Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
(a)
(1)
Every floor and roof opening shall be guarded by a cover, a guardrail, or
equivalent on all open sides. While the cover is not in place, the openings
shall be constantly attended by someone or shall be protected by guardrails.
Toeboards shall be installed around the edges at openings where persons may
pass below the opening.
EXCEPTION: Stairway entrances.
(2)
(A)
Every ladderway floor opening or platform with access provided by ladderway,
including ship stairs (ship ladders), shall be protected by guardrails with
toeboards meeting the requirements of General Industry Safety Orders, Section
3209, on all exposed sides except
at entrance to the opening. The opening through the railing shall have either a
swinging gate or equivalent protection, or the passageway to the opening shall
be so offset that a person cannot walk directly into the opening.
EXCEPTION: Ladder openings for entrance/access at
perimeter roof edges where guardrail protection is not required by subsection
(d) of this section.
(B)
1. The uppermost surface or railing member of
the swinging gate or other equivalent protection required by subsection
(a)(2)(A) shall have a vertical height from the platform or floor level of
between 42 to 45 inches plus or minus one inch and;
2. The swinging gate or other equivalent
protection shall be capable of withstanding a force of at least 200 pounds
applied vertically downward to the uppermost surface or railing member and
horizontally outward at any point on the exit side of the ladder
opening.
(3)
Hatchways and chute floor openings shall be guarded by guardrails or by hinged
or removable covers or by removable railings provided such covers or railings
will afford protection equivalent to that provided by a guardrail.
This does not apply to chute openings which are
effectively covered or protected by machine or equipment during operation.
However, such chute shall be covered during repair or maintenance or when
otherwise exposing employees to the hazards of unguarded floor
openings.
(4) Foundry pits
and similar sunken locations in which employees are required to work may be
left unprotected during such times as the necessary handling of materials or
other work prohibits the use of guardrails or equivalent; but when such pits
are not in use they shall be either covered, filled in, or protected with
guardrails or equivalent.
(5) Floor
holes through which materials or tools may fall and create a hazard or through
which parts of a person's body may contact dangerous moving parts, shall be
completely covered except when in use unless these floor holes are used to feed
machines or receptacles containing hot, toxic or corrosive materials, then
these openings shall be guarded by hoppers, guardrails, or grates having
openings not exceeding 1-inch by 5 inches. Floor holes through which
transmission equipment passes may be guarded by toeboards.
(b) Floor and roof opening covers shall be
designed by a qualified person and be capable of safely supporting the greater
of 400 pounds or twice the weight of the employees, equipment and materials
that may be imposed on any one square foot area of the cover at any time.
Covers shall be secured in place to prevent accidental removal or displacement,
and shall bear a pressure sensitized, painted, or stenciled sign with legible
letters not less than one inch high, stating: "Opening--Do Not Remove."
Markings of chalk or keel shall not be used.
(c) Covers shall not project more than one
inch above the floor level and all edges shall be chamfered to an angle with
the horizontal of not over 30 degrees. All hinges, handles, bolts, or other
parts shall set flush with the floor or cover surface. (Title 24, part 2,
section 2-1721(c).)
(d)
(1) Guardrails as specified in section
3209 shall be required at locations
where there is a routine need for any employee to approach within 6 feet of the
edge of the roof. When intermittent work is being done safety belts and
lanyards, or an approved fall protection system may be provided in lieu of
guardrails.
For the purpose of this requirement, routine need means
more than four times a year and intermittent work means work not exceeding four
times a year.
(2) Guardrails
required by subsection (d)(1) shall be provided along the roof edge extending
at least 6 feet beyond the areas occupied by persons accessing, servicing or
repairing permanently-mounted machinery and/or equipment.
(3) Where fall protection systems are used,
safety lines and/or lanyards shall be attached to roof tie-backs meeting the
requirements of section
3291(f) or
equivalent anchorage. A safe and unobstructed access shall be provided to all
roof tie-back locations. (Title 24, part 2, section
1711(h).)
