Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
(a)
Scope. These regulations apply to power lawn mowers and cover walk-behind reel
and rotary power lawn mowers, riding reel and rotary power lawn mowers, lawn
riding tractors with mower attachments, and lawn and garden riding tractors
with mower attachments. They are intended to provide safety requirements and to
help ensure uniform operator environments. These regulations do not apply to
sulky-type units, flail mowers, sickle bar mowers, or tractors as defined in
Article 25 of these Orders unless the tractor is designed primarily for mowing
lawns and manufactured in conformance with the ANSI B71.1 or B71.4 national
consensus standards for power lawn mowers. Requirements for tractors and
attachments used in mowing operations that are manufactured in conformance with
the ANSI B71.1 and B71.4 standards are provided in this Section.
(b) General.
(1) Power lawn mowers placed in service after
March 29, 1975 through April 15, 1999, shall meet the requirements of ANSI
B71.1-1972 and B71.1a-1974 or ANSI B71.1-1980, Safety Specifications for Power
Lawn Mowers, Lawn and Garden Tractors and Lawn Tractors, or shall meet the
requirements of the applicable ANSI B71.1 or B71.4 standard in effect at the
time the mower was manufactured.
(2) Power lawn mowers manufactured after
April 15, 1999, shall meet the requirements of one of the following ANSI B71.1
or B71.4 standards, as applicable, based on the mower design and date of
manufacture. These ANSI standards are hereby incorporated by reference:
ANSI/OPEI B71.1-1998 standard for Consumer Turf Care
Equipment-Walk-Behind Mowers and Ride-On Machines with Mowers-Safety
Specifications,
ANSI B71.1-2003 standard for Consumer Turf Care
Equipment-Walk-Behind Mowers and Ride-On Machines with Mowers-Safety
Specifications,
ANSI/OPEI B71.4-1999 standard for Commercial Turf Care
Equipment-Safety Specifications,
ANSI B71.4-2004 standard for Commercial Turf Care
Equipment-Safety Specifications.
(3) Power lawn mowers manufactured after
September 2, 2010, shall be affixed with a durable label stating that the power
lawn mower is manufactured in accordance with the applicable ANSI B71.1 or
B71.4 standard.
(c)
Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) and Seat Belts. Effective March 1, 2011,
when visual inspection or technical information from the manufacturer indicates
that a riding lawn mower is designed by the manufacturer to be equipped with
ROPS, or to accept ROPS as an option, ROPS engineered and approved for the
mower shall be provided and used. Approved seat belt assemblies shall be
provided and used on all riding lawn mowers where ROPS are installed.
EXCEPTION: The use of ROPS and seat belts may be
temporarily suspended only when operating in areas where the vertical clearance
is insufficient to allow a ROPS equipped mower to operate.
NOTE: The requirements for ROPS on agricultural and
industrial tractors are provided in Article 25 of the General Industry Safety
Orders.
(d) Prohibited use
of Ride-on, Sit-down Lawn Mowers.
(1) Ride-on,
sit-down lawn mowers shall not be used on slopes that exceed the angle
limitation when specified by the manufacturer.
(2) When the manufacturer's instructions are
not obtainable or do not specify the angle limits for operating ride-on,
sit-down lawn mowers on sloped surfaces, a qualified person shall evaluate the
terrain and slope conditions to ensure the mower is operated in a safe
manner.
(3) Ride-on, sit-down lawn
mowers shall not be operated in areas where the traction drive wheels, as
measured from the outside wheel edge, are within 5 feet of the unprotected
edges of retaining walls, embankments, levees, ditches, culverts, excavations
or similar locations that present an overturn hazard.
(4) When it is necessary to operate a
ride-on, sit-down mower near ponds, creeks, reservoirs, canals, sloughs, lakes,
golf course water hazards and similar bodies of water, a qualified person shall
evaluate the terrain and any slope conditions to ensure the mower is operated
at safe speeds and at safe distances from such hazards.
(e) Powered Lawn Mower Operator Training.
(1) Safe operation.
The employer shall ensure that each power lawn mower
operator is competent to operate the mower safely, as demonstrated by the
successful completion of the training and evaluation specified in this
subsection. Prior to permitting an employee to operate a power lawn mower
(except for training purposes), the employer shall ensure that each operator
has successfully completed the training required by this subsection, except as
permitted in subsection (e)(5).
(2) Training program implementation.
(A) All operator training and evaluation
shall be conducted by qualified persons who have the knowledge, training and
experience to train power lawn mower operators and evaluate their
competence.
(B) Trainees may
operate a power lawn mower only under the direct supervision of qualified
persons provided that such operation does not endanger the trainee or other
employees.
(C) Training shall
consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion,
written material, audio visual material) and also include demonstrations by the
trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee and evaluation of the
operator's performance.
(3) Training program content. Operators shall
receive initial training to ensure that each employee who operates a power lawn
mower has been provided training in the hazards associated with the operation
of mowers and other topics necessary for the safe operation of mowers. Training
shall include at least the following:
(A)
Review of the manufacturer's operator's manual including operating
instructions, warnings and precautions for the types of power lawn mowers the
operator will be authorized to operate.
(B) Review of the operator controls and
instrumentation for safe operation of the equipment.
(C) Review all safety devices to ensure
guards and shields are kept securely in place.
(D) The importance of surveying the terrain
for hazards prior to mowing to identify obstacles in the mowing path, such as
large rocks, tree stumps, soft or wet spots, and the prohibited use areas for
ride-on, sit-down mowers provided in subsection (d) of this section.
(E) Speed control, steering and maneuvering
the mower.
(F) Review of stability
and rollover hazards associated with operating riding lawn mowers on surfaces,
terrains or areas such as, but not limited to loading ramps, wet surfaces,
slopes, and areas near drop offs, retaining walls/embankments, water or ponds,
unprotected ditches, culverts, or excavations.
(G) The use of ROPS and seatbelts for riding
mowers that are equipped with ROPS.
(4) Refresher training and evaluation.
Refresher training, including an evaluation of the effectiveness of that
training, shall be conducted as required by this subsection to ensure that the
operator has the knowledge and skills needed to operate the power lawn mower
safely. Refresher training in relevant topics shall be provided to the operator
when:
(A) The operator has been observed to
operate a mower in an unsafe manner;
(B) The operator has been involved in an
accident or near-miss incident;
(C)
The operator has received an evaluation that reveals that the operator is not
operating a mower safely; or
(D)
The operator receives a new job assignment that includes operating a mower or
machinery that the operator is unfamiliar with or includes mowing lawns on
terrain or surfaces that present hazards unfamiliar to the operator in their
current or past work assignments.
(5) Avoidance of duplicative training. If an
operator has previously received training in a topic specified in subsection
(e)(3) of this section, and such training is appropriate for the type of power
lawn mower authorized for use and the working conditions encountered,
additional training in that topic is not required if the operator has been
evaluated and found competent to operate the mower safely.
(6) Recordkeeping. All safety instruction and
training shall be documented in accordance with Section
3203 of the General Industry Safety
Orders.
1.
Amendment filed 12-19-78; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 79, No.
1).
2. Amendment filed 11-22-85; effective thirtieth day thereafter
(Register 85, No. 48).
3. Amendment of subsections (b)(1) and (b)(2)
filed 3-16-99; operative 4-15-99 (Register 99, No. 12).
4. Amendment
filed 8-3-2010; operative 9-2-2010 (Register 2010, No.
32).
Note: Authority cited: Section
142.3, Labor
Code. Reference: Section
142.3, Labor
Code.
