Fall protection - General Industry
Has OSHA ever defined a safe distance from an unprotected edge in General Industry? I see references to an interpretation saying 50-100 feet away from an unprotected edge is a de minimis condition when workers have been properly trained (for 1926, not 1910).
Comments (3)
General industry standard would be 1910.28. I am not an OSHA expert but I believe it is 15' from edge. I think it can be avoided if the work is infrequent, temporary, and there are administrative controls in place prohibiting work within 15' else the employee wears fall protection.
"When work is performed at least 6 feet (1.6 m) but less than 15 feet (4.6 m) from the roof edge, the employer must ensure each employee is protected from falling by using a guardrail system, safety net system, travel restraint system, or personal fall arrest system. The employer may use a designated area when performing work that is both infrequent and temporary.." https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.28 - 1910.28(b)(13)(ii). Granted this reg specifically is under "Low slope roofs"
Thanks this is good information. My question is for low sloped roofs. To be more specific, if there isn't a compliant guardrail system, safety net system, travel restraint system, or personal fall arrest system for an unprotected edge in general industry do I need something like a warning line regardless of the distance to the edge. In this scenario, a worker steps on to a roof at a distance of at least 50 feet from the edge and won't get closer. What needs to be done to alert or protect the worker?