OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1926.501: Duty to Have Fall Protection

Ranking: #1

The Risk

Falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. There is a myriad of ways in which falls can occur in an occupational setting and falls from even relatively low heights can result in injury, permanent disability and fatalities. Those working in construction and extraction, healthcare support; building cleaning and maintenance; transportation and material moving are at highest risk for on-the-job falls, with the construction industry experiencing the highest frequency of fall-related deaths. Fall injuries create an enormous financial burden for both injured workers and their employers in terms of work missed and workers compensation and medical costs.

Major Provisions of the Standard

• The employer shall determine if the walking/working surfaces on which its employees are to work have the strength and structural integrity to support employees safely. Employees shall be allowed to work on those surfaces only when the surfaces have the requisite strength and structural integrity.
• “Unprotected sides and edges.” 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.
• Each employee who is constructing a leading edge 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems. Exception: When the employer can demonstrate that it is infeasible or creates a greater hazard to use these systems, the employer shall develop and implement a fall protection plan which meets the requirements of paragraph (k) of 1926.502.
• 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. If a guardrail system is chosen to provide the fall protection, and a controlled access zone has already been established for leading edge work, the control line may be used in lieu of a guardrail along the edge that parallels the leading edge.
• Each employee in a hoist area shall be protected from falling 6 feet (1.8 m) or more to lower levels by guardrail systems or personal fall arrest systems. If guardrail systems, [or chain, gate, or guardrail] or portions thereof, are removed to facilitate the hoisting operation (e.g., during landing of materials), and an employee must lean through the access opening or out over the edge of the access opening (to receive or guide equipment and materials, for example), that employee shall be protected from fall hazards by a personal fall arrest system.
• Each employee on walking/working surfaces shall be protected from falling through holes (including skylights) more than 6 feet (1.8 m) above lower levels, by personal fall arrest systems, covers or guardrail systems erected around such holes.
• Each employee on a walking/working surface shall be protected from tripping in or stepping into or through holes (including skylights) by covers.
• Each employee on the face of formwork or reinforcing steel shall be protected from falling 6 feet (1.8 m) or more to lower levels by personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems or positioning device systems.
• Each employee on ramps, runways and other walkways shall be protected from falling 6 feet (1.8 m) or more to lower levels by guardrail systems.
• Each employee at the edge of a well, pit, shaft and similar excavation 6 feet (1.8 m) or more in depth shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, fences, barricades or covers.
• Each employee less than 6 feet (1.8 m) above dangerous equipment shall be protected from falling into or onto the dangerous equipment by guardrail systems or by equipment guards.
• Each employee 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above dangerous equipment shall be protected from fall hazards by guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems or safety net systems.
• Each employee engaged in roofing activities on low-slope roofs, with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, or a combination of warning line system and guardrail system, warning line system and safety net system, or warning line system and personal fall arrest system, or warning line system and safety monitoring system. Or, on roofs 50 feet (15.25 m) or less in width, the use of a safety monitoring system alone [i.e. without the warning line system] is permitted.

Compliance Resources

OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction resources include training guides, videos and other materials in both English and Spanish. Click here: www.osha.gov/stop-falls-stand-down/resources

• OSHA’s Falls Prevention CampaignPage
• Campaign Fact Sheet: English (PDF) Spanish (PDF), Polish (PDF) and Russian (PDF)
• Campaign Poster: English (PDF). Spanish (PDF)
• Fall Prevention Wallet Card English (PDF).
  Spanish (PDF). Portuguese (PDF)
• Fall Prevention Training Guide
• A Lesson Plan for Employers (PDF) (EPUB| MOBI). Spanish (PDF) (EPUB| MOBI).
• Fall Prevention Publications: Webpage contains fall
  prevention materials in English and Spanish.
• Fall Protection in Construction(PDF).
• Protecting Roofing Workers(PDF). WMHS

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844-958-1144 • www.fallprotect.com