Fall Protection: Focus on Guardrail Systems Kevin Lindley, Safety Consultant, FRSA Self Insurers Fund Per OSHA regulations, section 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1), there are only three types of conventional fall protection systems that are acceptable for use by any trade, in any leading-edge environment. Those three types of fall protection are 1. guardrail systems, 2. safety net systems or 3. personal fall arrest systems. For this article we are going to focus solely on the guardrail systems, the requirements for set-up, maintenance and use in the field. The need and use of guardrail systems are obvious because the guardrail system creates a safe work area in which the fall hazard is protected and provides the worker with the greatest amount of safe work zone area to operate. To fully understand the guardrail systems and how they should be set-up and function we need to break down where the system can be used, what the limitations are and what makes up the entire system.
1. Unprotected Sides and Edges
An unprotected side or edge is defined as “any side or edge (except at entrances to points of access) of a walking/working surface, e.g., floor, roof ramp or runway where there is no wall or guardrail system at least 39 inches (1.0m) high.” The width of the parapet is not taken into consideration – ever. To qualify, parapet walls must be 39inches tall or higher. This definition applies to all construction trades, not only for roofing work. Roofing work is defined as “hoisting, storage, application and removal of roofing materials and
equipment including related insulation, sheet metal and vapor barrier work, but not including the construction of the roof deck” [29 CFR 1926.500(b)]. Guardrail systems are permitted to be used on any surface, regardless of the slope of the walking/working surface. As referenced in 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(11), when roofing on steep-slope roofs, only the three systems noted previously are permitted systems to be used. A steepslope roof is defined as “a roof having a slope greater than 4-in-12 (vertical to horizontal).”
2. Guardrail Systems – 29 CFR 1926.502(b) Provisions must be followed.
A. “The top edge height of top rails or equivalent guardrail system members, shall be 42 inches (1.1 m) plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm) above the walking/ working surface” [29 CFR 1926.502(b)(1)]. It should be noted that the height of the guardrail system is the first requirement OSHA notes about the system, not the materials it must be made of, nor the forces it must be able to resist. Despite the height being a very important factor of the guardrail system, it often varies dependent upon the circumstances of the work for which the guardrail is providing fall protection. For instance, if a worker needs to utilize a ladder or stilts within close proximity of the guardrail system, the guardrail top railing height must be adjusted to maintain the 42-inch height above the workers “working
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