California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 13 - Logging and Sawmill Safety Orders
Article 9 - Tractors (Including Rubber-Tired)
Section 6309 - Canopies. Rollover, Jill Poke and Overhead Guard Protection

(a) Every tractor, skidder, scraper, motor-grader and front-end loader, which is subjected to the breaking lines, or rocks, shall be equipped with a canopy that is designed, constructed, and installed in compliance with SAE Recommended Practice J-231 to protect the operator against falling objects. The canopy shall be of construction that allows the driver maximum possible visibility. For this purpose, the forward 18 inches may be of woven wire, expanded metal, materials such as certain clear polycarbonates, or other materials which provide equivalent or greater protection and visibility; such materials shall meet or exceed the performance criteria of SAE J-231.

(b) Unless previously approved by the Division, all canopies installed after April 1, 1971, shall be designed and constructed to provide protection in the event of rollover, and shall be in compliance with SAE Recommended Practice J-1040-c.

(c) Each canopy shall bear a label with the following information:

(d) Labels shall be stamped plates or other permanently attached means of identification, and shall not be obscured, obliterated, or changed.

(e) There shall be shear or brush deflector guards extending from the leading edge of the canopy to the front part of the tractor frame or radiator guard. One year after the effective date of these Orders, in work environments where there exists the hazard of jill poking (intrusion of spring poles, brush, etc., into the operator's compartment), side and front shielding shall be provided to protect the operator from this hazard. Structurers which meet requirements of SAE J-1084 will satisfy this requirement.

(f) The opening in the rear of the structure shall be covered with 1/4 -inch woven wire of no more than 2-inch mesh. Materials such as certain clear polycarbonates, laminated safety glass, or other plastics which provide equivalent or greater protection and visibility, may be substituted for wire mesh material. This covering shall be affixed to the structural members to afford ample clearance for the movements of the operator's deck or the top of the fuel tank. The structural members shall have smooth, rounded edges and the covering shall be free of protuberances that could puncture or tear flesh or clothing.

(g) Other openings in the structure may be protected with the same materials listed in Subsection (f), provided that such protection does not interfere with the operator's vision or movement during the machine's operation.

(h) Seat belts meeting the requirements of SAE J-386-a shall be provided and used on all equipment for which rollover protective structures (ROPS) are installed and employees shall be instructed in their use.

Note: The use of an approved body belt or harness, controlled by an inertia reel to hold the operator in place during rollover, will satisfy the seat belt requirement.

(i) Forklift trucks used in logging operations as defined in Section 6248 shall be equipped with an overhead guard which is labeled or marked as meeting the requirements of the ASME B56.6-1992, "Safety Standard for Rough Terrain Forklift Trucks".