fall protection, subpart m

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Fall Protection, Subpart M


Fall Prevention

• The factors of a fall that can dictate the severity of a person’s injuries are:– Landing surface– Falling distance– Landing position

• In most falls, your landing position is the most critical factor in determining the severity of your injuries.


Fall Prevention• Pay special attention to small items that could be tripping

hazards. Things such as loose boards, floor mats with a rumpled corner, small holes and cracks, electrical cords, and other small items are serious hazards that should be corrected or removed from the work area immediately.

• To adhere to OSHA standards:– Workplaces should be kept clean & free of clutter– Floors should be kept clean & dry– Mats, gratings, or raised platforms must be provided for areas where

wet floors are unavoidable– Aisles and Passageways should be kept free of any objects that could

obstruct the walkway and become a trip hazard– Clearly mark the border of permanently placed aisles and passageways.– Covers &/or guardrails must be installed over holes, ditches, pits, tanks,

and other areas where there is a fall hazard.


Fall Protection

Examples of Fall Protection Systems include:– Guardrail Systems– Safety Net Systems– Personal Fall Arrest Systems


Fall Protection – Guardrail Systems• Under OSHA’s General Requirements, a guardrail must be placed around any area

where a fall of four feet or more is possible. The most common areas that need guardrails are platforms, stairways, scaffolding, open pits, tanks, and floor and wall openings.

• It is important that all guardrails adhere to the following standards:– Guardrails should have a top rail, middle rail, and posts.– The vertical height of the top rail should be 42 inches from the top surface to the walkway

level.– To prevent clothing snags and lacerations, the top rail should not extend beyond the edge of

the posts.– The mid rail should be approximately 21 inches in height from the surface of the floor, or half

the distance from the floor to the top rail.– Plastic and steel banding is not approved for top rails or mid rails, and should never be

used.– If screens or mesh are used in place of mid rails, they must extend the full height of the

guardrail, from top rail to the floor level.– The guardrail system must withstand a force of 200 pounds or greater when applied in any

downward or outward direction.– If a open pit cover is ever removed, a guardrail must be installed to protect workers.


Fall Protection – Toeboards

Toeboards are added to guardrail systems whenever there is a danger of materials and tools falling to the lower level and creating a hazard to those working below.

– Toeboards should be at least 4 inches in height

– To prevent objects from sliding underneath the gap, toeboards should be placed with no greater than ¼ inch clearance above the floor level.


Fall Protection – Safety Nets

• Safety nets are a valuable tool that provide protection by catching an employee should a fall occur.

• They must be provided when workplaces are more then 25 feet above the ground or water surface, or other surfaces where the use of ladders, scaffolds, catch platforms, temporary floors or safety belts is impractical. Work should not start until the net is in place and has been tested.


Fall Protection – Safety Nets

Safety nets:– Must be strong enough to support a falling employee; All new nets

should meet the accepted performance standards of 17,500 foot-pounds minimum impact resistance.

– Must have sufficiently small mesh openings so the employee cannot fall through the net; they should not exceed 6 X 6 inches.

– Shall extend 8 feet beyond the edge of the work surface where employees are exposed and shall be installed as close under the work surface as practical, but in no case more than 25 feet below such work surface. Nets shall be hung with sufficient clearance to prevent user contact with the surfaces or structures below. This will be determined by impact load testing.

– Must use forged steel safety hooks or shackles to fasten the net to its supports.

– Must have only one level of nets for net construction.


Fall Protection – PFAS • A Personal Fall Arrest System is

designed to “catch” a worker who falls from an upper level. The system is made up of several pieces, including:

– a point of anchor to hold the worker to the structure

– a lifeline– a connector– a body harness

• When used properly, this system greatly reduces the freefall distance of the worker, and is often used in areas where it is not possible to place guardrails to protect workers from fall hazards. Let’s learn more about the individual parts of the Personal Fall Arrest System.


When Fall Protection is Required

There are certain circumstances when fall protection must be provided. These include when an employee(s):

– Is on a walking/working surface that has an unprotected edge. – Is constructing a leading edge.– May fall through a hole in the walking/working surface.– Is working on the face of formwork or reinforcing steel.– Are on ramps, runways and other walkways.– Are working at the edge of an excavation, well, pit, or shaft.– Are working above dangerous equipment (even employees working less than six

feet over dangerous equipment must be protected).– Is performing overhand bricklaying and related work.– Is performing roofing work.– Is engaging in pre-cast concrete erection (with certain exceptions).– Is engaged in residential construction (with certain exceptions).


Fall Hazards

Fall protection is needed when working on or with:

– Ramps, Runways, & Walkways – Residential Construction– Unprotected sides & edges– Sky Lights and other Openings– Holes– Concrete Forms & Rebar– Excavations– Roofs



• Ramps, Runways, and Walkways– Ramps, runways, and other walkways must be protected by guardrail systems

when employees can fall 6 feet or more. The walking/working surface must be strong enough to support employees safely.

• Residential Construction– In residential construction, you must be protected if you can fall more than 6 feet.

• Unprotected Sides & Edges– Unprotected sides and edges must have guardrails or equivalent.

• Sky Lights and Other Openings– Covers must be:

• Able to support at least twice the weight of employees, equipment, and materials that may be imposed on them at one time.

• Secured to prevent accidental displacement from wind, equipment, or workers’ activities.

• Color coded or bear the markings “Hole” or “Cover.”



• Holes – Personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems shall be erected

around holes (including skylights) that are more than 6 feet above lower levels.– Note: All floor holes must be protected against slips/trips – even if less than 6

feet.• Concrete Forms and Rebar:

– Employees on a form scaffold can be exposed to falls of less than 10 feet.• Excavations:

– Guard excavations more than 6 feet deep must be used when openings are not easily seen because of plant growth or other visual barriers.

• Roofs:– If workers are working on roofs with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more

above lower levels, they shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems or a combination of a warning line system and guard-rail system, warning line system and safety net system, warning line system and personal fall arrest system, or warning line system and safety monitoring system.


Floor and Wall Openings

Floor and wall openings and holes, as well as platforms with multiple open sides, are potential falling hazards. Not only is it possible for an employee to fall through these openings onto a lower level, but there is also a risk for objects, such as tools and other equipment, to fall down to the work area below, causing worker injuries and destruction of equipment.


Floor and Wall Openings

• Requirements regarding floor openings and holes are as follows:– You may use either covers or guardrails.– If there will be workers below, you must install a toeboard to protect

them from falling objects.– While the cover is removed, a temporary guardrail must be in place or

an attendant may stand at the opening to warn approaching employees of the fall hazard.

• Wall openings also need to be guarded by either a guardrail system or safety net system. If neither of these are possible, workers should wear Personal Fall Arrest systems at all times when working around the wall opening.


When Fall Protection is Not Required

• There are some areas where fall protection systems are not required. These areas are called Controlled Access Zones, and are created to restrict entrance due to a lack of guardrails, personal arrest systems, and safety nets in the area.

• These zones must be marked by Control Lines or a similar system that will effectively restrict the accessibility to the area. Some specifications regarding Control Lines are:

– They consist of materials such as tapes, ropes, and wires, and have supporting stanchions.

– Are highly visible.– They are strong enough to withstand a minimum weight of 200 lbs.– They must extend the full length of, and be parallel to, the unprotected or leading

edge.– They must always be connected to either a wall or guardrail system at each end,

to both ensure stability and remove access to the dangerous area.

fall protection, subpart m

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