(e) Any employee approaching within 6 feet of
any skylight shall be protected from falling through the skylight or skylight
opening by any one of the following methods:
(1) Skylight screens installed above the
skylight. The design, construction, and installation of skylight screens shall
meet the strength requirements equivalent to that of covers specified in
subsection (b) above. They shall also be of such design, construction and
mounting that under design loads or impacts, they will not deflect downward
sufficiently to break the glass below them. The construction shall be of
grillwork, with openings not more than 4 inches by 4 inches or of slatwork with
openings not more than 2 inches wide with length unrestricted, or of other
material of equal strength and similar configuration.
(2) Skylight screens installed below the
skylight. Existing screens (i.e. burglar bars) shall meet the following
requirements if they will be relied upon for fall protection:
(A) Screens installed at the same level or
higher than the walking/working surface shall meet the strength requirements of
subsection (b).
(B) Screens
installed within 2 feet of the walking/working surface shall meet the strength
requirements of subsection (b) with increased strength based on the fall
distance below the walking/working surface as determined by a qualified person.
In no case shall the strength of the screen below the skylight be less than the
strength requirements of subsection (b). A screen more than 2 feet below the
walking/working surface shall not serve as fall protection.
(C) A screen shall not be used for fall
protection in accordance with subsection (e)(2)(A) or (e)(2)(B) if the broken
skylight glazing will pose an impalement hazard to a worker who has fallen
through the skylight and is lying on top of the screen. Skylights containing
tempered, laminated, or plastic glazing, or similar materials shall not be
considered to impose an impalement hazard.
(D) The screen construction shall be of
grillwork, with openings less than 12 inches in the least horizontal
dimension.
(3) Guardrails
meeting the requirements of Section
3209.
(4) The use of a personal fall protection
system meeting the requirements of Section
1670 of the Construction Safety
Orders.
(5) Covers, including the
skylight itself, meeting the requirements of subsection (b) installed over the
skylights, or skylight openings. Where the skylight itself serves as a cover,
the skylight shall be required to meet only the strength requirements of
subsection (b). Further, for skylights serving as covers, the employer shall
obtain documentation from the manufacturer that the skylight will meet the
strength requirements of subsection (b) for the dates that work will be
performed in the vicinity of the skylight. Such documentation shall be obtained
prior to the start of work and shall be made available upon request.
(6) Skylight nets.
(A) Materials. Materials used for skylight
nets shall be of natural or synthetic fiber of sufficient size, strength, and
number to absorb a 400 pound load dropped from 42 inches above the surface of
the net. The net hardware shall be drop-forged, pressed, or formed steel, or
material of equal or better quality. The maximum size of mesh shall not exceed
36 square inches or be longer than 6 inches on any side, measured
center-to-center of mesh ropes or webbing. No mesh member shall exceed 6 inches
in length measured center-to-center of mesh crossings. All mesh crossings shall
be anchored to eliminate frictional wear and prevent enlargement of mesh
openings. Nets shall not be larger than 12 feet by 12 feet.
(B) Inspection.
1. Skylight nets shall be inspected weekly by
a competent person utilizing the inspection procedures supplied by the
manufacturer.
2. Visual inspections
shall be performed daily by an authorized person trained on the manufacturer's
inspection procedures before the net is relied upon for fall
protection.
(C) Training.
Employees shall be trained to recognize the hazards of falling into nets, and
on the procedures to be followed in order to limit the potential injury from
such falls. The training program shall include, at a minimum:
1. The tested limits of the net
2. Avoiding falls
3. Location of weekly inspection records and
the person responsible
4.
Procedures for retrieving a worker who has fallen into the net
5. Manufacturer's instructions on the use and
limitations of the skylight net
6.
Manufacturer's inspection requirements
7. Factors affecting net life, including, but
not limited to, sunlight, abrasion, dirt/sand, rust, and airborne
contaminants
(D) Care,
Maintenance, and Storage. The care, maintenance, and storage of nets shall be
in accordance with the net manufacturer's recommendations. Nets shall be
protected from sparks, hot slag, or other materials which could compromise the
strength of the net.
