Fall Protection (2019)

The next Steps cover Cal/OSHA safety regulations for Fall Protection. Where appropriate, we have referenced the code from Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.

The topics we will cover in this Navitent are:

-Factors Affecting the Level of Hazard
-Personal Fall Protection System
-Personal Fall Protection Requirements
-Fall Protection Plan
-Controlled Access Zone
-Fall Protection for Residential Roofing Work
-Section 1730

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Factors Affecting the Level of Hazard

Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations (T8 CCR) includes fall protection standards in various sections of the General Industry Safety Orders (GISOs), Construction Safety Orders (CSOs), Tunnel Safety Orders (TSOs), and Electrical Safety Orders (ESOs). These standards reflect the levels of the fall hazards associated with each activity.

The four factors affecting the level of hazard include the following:

1. Fall height.
2. Level of hazard awareness and skill of the employee.
3. Physical work environment (e.g., conditions affecting the stability of the employee on the work surface).
4. Duration of exposure to the fall hazard.

Note: Because factors 2, 3, and 4 listed above vary with different trades and activities, the regulatory requirements for fall protection reflect those differences. In the following six Steps we will list the definitions and selected fall protection requirements.

Personal Fall Protection System

A Personal Fall Protection (PFP) system prevents a worker from falling or—if the worker is falling—stops the fall. PFP systems include guard rails, safety nets, personal fall restraint systems, personal fall arrest systems, and positioning device systems.

-Guardrails are required to guard the open sides of all work surfaces that are 7 1/2 feet or higher or workers must be protected by other means. The railing must be made from select lumber (Doug Fir#1 or better 1500 Psi or equivalent) and must consist of a top rail 42 inches to 45 inches high, 2" x 4" (min.); a 1" x 6" mid-rail halfway between the top rail and the floor, and support posts at least 2" x 4" at 8 feet on center

-A Personal Fall Restraint (PFR) system is used to prevent an employee from falling. It consists of anchorages, connectors, and a body belt or harness. It may include lanyards, lifelines, and rope grabs designed for that purpose

-A Personal Fall Arrest (PFA) system is used to stop an employee during a fall from a working level and to keep him or her from hitting a lower level or structure. The system consists of an anchorage, connectors, and a body harness. It may include a lanyard, a lifeline, a deceleration device, or suitable combinations of these. A PFA system must meet the following requirements:
a. It must limit the maximum arresting force on an employee to 1,800 lbs.
b. It must be rigged such that an employee can neither free fall more than 6 feet nor contact any lower level, and, where practicable, the anchor end of the lanyard shall be secured at a level not lower than the employee’s waist.
c. Anchorage points must be able to support 5,000 lbs. per employee attached or:
Must be designed, installed, and used as part of a complete PFA system with a safety factor of two; and
Under the supervision of a qualified person.
d. The PFA system lifeline must meet the following requirements:
It must be able to support 5,000 lbs.
Each employee must be attached to a separate lifeline.
Exception: During the construction of elevator shafts, two employees may be attached to a lifeline that is able to support 10,000 lbs.
The lower end of the vertical lifeline must extend to within 4 feet from the ground.
A horizontal lifeline system must be designed, installed, and used under the supervision of a qualified person and maintained with a safety factor of at least two.
Note: the use of a body belt as a part of a PFA system is prohibited.

-Body belts, harnesses, and components shall be used only for employee protection and not to hoist materials. Body belts used in conjunction with fall restraint systems or positioning devices shall limit the maximum arresting force on an employee to 900 lbs

-Safety nets may be used in place of all other fall protection systems if the nets are installed properly

Personal Fall Protection Requirements

A Personal Fall Protection (PFP) system compliant with section 1670 must be used if guard railing or safety nets are not installed for the following fall distances and work activities:

-A fall distance of more than 6 feet when placing or tying rebar in walls, columns, piers, etc.
Exception: A PFP system is not required during point-to-point horizontal or vertical travel on rebar up to 24 feet above the surface below if there are no impalement hazards

-A fall distance of 7 1/2 feet or greater during the following:
a. Work from the perimeter of a structure, through shaft-ways and openings.
b. Work anywhere on roofs with slopes greater than 7:12.
c. Work from thrust-outs or similar locations when the worker’s footing is less than 3 1/2 inches wide.
d. Work on suspended staging, floats, catwalks, walkways, or advertising sign platforms.
e. Work from slopes steeper than 40 degrees.
3. A fall distance of 15 feet or greater during the following:
a. Work from buildings, bridges, structures on construction members, such as trusses, beams, purlins, or plates that are of at least 4 inches nominal width.
b. Ironwork other than connecting.
c. Work on structural wood framing systems and during framing activities on wood or light gauge steel frame residential/light commercial construction.
Exception: For residential/light commercial frame construction, workers are considered protected when working on braced joists, rafters, or roof trusses spaced on 24 inches (or less) centers when they work more than 6 feet from unprotected sides or edges.

