WALKING-WORKING SURFACES (SLIPS, TRIPS, AND FALLS)
General Requirements
Guarding Floor and Wall Openings and Holes
Fixed Industrial Stairs Portable Ladders Fixed Ladders Safety Requirements for Scaffolding Manually Propelled Mobile Ladder Stands and Scaffolds (Towers) Other Working Surfaces
Reference:
Discussion/Overheads - 2.18 MB
Student Handouts - 281 KB
Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities. The OSHA standards for walking and working surfaces apply to all permanent places of employment, except where domestic, mining, or agricultural work only is performed.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Housekeeping
Some of the most frequently overlooked general requirements involve housekeeping:
Aisles and Passageways
Covers and Guardrails
Covers and/or guardrails shall be provided to protect personnel from the hazards of open pits, tanks, vats, ditches, and the like.
Floor Loading Protection
Load rating limits shall be marked on plates and conspicuously posted. It shall be unlawful to place, or cause, or permit to be placed, on any floor or roof of a building or other structure, a load greater than that for which such floor or roof is approved.
GUARDING FLOOR AND WALL OPENINGS AND HOLES
Floor openings and holes, wall openings and holes, and the open sides of platforms may create hazards. People may fall through the openings or over the sides to the level below. Objects, such as tools or parts, may fall through the holes and strike people or damage machinery on lower levels.
OSHA standards for guarding openings and holes use the following definitions:
Floor hole. An opening measuring less than 12 inches but more than 1 inch in its least dimension, in any floor, platform, pavement or yard, through which materials but not persons may fall.
Floor opening. An opening measuring 12 inches or more in its least dimension, in any floor, platform, pavement, or yard, through which persons may fall.
Platform. A working space for persons, elevated above the surrounding floor or ground.
Wall hole. An opening less than 30 inches but more than 1 inch high, of unrestricted width, in any wall or partition.
Wall opening. An opening at least 30 inches high and 18 inches wide, in any wall or partition, through which persons may fall.
Protection for Floor Openings
Standard railings shall be provided on all exposed sides of a stairway opening, except at the stairway entrance. For infrequently used stairways, where traffic across the opening prevents the use of a fixed standard railing, the guard shall consist of a hinged floor opening cover of standard strength and construction along with removable standard railings on all exposed sides, except at the stairway entrance.
A "standard toeboard" is 4 inches nominal in vertical height, with not more than ¼-inch clearance above floor level.
Floor openings may be covered rather than guarded with rails. When the floor opening cover is removed, a temporary guardrail shall be in place, or an attendant shall be stationed at the opening to warn personnel.
Every floor hole into which persons can accidentally walk shall be guarded by either:
While the cover is not in place, the floor hole shall be constantly attended by someone or shall be protected by a removable standard railing.
Protection of Open-Sided Floors, Platforms, and Runways
One of the most frequently overlooked requirements in walking-working surfaces is the requirement that every open-sided floor or platform 4 feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level shall be guarded by a standard railing on all open sides, except where there is an entrance to a ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder. The railing shall be provided with a toeboard wherever, beneath the open sides:
Every runway shall be guarded by a standard railing, or the equivalent, on all sides 4 feet or more above floor or ground level. Wherever tools, machine parts, or materials are likely to be used on the runway, a toeboard shall also be provided on each exposed side.
Regardless of height, open-sided floors, walkways, platforms, or runways above or adjacent to dangerous equipment, pickling or galvanizing tanks, degreasing units, and similar hazards shall be guarded with a standard railing and toeboard.
Stairway Railings and Guards
Every flight of stairs with four or more risers shall have standard stair railings or standard handrails as specified below. Stair width is measured clear of all obstructions except handrails.
A "standard stair railing" (stair rail) shall be of construction similar to a standard railing, but the vertical height shall be not more than 34 inches nor less than 30 inches from the upper surface of the top rail to the surface of the tread in line with the face of the riser at the forward edge of the tread.
A "standard handrail" consists of a lengthwise member mounted directly on a wall or partition by means of brackets attached to the lower side of the handrail in order to keep a smooth, unobstructed surface along the top and both sides of the handrail. They shall hold the rail 3 inches from the wall and be no more than 8 feet apart.