(E) Nets shall
be removed from service under any of the following conditions:
1. The frame becomes warped, bent or
distorted.
2. The netting becomes
torn, unraveled, cut, or has excessive slippage of the mesh
crossings.
3. The net has been
modified from the original manufacturer's design or specification.
4. The recommended service life of the net as
provided by the manufacturer has expired. Nets without a manufacturer supplied
expiration date shall not be used for fall protection in accordance with this
section.
EXCEPTION: to subsection (e)(6)(E)4. If the employer
effectively records and documents the date that the net was first placed in
service, the service life of the net shall begin on the date placed into
service instead of the date of manufacture.
5. Other removal criteria specified by the
manufacturer.
(F) Nets
shall not be left on the skylight for longer than the duration of the job or
one year whichever is less.
(G)
Nets shall be used with sufficient clearance to prevent user's contact with the
surfaces or structures below the skylight.
(7) A fall protection plan as prescribed in
Section 1671.1 of the Construction Safety
Orders when it can be demonstrated that the use of fall protection methods as
contained in subsections (e)(1-6) of this Section is impractical or creates a
greater hazard.
EXCEPTION: to subsection (e): When the work is of short
duration and limited exposure such as measuring, roof inspection,
electrical/mechanical equipment inspection, etc., and the time involved in
rigging and installing the safety devices required in subsections (e)(1)
through (e)(6) equal or exceed the performance of the designated tasks of
measuring, roof inspection, electrical/mechanical equipment inspection, etc.,
these provisions may be temporarily suspended provided that adequate risk
control is recognized and maintained.
(f) Access shall not be permitted on glazed
surfaces such as roofs, vaults, canopies, or skylights glazed with transparent
or translucent materials unless an engineer currently registered in the State
of California and experienced in the design of such glazed structures has
certified that the surface will support all anticipated loads. Employees
working on such surfaces shall be protected by a fall protection system meeting
the requirements of Section
1670 of the Construction Safety
Orders.
(g) When glazed surfaces
cannot be safely accessed for maintenance in accordance with subsection (f),
scaffolds, catwalks, rolling ladders, platforms or other methods of safe access
shall be provided.
1.
Repealer and new section filed 6-20-75; effective thirtieth day thereafter
(Register 75, No. 25).
2. Amendment filed 7-16-76; effective
thirtieth day thereafter (Register 76, No. 29).
3. Amendment filed
5-25-83; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 83, No. 22). Approved by
State Building Standards Commission 1-24-83.
4. Amendment filed
7-8-85; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 85, No. 28).
5.
Amendment of subsection (d) filed 7-1-91; operative 7-31-91 (Register 91, No.
40).
6. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (d)(3)
filed 4-19-93 pursuant to section
100, title 1, California Code of
Regulations (Register 93, No. 16).
7. Designation and amendment of
subsection (e)(1) and new subsections (e)(2)-(2)(C) EXCEPTION filed 10-7-93;
operative 11-8-93 (Register 93, No. 41).
8. Amendment of section
heading and section filed 7-7-2004; operative 8-6-2004 (Register 2004, No.
28).
9. Amendment of subsection (a)(1), new subsections
(a)(2)(A)-(a)(2)(B)2., subsection renumbering and amendment of newly designated
subsections (a)(4)-(5) filed 12-8-2004; operative 1-7-2005 (Register 2004, No.
50).
10. Amendment of subsection (e)(1), new subsections
(e)(2)-(e)(2)(D) and (e)(6)-(e)(6)(G), subsection renumbering and amendment of
newly designated subsections (e)(3)-(5) filed 4-12-2016; operative 7-1-2016
(Register 2016, No. 16).
11. Editorial correction of EXCEPTIONS to
subsections (e)(6)(E)4. and (e)(7) (Register 2016, No.
35).
Note: Authority cited: Section
142.3, Labor
Code. Reference: Section
142.3, Labor
Code.
