Accident News

OSHA'S Fall Protection Policy And Standards

OSHA has developed standards to prevent workers in general industry and in construction from falling through skylights and roof and floor openings. The OSHA General Industry Standard requires that “every skylight floor opening and hole shall be guarded by a standard skylight screen or a fixed standard railing on all exposed sides” [29 CFR* 1910.23(a)(4)]. OSHA also requires that skylight screens meet the following standards:

Skylight screens shall be of such construction and mounting that they are capable of withstanding a load of at least 200 pounds applied perpendicularly at any one area on the screen. They shall also be of such construction and mounting that under ordinary loads or impacts, they will not deflect downward sufficiently to break the glass below them. The construction shall be of grillwork with openings not more than 4 inches long or of slatwork with openings not more than 2 inches wide with length unrestricted [29 CFR 1910.23(e)(8)].

If a fixed railing is used instead of a screen, OSHA requires the following:

A standard railing shall consist of top rail, intermediate rail, and posts, and shall have a vertical height of 42 inches nominal from upper surface of top rail to floor, platform, runway, or ramp level. The top rail shall be smooth-surfaced throughout the length of the railing. The intermediate rail shall be approximately halfway between the top rail and the floor, platform, runway, or ramp. The end of the rails shall not overhang the terminal posts except where such overhang does not constitute a projection hazard [29 CFR 1910.23(e)(1)]

Personal fall arrest system [PFAS] means a system used to arrest a worker in a fall from a working level. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body belt or body harness, and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these. As of January 1, 1998, the use of a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited [29 CFR 1926.500(b)].

Anchorages used for attachment of personal fall arrest equipment shall be independent of any anchorage being used to support or suspend platforms and capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds (22.2kN) per employee attached, or shall be designed and used as follows: (i) as part of a complete personal fall arrest system which maintains a safety factor of at least two; and (ii) under the supervision of a qualified person [29 CFR 1926.502(d) (15)(i)(ii)].

Contact our Virginia Accident Lawyers if you have ever experienced a personal injury and think others are at fault for the accident.

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