OSHA has established industry-specific requirements and tools to reduce the risks that come with working at elevated heights. Employers must provide safe, secure fall protection where workers are exposed to falls from the following heights:
- Four feet in general industry workplaces
- Five feet in shipyards
- Six feet in the construction industry
- Eight feet in longshore operations
OSHA also provides employers with other specific rules to address the hazards of falls, which include:
- Employees working on a surface with an unprotected side or edge that’s six feet or more above a lower level must use fall protection (via guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems)
- Fall protection must be provided (regardless of the potential fall distance) when employees work over dangerous equipment and machinery, such as conveyor belts or containers of hazardous liquids
- Exposed holes in the floor must be completely guarded, with a railing and toe board or with a cover
- Guardrails and toe boards must be used around open-sided platforms, floors, and runways
- Employers must train workers on height-related hazards, notify them of the dangers posed by working at heights, and how to remain safe on the job
OSHA建立了针对行业的要求和工具, 以降低在高处工作所带来的风险。雇主必须在工人面临从下列高度坠落的情况下提供安全、有保障的坠落保护
普通行业工作场所 – 4英尺
造船行业工作场所 – 5英尺
建筑行业工作场所 – 6英尺
岸线行业工作场所 – 8英尺
osha 还为雇主提供其它具体规则, 以应对坠落的危害, 其中包括:
在高于较低楼层6英尺或以上的无保护一侧或边缘的表面上工作的员工必须使用坠落保护 (通过护栏、安全网或个人防坠落系统)
当员工在危险设备和机械 (如传送带或危险液体储罐) 上工作时, 必须提供防坠落保护 (无论潜在的坠落距离如何)
行走面上的暴露孔口必须完全保护, 有护栏和护趾板, 或有盖子
必须在开放式平台、行走面和行走道周围使用护栏和护趾板
雇主必须对工人进行有关高处作业相关危害的培训, 告知他们高处作业所带来的危险, 以及如何在工作中确保安全
1910.23 Guarding Floor & Wall Openings & Holes
(a) Protection of floor openings
(a.2) Guard ladderway floor openings or platforms like a stairway floor opening with passage through the railing either provided with a swinging gate or offset so a person cannot walk directly into the opening.
对行走面上的孔口予以防护
对井道梯行走面孔口或平台, 如梯道,行走面孔口, 予以防护,采取护栏通口上加装摆动门栏或设置孔口位置偏移, 使人员不能直接走入孔口。