§ 1610.7. Fall Protection.

(a) Application.

(1) Subsections (b), (c)(3), (e) and (f) apply to all equipment covered by Construction Safety Orders (CSO) Article 15 except tower cranes.

(2) Subsections (c)(1), (d), and (g) apply to all equipment covered by CSO Article 15.

(3) Subsections (c)(3) and (h) apply only to tower cranes.

(b) Boom walkways.

(1) Equipment manufactured after July 7, 2012 with lattice booms shall be equipped with walkways on the boom(s) if the vertical profile of the boom (from cord centerline to cord centerline) is 6 or more feet.

(2) Boom walkway criteria.

(A) The walkways shall be at least 12 inches wide.

(B) Guardrails, railings and other permanent fall protection attachments along boom walkways are:

1. Not required.

2. Prohibited on booms supported by pendant ropes or bars if the guardrails/railings/attachments could be snagged by the ropes or bars.

3. Prohibited if of the removable type (designed to be installed and removed each time the boom is assembled/disassembled).

4. Where not prohibited, guardrails or railings shall be in accordance with Article 16.

(c) Steps, handholds, ladders, grabrails, guardrails and railings.

(1) The employer shall maintain in good condition originally-equipped steps, handholds, ladders and guardrails/railings/grabrails.

(2) Equipment manufactured after July 7, 2012 shall be equipped so as to provide safe access and egress between the ground and the operator work station(s), including the forward and rear positions, by the provision of devices such as steps, handholds, ladders, and guardrails/railings/grabrails. These devices shall meet the following criteria:

(A) Steps, handholds, ladders and guardrails/railings/grabrails shall meet the criteria of SAE J185 (May 2003) (incorporated by reference) or ISO 11660-2:1994(E) (incorporated by reference) except where infeasible.

(B) Walking/stepping surfaces, except for crawler treads, shall have slip-resistant features/properties (such as diamond plate metal, strategically placed grip tape, expanded metal, or slip-resistant paint).

(3) Tower cranes manufactured after July 7, 2012 shall be equipped so as to provide safe access and egress between the ground and the cab, machinery platforms, and tower (mast), by the provision of devices such as steps, handholds, ladders, and guardrails/railings/grabrails. These devices shall meet the following criteria:

(A) Steps, handholds, ladders, and guardrails/railings/grabrails shall meet the criteria of ISO 11660-1:2008(E) (incorporated by reference) and ISO 11660-3:2008(E) (incorporated by reference) or SAE J185 (May 2003) (incorporated by reference) except where infeasible.

(B) Walking/stepping surfaces shall have slip-resistant features/properties (such as diamond plate metal, strategically placed grip tape, expanded metal, or slip-resistant paint).

(d) Personal fall arrest and fall restraint systems.

Personal fall arrest system components shall be used in personal fall arrest and fall restraint systems and shall conform to the criteria in Section 1670 except that Section 1670(b)(10) does not apply to components used in personal fall arrest and fall restraint systems.

(e) For non-assembly/disassembly work, the employer shall provide and ensure the use of fall protection equipment for employees who are on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 7-1/2 feet above a lower level as follows:

(1) When moving point-to-point:

(A) On non-lattice booms (whether horizontal or not horizontal).

(B) On lattice booms that are not horizontal.

(C) On horizontal lattice booms where the fall distance is 15 feet or more.

(2) While at a work station on any part of the equipment (including the boom, of any type), except when the employee is at or near draw-works (when the equipment is running), in the cab, or on the deck.

(f) For assembly/disassembly work, the employer shall provide and ensure the use of fall protection equipment for employees who are on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet above a lower level, except when the employee is at or near draw-works (when the equipment is running), in the cab, or on the deck.

(g) Anchorage criteria.

(1) Sections 1670(b)(10) and 1670(c)(4) apply to equipment covered by this section only to the extent delineated in subsection (g)(2) of this section.

(2) Anchorages for personal fall arrest and positioning device systems.

(A) Personal fall arrest systems shall be anchored to any apparently substantial part of the equipment unless a competent person, from a visual inspection, would conclude that the criteria in Section 1670(b)(10) would not be met.

(B) Positioning device systems shall be anchored to any apparently substantial part of the equipment unless a competent person, from a visual inspection, without an engineering analysis, would conclude that the criteria in Section 1670(c)(4) would not be met.

(C) Attachable anchor devices (portable anchor devices that are attached to the equipment) shall meet the anchorage criteria in Section 1670(b)(10) for personal fall arrest systems and Section 1670(c)(4) for positioning device systems.

(3) Anchorages for fall restraint systems. Fall restraint systems shall be anchored to any part of the equipment that is capable of withstanding twice the maximum load that an employee may impose on it during reasonably anticipated conditions of use.

(h) Tower cranes.

(1) For work other than erecting, climbing, and dismantling, the employer shall provide and ensure the use of fall protection equipment for employees who are on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 7-1/2 feet above a lower level, except when the employee is at or near draw-works (when the equipment is running), in the cab, or on the deck.

(2) For erecting, climbing, and dismantling work, the employer shall provide and ensure the use of fall protection equipment for employees who are on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet above a lower level.

HISTORY

1. New section filed 7-7-2011; operative 7-7-2011. Exempt from OAL review pursuant to Labor Code section 142.3(a)(3) (Register 2011, No. 27).

Note

Note: Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor Code.