-An eave height of 20 feet or greater, during all roofing operations (see exceptions in 2a above and 6a and 6b below)

-A fall distance of 30 feet or greater, when ironworkers are connecting structural beams

-Any height during work:
a. On roofs sloped steeper than 7:12 the air hose for the pneumatic nailer shall be secured at roof level in such a manner as to provide ample, but not excessive, amounts of hose.
b. On roofs, while an operator uses a felt-laying machine or other equipment that requires the operator to walk backwards (see prohibitions).
c. From boatswain’s chairs.
d. From float scaffolds.
e. From needle-beam scaffolds.
f. From suspended scaffolds.

Fall Protection Plan

A Fall Protection Plan (FPP) must be implemented when a Fall Protection (FP) system is required but cannot be used because the system creates a greater hazard or is impractical.

The fall protection plan must:

-Be prepared by a Qualified Person (QP) who is identified in the plan

-Be developed for a specific site or developed for essentially identical operations

-Be updated by the QP

-Document why a conventional FP system cannot be used

-Identify the competent person to implement and supervise the FPP

-Identify the controlled access zone for each location where a conventional FP system cannot be used

-Identify employees allowed in the Controlled Access Zone (CAZ)

-Be implemented and supervised by the competent person.

Note: an up-to-date copy of the fall protection plan must be at the jobsite.

Controlled Access Zone

The Controlled Access Zone (CAZ) must be established and maintained as follows:

-A control line or its equivalent must control access to the CAZ and must:
a. Consist of ropes, wires, tapes, or equivalent materials and be supported by stanchions.
b. Be flagged or marked at not more than 6 feet on center.
c. Be rigged not fewer than 39 inches and not more than 45 inches from the working surface.
d. Have a breaking strength of 200 lbs. (min.). See 1671.2 for greater detail.

-Signs must be posted to keep out unauthorized persons

-A safety monitoring system is required and must include a designated safety monitor who is able to:
a. Monitor the safety of other employees.
b. Recognize fall hazards.
c. Warn an employee when it appears that the employee is unaware of a fall hazard or is acting in an unsafe manner.
d. Stay in sight of and in communication with the employee being monitored.
e. Have no other responsibilities.

Note: only an employee covered by a fall protection plan shall be allowed in a CAZ.

Fall Protection for Residential Roofing Work

-For Roof Slopes 3:12 through 7:12, the following applies:
Employees shall be protected from falling where the eave height exceeds 15 feet above grade or level below by use of one or any combination of methods prescribed below:
a. Personal Fall Protection.
b. Catch Platforms.
c. Scaffold Platforms.
d. Eave Barriers.
e. Standard Railings and Toeboards.
f. Roof Jack Systems.

-For Roof Slopes Steeper than 7:12, the following applies:
Regardless of height, employees shall be protected from falling by methods prescribed above with exception of Eave Barriers and Roof Jack Systems.

Section 1730

Section 1730 applies to all roofing work that are not on new production-type residential construction with roof slopes 3:12 or greater. 1730(f)(6)

How much did this Navitent help you to understand the Cal/OSHA safety regulations for Fall Protection, including:

-Factors Affecting the Level of Hazard
-Personal Fall Protection System
-Personal Fall Protection Requirements
-Fall Protection Plan
-Controlled Access Zone
-Fall Protection for Residential Roofing Work
-Section 1730

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Note: while you don't need to remember all the information in this Navitent, you do need to remember that it is in your Navitent library to refer to when you need it. Go to the Title 8 regulations in the CA Code of Regulations and to the CA Labor Code for detailed information regarding the scope, specifications, and exceptions of a particular regulation and for other requirements that may be applicable to their operations.