3. In the case of working at heights, every employer shall take appropriate and sufficient measures to prevent, as far as reasonably practicable, bodily harm to a person who falls on a road. On supported scaffolding, OSHA requires guardrails to be installed at heights greater than 10 feet in most cases. Guardrails must be between 38 inches and 45 inches high, with center rails installed at about half that height. Often, new laws are passed and regulations can change over time. Therefore, it is important to be up-to-date on scaffolding safety guidelines, which cover everything from scaffolding construction and design to training employees at height. Equip scaffolding with toe panels, center rails and guardrails. The guardrails are said to be between 38 inches and 45 inches high, and the installation of center rails at about half that height. If a crossbar is used to support the top rail of the guardrail, the cross bracing must reach a height between 38 and 45 inches. OSHA requires the installation of work panels on work platforms, screens, nets or barricades. What for? The aim is to prevent objects from falling and thus protect workers at lower levels. In addition, workers enter the scaffolding platform in the form of a secure ladder, stair tower or ramp. OSHA requires scaffolding to be erected under the supervision of a qualified person.
In addition, a competent person must be present during the construction, moving, dismantling or modification of scaffolding. A competent person is a person who is “able to identify existing and foreseeable hazards in the environment or in unhealthy and dangerous working conditions for employees, and who is authorized to take corrective action to eliminate them.” A competent person has the knowledge to recognize a hazard and the authority to remedy it. But there are cases when health and safety rules are prescribed. And one of those opportunities can be found in Schedule 2 of the Working at Heights Regulations (TRUE), which tells you how high handrails/ramps should be for construction work. There are several important scaffolding design guidelines and safety rules related to working on scaffolding: 9. June 2000 M. Paul Schnitzler RG Insulation 2505 East 74th Avenue Denver, CO 80229 RE: 1905.11(b)(4), 1926.451(f)(3) & (f)(7), 1926.451(g)(4)(ii), 1926.451(g)(4)(iv), 1926.451(g)(4)(ix), 1926.452(w)(2) & (w)(3), 1926.452(w)(6)(ii), 1926.452(w)(6)(iii), subsection L Schedule A, scaffolding rails, central scaffolding, mobile mobile scaffolding, Cantilevered frame Mr. Schnitzler, I am writing in response to your letter dated August 15, 1997, addressed to the Denver Regional Office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in which you asked several questions regarding Subpart L (Scaffolding) of 29 C.F.R. 1926.
Unfortunately, we misplaced your letter and did not recognize our mistake in time. We apologize for the long delay in providing this response. Question 1): According to § 1926.451 (g) (4) (ii), the minimum height of scaffolding railings manufactured and put into service before January 1, 2000 is 36 inches. The minimum height of scaffolding manufactured or commissioned after January 1, 2000 is 38 inches. For all scaffolding, the maximum height is 45 inches. You state that your scaffolding extensions have rungs spaced 16 inches apart and that when used, the only way to attach guardrails is through bars. Therefore, if the scaffolding board is on the lower rung of the extension, the top rail must be 16, 32 or 48 inches high (depending on the rung used to secure the guardrail). Is it permissible to have a height of 32 inches when the platform is small, the exposure time is limited, the same person installs and dismantles the scaffolding, they work on it, and a 48-inch guardrail would interfere with the work surface in some cases? Answer: Section 1926.451(g)(4)(ii) provides that “if conditions warrant, the height of the top edge may exceed 45 inches, provided that the guardrail system meets all the other criteria of paragraph (g)(4).” However, the standard does not allow for a height of less than 36 inches. The reason for this is that a guardrail of less than 36 inches would be below the center of gravity of the average worker. A railing that is too low would not prevent the worker from falling off the scaffolding.
So if you can`t reach the maximum height of 45 inches, you can raise the top rail to 48 inches. If this interferes with the work surface, you will need to use a different guardrail system than the one you are using, so you are not limited by the spacing of the bars. You can also use personal fall protection equipment instead of guardrails (as long as there is a sufficient anchor point). Question (2): Section 1926.451(g)(4)(iv) requires that centre rails be installed “at an approximately median height between the top of the guardrail system and the surface of the roadbed”. Is there a provision in the standard that dictates when the centre rails must be used? Answer: According to § 1926.451, all employees must be protected against falls on scaffolding that is more than 10 feet above the next lower level. The standard requires guardrails for certain specific types of scaffolding (see, for example: Section 1926.451(g)(1)(iv), which requires guardrails for self-contained adjustable scaffolds; and § 1926.451 (g) (1) (v), which requires it for every employee on a sidewalk inside scaffolding). With respect to the protection of workers on all other types of scaffolding, the employer may use individual fall protection systems or guardrail systems in accordance with section 1926.451(g)(1)(vii). If guardrail systems are used, they must meet the definition of a “guardrail system” in § 1926.450 (b) as well as the requirements of § 1926.451 (g) (4). The definition of a guardrail system in the standard is “a vertical barrier consisting of, but not limited to, upper rails, centre rails and poles erected to prevent employees from falling from a scaffolding platform or walkway to lower levels [emphasis added].” Therefore, guardrail systems must have central rails. In accordance with section 1926.451(g)(4), screens, nets, vertical intermediates, fixed panels and equivalent structural elements may be replaced by centre rails provided that they meet the requirements of subparagraph (g)(4).
Question 3): Is the purpose of the intermediate rail requirement limited to protection against falling objects? Answer: No. The purpose of the request is to prevent an employee from falling. Therefore, the strength requirements in paragraph (g)(4) for centre rails and their replacement rails are intended to ensure that a worker does not break down (see Federal Register Volume 61 at page 46.072). Also in section 1926.451(h), the standard requires the employer to protect employees against falling objects. This provision gives employers several choices as to how to achieve this. One of these options is the use of a guardrail system. If you choose to use a guardrail system to provide this protection, subparagraph 1926.451(h)(iv) requires that its “openings be small enough to prevent the passage of objects likely to fall.” Question (4): You state that it is common in the industry for employees on scaffolding to drive it by pulling or pressing walls, ceilings, etc. so you don`t have to go up and down the scaffolding repeatedly. You ask whether the standard prohibits it. Answer: Subsections 1926.452(2), (w)(3) and (w)(6) address this issue.
These sections provide: When supporting the top rail for the guardrail, the bracing must reach the required height between 38 and 45 inches. The top rails of guardrails must not be made of steel or plastic strips. It should be sturdy enough to stop a fall. Meeting these standards is often a matter of industry expertise. Contractors who specialize in the construction and assembly of scaffolding are generally up to date with these laws and regulations. Click below to learn more about scaffolding safety, design and engineering, especially for wind loads and gusts. You can get the full text at Appendix 2 of the TRUE and learn more on our blog with 40+ daily scaffolding safety checks.