1926.760(a)(1) Except as provided by paragraph (a)(3) of this section, each employee engaged in a steel erection activity who is on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet (4.6 m) above a lower level shall be protected from fall hazards by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest OSHA’s Walking-Working Surfaces Final Rule Compliance Reference www.Lion.com 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. Competent persons are not necessary when scaffolds are being moved. OSHA Fall Protection Requirements. Fall protection means any equipment, device, or system that prevents an employee from falling from an elevation or mitigates the effect of such a fall. This is a significant improvement, but slips and falls will continue to be a risk to workers across every industry. Other Walking or Working Surfaces – 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(15) As a general matter, each worker on a walking or working surface 6 feet or more above a lower level must be protected from falling by a guardrail system, a safety net system, or a personal fall arrest system. The cited provision requires that “[e]ach employee on a walking/working surface (horizontal and vertical surface) with an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level shall be protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems, or … ... - When any correction or repair involves the structural integrity of the walking-working surface, a qualified person performs or supervises the ... for each employee attached. Synthetic. "The employer must ensure each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following guardrail systems; safety net systems; or personal fall protection system. OSHA also requires that walking-working surfaces be clean, orderly, dry, and free of other hazards such as protruding objects, loose boards, corrosion, leaks, spills, ice, General Industry Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Standards. On November 17, 2016, OSHA issued a final rule on Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Fall Protection Systems to protect workers in general industry from falls. Every open sided walking/working surface or platform four feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level must be guarded by one of the following fall protection systems. While there are many implications, it can specifically increase the likelihood of receiving a citation for improperly correcting hazardous conditions. OSHA issued the final rule on Walking-Working Surfaces rule back in November of 2016. 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1) states that "each employee on a walking/working surface (horizontal and vertical surface) with an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet (1.8 m) … Walking and Working Surfaces (Slips, Trips, and Falls) Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. OSHA Training Requirements - Subpart D - Walking-working Surfaces. The means of connection may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or a suitable combination of these. Both the construction and general industry standards site the following fall protection options: Guardrail systems With a few exceptions, each platform, on all working levels, must be fully planked or decked between the front uprights and the guardrail supports. distance from the walking/working surface to the water's surface is 4 feet or more. OSHA updated its General Industry Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Standards in January and estimates that the updates will prevent 29 fatalities and 5,842 lost-workday injuries every year (see Lost Time: How Does It Add Up to learn more about LTIs). The employer must ensure that each walking-working surface can support the maximum intended load for that surface. It consists of a body harness, anchorage, and connector. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities. • Where there is a walking or working surface that has one or more unprotected edges • When a worker is building a leading edge • When there is a danger that a worker could fall through a hole in a walking or working surface • When an employee is working on the face of formwork or reinforcing steel Not every walking or working surface can be a potential fall hazard. The rule also increases consistency in safety and health standards for people working in … Each employee on a walking/working surface (horizontal and vertical surface) with an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level shall be protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems. Walking-working surfaces include, but are not limited to, floors, ladders, stairways, steps, roofs, ramps, runways, aisles, scaffolds, dockboards, and step bolts. Walking-Working Surfaces Defined. The answer to this question, for most employers, is yes as most employers have a walking and working surface. [See 1910.29(d) for requirements of the designated area, reproduced below.] False. On November 17, 2016, OSHA issued a final rule updating its 44-year old general industry Walking-Working Surfaces standard to protect workers from slip, trip, and fall hazards. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body belt or body harness and may ... of a walking/working surface, e.g., … Table D-2 -- Stairway Handrail Requirements Walking or working surfaces 4-feet WAC 296-155-24609-1 The employer shall ensure that the appropriate fall protection system is provided, installed, and implemented according to the requirements in this part when employees are exposed to fall hazards of four feet or more to the ground or lower level when working on a walking or working surface. When the revisions to the walking-working surface regulations took effect in January 2017, they included quite a number of changes. False. OSHA addresses this load limit concern in their recently updated Walking-Working Surfaces standard, 29 CFR 1910.22, general requirements, as follows: 1910.22(b) Loads. Each employee engaged in a steel erection activity who is on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet (4.6 m) above a lower level must be protected from fall hazards by: guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall … The final rule defines “walking-working surfaces” as any surface on or through which an employee walks, works, or gains access to a work area or workplace location (§ 1910.21(b)). OSHA says that these multiple options, along with required inspections and training, will help employers prevent and eliminate walking-working surface hazards. Does not include ladders, vehicles, or trailers on which employees must be located to perform their work duties. (1) Unprotected sides and edges – (i) The employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following: Guardrail systems; safety net systems or personal fall protection systems. means a system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a walking-working surface. Before. All general industry workplaces and walking-working surfaces are covered under the rule, unless they have been specifically excluded. In scope and definitions of subpart D, a walking-working surface is defined as any horizontal or vertical surface on or through which an employee walks, works, or gains access to a work area or workplace location. each end for connecting the body belt or body harness to a deceleration device, lifeline, or ... A system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. Fall hazard means any condition on a walking-working surface that exposes an employee to a risk of harm from a fall on the same level or to a lower level. The new requirements under Subpart D, "Walking-Working Surfaces," provide employers with the flexibility to decide which fall protection method or system works best for the work operation. The following are some questions that … 1910.28 includes unprotected sides and edges. 1910.28 - Duty to have fall protection and falling object protection 1910.28 (b) Protection for fall hazards – (11) Stairways. 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. The employer must ensure that each walking-working surface can support the maximum intended load for that surface. Holes in scaffold platforms can be just as lethal as holes in any other walking/working surface, thus adequate platform construction is critical. Each employee on a walking/working surface 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level where leading edges are under construction, but who is not engaged in the leading edge work, shall be protected from falling by a guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system. The general industry standard, 1910.28(b)(1)(i), states that employers must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is four feet or more above a lower level is protected. Personal fall arrest systems must be inspected for damage _____ each use. Webbing used for lifeline, lanyard and harness ropes and straps must be made of _____ fibers. How OSHA’s New Walking-Working Surfaces Rule Will Apply. walking-working surfaces on which employees are allowed to work have the strength and structural integrity to support the employee and other loads (e.g., tools, equipment, etc.). 1910.22(d)(2): Hazardous conditions on walking-working surfaces are corrected or repaired before an employee uses the walking-working surface again. Basic Overview of Walking and Working Surfaces The following information is a general overview of major points and standards developed from OSHA 29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart D. Walking and Working Surfaces for General Industry. means a distinct portion of a walking-working surface delineated by a waring line in which employees may perform work without additional fall protection. 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