NASCLA · Florida · California · Code numbers · Episode 4
Fall Protection, by the Numbers
Chapters
- The edge
- Guardrail
- Harness
- Scaffold
- Access
- Recap
In short
OSHA requires fall protection for a worker on an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level: a guardrail, a safety net or a personal fall arrest system. A guardrail's top rail is 42 inches plus or minus 3, with a midrail halfway, a 200-pound load rating and a toeboard at least 3½ inches high. A personal fall arrest system limits free fall to 6 feet. On a scaffold, protection starts above 10 feet. Ladder side rails extend 3 feet above the landing, and a break in elevation of 19 inches or more needs a stair or ladder.
- 6 ft at an open edge; over 10 ft on a scaffold.
- Top rail 42 in ± 3, midrail halfway, 200 lb, toeboard 3½ in.
- Personal fall arrest: no free fall over 6 ft.
- Ladder rails 3 ft above the landing; stairs or a ladder at 19 in.
Transcript
The edge
OSHA fall protection comes down to a handful of numbers. Learn them as a set, and the trap answers stop working. Start at an open edge. At 6 feet above a lower level, the worker must be protected. Three ways count: a guardrail, a safety net, or a personal fall arrest system.
Guardrail
Now the guardrail. The top rail sits at 42 inches, plus or minus 3. The midrail goes halfway between the top rail and the walking surface. The top rail has to hold 200 pounds, pushed outward or downward near its top edge. And a toeboard is at least 3 and a half inches high.
Harness
With a harness, the worker can free fall no more than 6 feet, and must not reach the level below.
Scaffold
Scaffolds have their own number. Pause. A worker is on a scaffold 8 feet above the ground. Does the scaffold rule require fall protection? Not yet. On a scaffold, protection starts above 10 feet. Six feet is the rule for open edges. Ten is the rule for scaffolds. Do not swap them.
Access
Two more, for getting up there. Ladder side rails reach 3 feet above the landing. And a break in elevation of 19 inches or more needs a stairway or a ladder.
Recap
Six feet at an edge, ten on a scaffold, 42 inches for the top rail, 3 feet above the landing. Next: stairs and guards, measured. Subscribe so you catch it.
Sources
- 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1)
- 29 CFR 1926.502(b), (d)(16)(iii) and (j)(3)
- 29 CFR 1926.451(g)(1), 1926.1051(a) and 1926.1053(b)(1)
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