Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems)

Nov. 22, 2016
OSHA is revising and updating its general industry standards on walking-working surfaces to prevent and reduce workplace slips, trips, and falls, as well as other injuries and fatalities associated with walking-working surface hazards.

AGENCY:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

OSHA is revising and updating its general industry standards on walking-working surfaces to prevent and reduce workplace slips, trips, and falls, as well as other injuries and fatalities associated with walking-working surface hazards. The final rule includes revised and new provisions addressing, for example, fixed ladders; rope descent systems; fall protection systems and criteria, including personal fall protection systems; and training on fall hazards and fall protection systems. In addition, the final rule adds requirements on the design, performance, and use of personal fall protection systems.

The final rule increases consistency between the general industry and construction standards, which will make compliance easier for employers who conduct operations in both industry sectors. Similarly, the final rule updates requirements to reflect advances in technology and to make them consistent with more recent OSHA standards and national consensus standards. OSHA has also reorganized the requirements and incorporated plain language in order to make the final rule easier to understand and follow. The final rule also uses performance-based language whenever possible to give employers greater compliance flexibility.

DATES:

Effective date: This final rule becomes effective on January 17, 2017. Some requirements in the final rule have compliance dates after the effective date. For further information on those compliance dates, see Section XI of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. In addition, this final rule contains information collections subject to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act, and the Department is submitting requests to OMB to obtain that approval. The information collections will not take effect until the date OMB approves the information collection request or the date the requirement would take effect as explained elsewhere in this document. The Department will publish a document in the Federal Register to announce OMB's disposition of the information collection requests.

ADDRESSES:

In accordance with 28 U.S.C. 2112(a)(2), OSHA designates Ms. Ann Rosenthal, Associate Solicitor of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-4004, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210, to receive petitions for review of the final rule.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Press inquiries: Mr. Frank Meilinger, Director, Office of Communications, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3647, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-1999; email [email protected].

General information and technical inquiries: Mr. Mark Hagemann, Director, Office of Safety Systems, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3609, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2255, email [email protected].