OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet at shipyards, six feet in construction, and eight feet in longshoring operations.
OSHA requires that industry workplaces:
• Guard every hole into which a worker can accidentally walk using a railing and toe-board or a floor hole cover.
• Provide a guardrail and toe-board around every elevated open sided platform floor, or runway. Regardless of height, if a worker can fall into or onto dangerous machines or equipment (such as a vat or conveyor belt), the employer must provide guardrails and toe-boards.
• Other means of fall protection that may be required on certain jobs include safety harnesses and lines, safety nets, stair railings, and handrails.
Employers must:
• Keep floors in work areas in a clean and dry condition
• Select and provide required PPE at no cost to workers
• Train employees about job hazards in a language they can understand
• Provide working conditions that are free of know dangers.
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Read more on preventing falls in the workplace.