portable powered tools and equipment, general.

Key definitions

• Hand tools: Tools that are powered manually.
• Pneumatic tools: Tools that use compressed air to power their operation.
• ROPS: Roll-Over Protective Structures.

Summary of requirements

California’s state requirements regarding hand and portable power tools go beyond the federal requirements in several areas. A summary of the additional requirements includes the following:

• Compressed air or other compressed gases in excess of 10 pounds per square inch gauge must not be used to blow dirt, chips, or dust from clothing while it is being worn.
• Compressed air or gases must not be used to empty containers of liquids where the pressure can exceed the safe working pressure of the container.
• Compressed gases must not be used to elevate or otherwise transfer any hazardous substance from one container to another unless the containers are designed to withstand, with a safety factor of at least four, the maximum possible pressure that may be applied.
• Hand-held pneumatically powered tools used for driving nails, staples, and similar fasteners and that operate at 100 psig or more line pressure must have a safety device at the muzzle to prevent the tool from discharging until the muzzle is in contact with a solid surface.
• Airless spray guns of the type which atomize paints and fluids at high pressures (1,000 pounds or more per square inch) must be equipped with automatic or visible manual safety devices that prevent pulling of the trigger to prevent release of the paint or fluid until the safety device is manually released. Alternatively, a diffuser nut and nozzle tip guard, or other equivalent protection, must be provided.
• Portable winches must be secured against accidental shifting while in use, and must be fitted with limit switches if employees have access to areas from which it is possible to be drawn into the winch.
• Powder-actuated tools used in industrial operations must be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained in compliance with Article 27 of California’s Construction Safety Orders.
• A power saw must be started on the ground or otherwise be firmly held or supported to prevent unintended movement of the saw. Chain saws may never be drop started. Power saws may not be started from an elevated position unless the area below is clear of personnel.
• Power saws weighing more than 15 pounds that are used in trees must be supported by a separate lone or tool lanyard, except when working from an aerial lift or during topping or removing operations where no supporting limb is available.
• Power lawn mowers must follow the ANSI standards for safety and equipment care.
• Equip mower with roll-over protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts (when visual inspection or technical information from the manufacturer indicates that a riding lawn mower is designed by the manufacturer to be equipped with ROPS, or to accept ROPS as an option).
• Prohibit the use of ride on, sit-down lawn mowers on terrain and slopes that exceed the angle limitation when specified by the manufacturer.
• When the manufacturer's instructions are not obtainable or do not specify the angle limits for operating ride-on, sit-down lawn mowers on sloped surfaces, a qualified person shall evaluate the terrain and slope conditions to ensure the mower is operated in a safe manner.
• Ride-on, sit-down lawn mowers shall not be operated in areas where the traction drive wheels, as measured from the outside wheel edge, are within 5 feet of the unprotected edges of retaining walls, embankments, levees, ditches, culverts, excavations or similar locations that present an overturn hazard.
• When it is necessary to operate a ride-on, sit-down mower near ponds, creeks, reservoirs, canals, sloughs, lakes, golf course water hazards and similar bodies of water, a qualified person shall evaluate the terrain and any slope conditions to ensure the mower is operated at safe speeds and at safe distances from such hazards.
• Training on powered lawn mower operation.
• Tree care workers must follow requirements for tree work maintenance or removal using power saws and the use of work-positioning lanyard or double-crotched rope when operating a chain saw in a tree.
• Additional requirements apply to the handling of chopping tools under 3426.