In November 2016 OSHA issued a final rule on walking-working surfaces and personal fall protection systems. Most provisions of the new rule become effective on January 17, 2017. Is your workplace ready to comply with the updated OSHA standard?
Who And What Does The Rule Cover?
The rule applies to all general industry workplaces. It focuses on all walking-working surfaces. This includes both horizontal and vertical surfaces (such as elevated walkways, scaffolds, floors, stairs, roofs, ladders), as well as personal fall protection systems. So as you can imagine, this applies to a wide variety of organizations – from warehousing, retail, and building management systems to window cleaning, chimney sweeping, and outdoor advertising.
Why The Updated Rule?
The rule aims to reduce slips, trips, and fall hazards for works on walking-working surfaces. The existing standards haven’t been updated since they were adopted in 1971. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Dr. David Michaels, says “The final rule will increase workplace protection from those hazards, especially fall hazards, which are the leading cause of worker deaths and injuries. OSHA believe advances in technology and greater flexibility will reduce worker deaths and injuries from falls.”
According to OSHA, the rule will prevent an estimated 29 deaths and 5,842 lost-workday injuries annually.
OSHA also expects the rule to have financial benefits for employers: “Because the final rule harmonizes general industry requirements with OSHA's existing construction industry standard and many ANSI standards, the new rule will make compliance both easier and less costly. OSHA estimates the annual monetized benefits of the lives saved and injuries prevented will be $614.5 million (with net benefits of $309.5 million (benefits minus costs)).”
What Are The Changes?
The final rule includes revisions to a number of standards – from fall protection flexibility, scaffold requirements, and ladder safety systems to rope descent systems, personal fall protection system performance and use, inspection, and training. To fully understand the changes and how they may impact your company, it is important to read them in their entirety. See the OSHA Resources links at the bottom of the page for all the details.
What Is The Timeline?
Most of the rule becomes effective on January 17, 2017, but OSHA specifies that some provisions have delayed effective dates. These dates are based on when the final rule was published in the Federal Register. So “6 months” means 6 months from November 18, 2016 which is May 18, 2017.
- Ensuring exposed workers are trained on fall hazards (6 months),
- Ensuring workers who use equipment covered by the final rule are trained (6 months),
- Inspecting and certifying permanent anchorages for rope descent systems (1 year),
- Installing personal fall arrest or ladder safety systems on new fixed ladders over 24 feet and on replacement ladders/ladder sections, including fixed ladders on outdoor advertising structures (2 years),
- Ensuring existing fixed ladders over 24 feet, including those on outdoor advertising structures, are equipped with a cage, well, personal fall arrest system, or ladder safety system (2 years), and
- Replacing cages and wells (used as fall protection) with ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems on all fixed ladders over 24 feet (20 years).
OSHA Resources
Not only are there hefty fines for not complying with OSHA standards such as this final rule on walking-working surfaces, but compliance is the best way to keep your workers safe. Make sure your workplace safety efforts take into account these updates in a timely manner.
