OSHA Issues Final Rule on Fall Protection

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued the final revisions to its walking-working surfaces and fall protection standards. The revised standards, which go into effect January 17, 2017, are "to better protect workers in general industry from these hazards by updating and clarifying standards and adding training and inspection requirements," according to OSHA. The rule affects a wide range of workers, from painters to warehouse workers, but does not change construction or agricultural standards. The new rule will resolve inconsistencies between OSHA's general and construction industry standards.

The revised rule has been written to provide some flexibility to employers in choosing a fall protection system. For example, OSHA eliminated the requirement for guardrails as a key fall protection method and will accept "non-conventional" fall protection systems, dependent on work conditions. The agency said that employers "can choose from accepted fall protection systems they believe will work best in a particular situation" -- - an approach that has been successful in the construction industry since 1994.