The height of handrails shall be no more than 34 inches nor less than 30 inches from the upper surface of the handrail to the surface of the tread in line with the face of the riser or to the surface of the ramp.
Winding stairs shall have a handrail that is offset to prevent people from walking on any portion of the treads where the width is less than 6 inches.
FIXED INDUSTRIAL STAIRS
Where are fixed stairs required?
Fixed Industrial Stairs shall be provided for access to and from places of work where operations necessitate regular travel between levels. OSHA requirements include:
When inspecting the condition of stairways in your place of work, here are some items to watch out for.
The length of a staircase is important. Long flights of steps without landings should be avoided whenever possible.
The OSHA standards do not specify any exact number or placement of landings. The National Safety Council recommends landings at every tenth or twelfth tread.
Intermediate landings and platforms on stairways shall be no less than the stair width and a minimum of 30 inches in length measured in the direction of travel.
PORTABLE LADDERS
A ladder is an appliance consisting of two side rails joined at regular intervals by crosspieces on which a person may step to ascend or descend.
The various types of portable ladders include:
OSHA's requirements for portable ladders include:
OSHA standards require the following safety precautions for ladder use:
FIXED LADDERS
A fixed ladder is a ladder permanently attached to a structure, building or equipment.
A point to remember is that fixed ladders, with a length of more than 20 feet to a maximum unbroken length of 30 feet shall be equipped with cages or a ladder safety device.
A "cage" is a guard that is fastened to the side rails of the fixed ladder or to the structure to encircle the climbing space of the ladder for the safety of the person who must climb the ladder.
Cages shall extend a minimum of 42 inches above the top of a landing, unless other acceptable protection is provided.
Cages shall extend down the ladder to a point not less than 7 feet nor more than 8 feet above the base of the ladder.
A ladder safety device is any device, other than a cage or well, designed to eliminate or reduce the possibility of accidental falls and may incorporate such features as life belts, friction brakes, and sliding attachments.
Another feature of fixed ladders is the landing platform which provides a means of interrupting a free fall and serves as a resting place during long climbs.
When fixed ladders are used to ascend to heights exceeding 20 feet (except on chimneys), landing platforms shall be provided for each 30 feet of height or fraction thereof, when cages are used, except that, where no cage, well, or ladder safety device is provided, landing platforms shall be provided for each 20 feet of height or fraction thereof.
The preferred pitch of fixed ladders shall be considered to come in the range of 75 degrees and 90 degrees with the horizontal. Fixed ladders shall be considered to be substandard if they are installed within the pitch range of 60 and 75 degrees with the horizontal. Substandard fixed ladders are permitted only where it is found necessary to meet conditions of installation. This substandard pitch range shall be considered as a critical range to be avoided, if possible.
Ladders having a pitch in excess of 90 degrees with the horizontal are prohibited.
As with all ladders, fixed ladders shall be maintained in a safe condition and inspected regularly. SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR SCAFFOLDING
There are a number of different types of scaffolds available. No attempt will be made here to deal with every unit individually.
It is important, however, to note some of the general requirements which apply to all scaffolds, namely:
MANUALLY PROPELLED MOBILE LADDER STANDS AND SCAFFOLDS (TOWERS)
This section contains requirements for the design, construction, and use of mobile work platforms (including ladder stands but not including aerial ladders) and rolling (mobile) scaffolds (towers). As in the previous section, there is a wide variety of materials and design possibilities involved, and no attempt will be made to discuss detailed design criteria at this time.
General requirements include:
OSHA standard 1910.29 should be reviewed carefully for specific requirements.
OTHER WORKING SURFACES
An important requirement, which can prevent many serious accidents is contained in this section: portable dockboards (bridge plates) shall be secured in position, either by being anchored or equipped with devices which will prevent their slipping. Movement of the dockboard during material handling operations has resulted in forklifts overturning, or falling off the dock, often with serious injury or death to the driver and damage to equipment and material.
A major contribution to accident experience comes from material handling. Handholds shall be provided on portable dockboards to permit safe handling when the dockboard must be repositioned or relocated.
Discussion/Overheads - 2.18 MB
Student Handouts - 281 KB
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