Walking Working Surfaces

OSHA requirements for labeling equipment, materials, and facilities

Scope and Definitions

§1910.21(b)

Definitions

Designated area means a distinct portion of a walking-working surface delineated by a warning line in which employees may perform work without additional fall protection.

Warning line means a barrier erected to warn employees that they are approaching an unprotected side or edge, and which designates an area in which work may take place without the use of other means of fall protection.

General Requirements

§1910.22(c); (d)(2)

Access and Egress

The employer must provide, and ensure each employee uses, a safe means of access and egress to and from walking-working surfaces. Editor’s Note: OSHA explains that one way employers can meet this requirement is by “appropriately marking” passageways and permanent aisles as a means of identifying safe access and egress.

Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair

Hazardous conditions on walking-working surfaces are corrected or repaired before an employee uses the walking-working surface again. If the correction or repair cannot be made immediately, the hazard must be guarded to prevent employees from using the walking-working surface until the hazard is corrected or repaired.

Ladders

§1910.23(b)(10), (c)(7)(ii)

General Requirements for All Ladders

Any ladder with structural or other defects is immediately tagged, “Dangerous: Do Not Use,” or with similar language in accordance with §1910.145 and removed from service until repaired in accordance with §1910.22(d), or replaced.

Portable Ladders

The employer must ensure ladders placed in locations such as passageways, doorways, or driveways where they can be displaced by other activities or traffic: (i) Are secured to prevent accidental displacement; or (ii) Are guarded by a temporary barricade, such as a row of traffic cones or caution tape, to keep the activities or traffic away from the ladder.

Duty to Have Fall Protection and Falling Object Protection

§1910.28(b)(6)(i), (b)(8)(ii), (b)(13)(ii), (b)(13)(iii)(A), (c)(3)

Protection from fall hazards

Dangerous Equipment

The employer must ensure each employee less than 4 feet (1.2 m) above dangerous equipment is protected from falling into or onto the dangerous equipment by a guardrail system or a travel restraint system, unless the equipment is covered or guarded to eliminate the hazard.

Repair Pits, Service Pits, and Assembly Pits Less Than 10 feet in Depth

The use of a fall protection system is not required for a repair pit, service pit, or assembly pit that is less than 10 feet (3 m) deep, provided the employer meets (i), (ii), and (iii) below:

1. Limits access within 6 feet (1.8 m) of the edge of the pit to authorized employees trained in accordance with §1910.30; and
2. Takes one of the following actions:
   • Applies floor markings at least 6 feet (1.8 m) from the edge of the pit in colors that contrast with the surrounding area; or
   • Places a warning line at least 6 feet (1.8 m) from the edge of the pit as well as stanchions that are capable of resisting, without tipping over, a force of at least 16 pounds (71 N) applied horizontally against the stanchion at a height of 30 inches (76 cm); or
   • Places a combination of floor markings and warning lines at least 6 feet (1.8 m) from the edge of the pit; or
   • Places contrasting floor markings at least 6 feet (1.8 m) from the pit edge around the entire area of the pits, when two or more pits in a common area are not more than 15 feet (4.5m) apart; and
3. Posts readily visible caution signs that meet the requirements of §1910.145 and state “Caution—Open Pit.”

Work on Low-Slope Roofs

When work is performed at least 6 feet (1.6 m) but less than 15 feet (4.6 m) from the roof edge, the employer must ensure each employee is protected from falling by using a guardrail system, safety net system, travel restraint system, or personal fall arrest system. The employer may use a designated area when performing work that is both infrequent and temporary.

When work is performed 15 feet (4.6 m) or more from the roof edge, the employer must:

• Protect each employee from falling by a guardrail system, safety net system, travel restraint system, or personal fall arrest system or a designated area. The employer is not required to provide any fall protection, provided the work is both infrequent and temporary; and
• Implement and enforce a work rule prohibiting employees from going within 15 feet (4.6 m) of the roof edge without using fall protection in accordance with §1910.28(b)(13)(i) and (ii).

Protection from Falling Objects

When an employee is exposed to falling objects, the employer must ensure that each employee wears head protection that meets the requirements of 29 CFR 1910 subpart I. In addition, the employer must protect employees from falling objects by implementing one or more of the following:

• Erecting toeboards, screens, or guardrail systems to prevent objects from falling to a lower level;
• Erecting canopy structures and keeping potential falling objects far enough from an edge, hole, or opening to prevent them from falling to a lower level; or
• Barricading the area into which objects could fall, prohibiting employees from entering the barricaded area, and keeping objects far enough from an edge or opening to prevent them from falling to a lower level.

Fall Protection Systems and Falling Object Protection—Criteria and Practices

§1910.29(d)

Designated Areas

When the employer uses a designated area, the employer must ensure:

• Employees remain within the designated area while work operations are underway; and
• The perimeter of the designated area is delineated with a warning line consisting of a rope, wire, tape, or chain that meets the requirements of §1910.29(d)(2) and (3).

The employer must ensure each warning line:

• Has a minimum breaking strength of 200 pounds (0.89 kN);
• Is installed so its lowest point, including sag, is not less than 34 inches (86 cm) and not more than 39 inches (99 cm) above the walking-working surface;
• Is supported in such a manner that pulling on one section of the line will not result in slack being taken up in adjacent sections causing the line to fall below the limits specified in §1910.29(d)(2)(ii);
• Is clearly visible from a distance of 25 feet (7.6 m) away, and anywhere within the designated area;
• Is erected as close to the work area as the task permits; and
• Is erected not less than 6 feet (1.8 m) from the roof edge for work that is both temporary and infrequent, or not less than 15 feet (4.6 m) for other work.

When mobile mechanical equipment is used to perform work that is both temporary and infrequent in a designated area, the employer must ensure the warning line is erected not less than 6 feet (1.8 m) from the unprotected side or edge that is parallel to the direction in which the mechanical equipment is operated, and not less than 10 feet (3 m) from the unprotected side or edge that is perpendicular to the direction in which the mechanical equipment is operated.