OSHA Issues Walking/Working Surfaces Final Rule
OSHA issued a new final rule that updates and revises the general industry Walking/Working Surfaces and Personal Fall protection Systems standards on slip, trips, and fall hazards.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, slips trips, and falls are a leading cause of workplace fatalities and injuries in the many diverse general industry workplaces. OSHA estimates this rule will prevent 29 fatalities and 5,842 lost-workday injuries every year.
Applicable to General Industry Workplaces
The final rule applies to all general industry workplaces and covers all walking-working surfaces, which include horizontal and vertical surfaces such as floors, stairs, roofs, ladders, ramps, scaffolds, elevated walkways, and fall protection systems. It will not change construction or agricultural standards. However, OSHA aligned fall protection requirements for general industry with those for construction as much as possible, easing compliance for employers who perform both types of activities.
New Requirements and Revisions to Existing Standards in Summary
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Fall Protection Flexibility & Scaffolding
- The new rule allows employers in these diverse industries to choose from accepted fall protection systems in comparison to the current construction standard. It will phase out the general industry scaffold standards with a requirement that employers must comply with OSHA’s construction scaffold standards.
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Ladder Safety Systems or Personal Fall Arrest Systems on Fixed Ladders
- OSHA found that cages and wells do not prevent workers from falling from fixed ladders. Although the final rule grandfathers in cages and wells on existing ladders, there is a phase-in period that employers must install replacement ladders with ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems.
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Phase-out the “qualified climber”
- Workers in outdoor advertising must follow the fall protection phase-in timeline for fixed ladders. They have phased out the directive allowing qualified climbers in outdoor advertising to climb fixed ladders on billboards without fall protection.
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Rope Descent Systems (RDS) and Certification of Anchorages
- OSHA will prohibit employers from using RDS at heights greater than 300 feet above grade unless in certain situations. RDS must be inspected, tested, certified, and maintained as capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds per employee attached.
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Personal Fall Protection System Performance and Use Requirements
- The use of body belts are prohibited to use as part of a fall arrest system. There are also new requirements for performance, inspection, use, and maintenance.
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Inspection of Walking/Working Surfaces
- All walking-working surfaces must be inspected regularly and as needed to correct, repair or guard against hazardous conditions.
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Training
- Additional training is required for personal fall protection systems and other equipment designed for fall prevention.
Effective and Transition Deadlines
The final rule becomes effective on January 17, 2017; however, some provisions have delayed effective dates to assist with the transition:
- Training workers on fall and equipment hazards – 6 months
- Inspection and certification of permanent building anchorages – 1 year
- Installation of fall protection (personal fall arrest systems, ladder safety systems, cages, wells) on existing fixed ladders (over 24 feet) that do not have any fall protection – 2 years
- Installation of ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems on new fixed ladders (over 24 feet) and replacement ladders/ladder sections – 2 years
- Installation of ladder safety systems or personal fall arrest systems on all fixed ladders (over 24 feet) – 20 years
To assist with the coming changes OSHA has provided a Fact Sheet on the updated requirements as well as a Frequently Asked Questions page which can be accessed here.