OSHA Issues Walking-Working Surfaces Rule

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) final rule on Walking-Working Surfaces aims to reduce work-related injuries resulting from slips, trips, and falls. It incorporates advances in technology, industry best practices, and national consensus standards to provide effective and cost-efficient worker protection. The final rule provides employers greater flexibility in choosing a fall protection system to protect workers. It revised and added new provisions that address rope descent systems, ladder safety, and worker training. OSHA also aligned, as much as possible, the general industry fall protection requirements with those for construction to ease compliance for employers who work in both sectors.

Coverage: All employers who are subject to regulation by OSHA. States with OSHA-approved state plans have six months to adopt standards that are at least as effective as Federal OSHA standards. 

Effective Date: The final rule is effective as of January 17, 2017. OSHA has extended the compliance dates for some of the new requirements. The compliance dates for specific requirements are below.

Action Required:

• Identify and evaluate slip, trip, and fall hazards and provide appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Conduct regular and periodic inspections and maintenance of all walking-working surfaces in their workplace.
• Provide training that enables employees to recognize the hazards of falling and the procedures to be followed to minimize these hazards, including the use of personal fall protection, proper ladder climbing techniques, etc.
• Contact your Risk and Safety Consultant if you have any questions regarding this update.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued its long awaited final rule revising and updating its general industry Walking-Working Surfaces standards specific to slip, trip, and fall hazards. The final rule provides employers the flexibility to select the fall protection system that works best for their environment, instead of requiring the use of guardrail systems, which the current rule mandates. Employers now can choose from a range of accepted options, including personal fall arrest, safety net system, ladder safety systems, travel restraint and work position systems. OSHA has permitted the use of personal fall protection systems in construction since 1994 and the final rule adopts similar requirements for general industry.

The final rule codifies a 1991 OSHA memorandum that permits employers to use Rope Descent Systems (RDS) and adds a 300-foot height limit for their use. It also requires building owners to affirm in writing that permanent building anchorages used for RDS have been tested, certified, and maintained as capable of supporting 5,000 pounds for each worker attached.

The final rule also requires that ladders be capable of supporting their maximum intended load and that mobile ladder stands and platforms be capable of supporting four times their maximum intended load. Moreover, each ladder must be inspected before initial use in a work shift to identify defects that could cause injury. For fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet, the rule phases in ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems and phases out the use of cages or wells. For portable ladders, employers must ensure that rungs and steps are slip resistant; portable ladders used on slippery surfaces are secured and stabilized; portable ladders are not moved, shifted, or extended while a worker is on them; top steps and caps of stepladders are not used as steps; ladders are not fastened together to provide added length unless designed for such use; and ladders are not placed on boxes, barrels, or other unstable bases to obtain added height.

Employers are now required to train workers who use personal fall protection about fall and equipment hazards including fall protection systems. A qualified person must train workers to correctly identify and minimize fall hazards; use personal fall protection systems and rope descent systems; and maintain, inspect, and store equipment or systems used for fall protection. When there is a change in workplace operations or equipment, or the employer believes that a worker would benefit from additional training based on a lack of knowledge or skill, then the worker must be retrained.

The final rule is effective as of January 17, 2017. OSHA has extended the compliance dates for some of the new requirements to give employers time to get familiar with the new requirements, evaluate necessary changes, purchase equipment necessary to comply with the new rule, and complete required training. The requirements that have extended deadlines address certification of anchorages, equipping fixed ladders with fall protection, and training workers. The compliance dates are in the table below.

ADP® is committed to helping you meet your compliance challenges. For additional information regarding this update, please contact your Risk and Safety Consultant.