Skip to main content.
ES & H Mission

ESH Web  Manual 
ES&H Home > Hazardous Activities > Fall Protection > Requirements - General
45: Fall Protection
Forms
& Tools		 Policies
& Programs		 Training
 Resources
 Contacts
Overview Requirements Standards Definitions    


Chapter 45 Table of Contents. View the entire chapter in a PDF format. Please use the pdf for printing.

Requirements:
General (5.1)

Authorization (5.1.1)

Work in unprotected elevated areas requires identification of hazards and controls, documented in either an established procedure or an elevated surface work plan (ESWP), generated and/or approved by a competent person (see Section 5.2.1.2).

Note Authorization through a procedure or ESWP must be noted in the employee's routine or non-routine job hazard analysis and mitigation (JHAM) documents, which must reflect any fall hazard, regardless of how the work is authorized.

Preferred Controls (5.1.2)

Administrative controls (such as fall protection harnesses, lanyards, and anchorage points) will be the last solutions considered to protect persons from falling from heights. The following engineered controls will be used to provide effective fall prevention:

  • Roofs. Engineered guardrails designed in accordance with applicable standards or 42-inch height minimum parapets are required at roof edges when frequent access is required (more than four times per year).
  • Other elevated work surfaces. Engineered guardrails designed in accordance with applicable standards are required on elevated fixed platforms, mezzanines, catwalks, and balconies when frequent access is required (more than 12 times per year).

For infrequent access at these locations or if guardrails are infeasible, fall protection equipment may be used in conjunction with an ESWP (and rescue plan if fall arrest systems are used).

For construction-related activities exposing employees to unprotected heights over six feet, acceptable means to reduce fall hazards include

  • Bringing the work down to ground level
  • Using ladders properly, according to manufacturers' instructions and applicable regulations
  • Scaffolding
  • Using elevating work platforms and aerial devices
  • Using fall restraint, work positioning, and fall arrest systems only if other methods are infeasible

Competent and Qualified Persons (5.1.3)

Directorates directing work at unprotected elevated locations will designate at least one competent person and one qualified person in fall protection (see Section 4, "Definitions"). The Chemical and General Safety (CGS) Department will also designate several competent persons to support installation, inspection, and use of fall protection systems and equipment throughout the SLAC campus. (See Fall Protection: Competent and Qualified Person Designation Form [pdf] or [doc].)

 

 

continue to Procedures and Specific Requirements (5.2)

Questions? Submit a Web Request or
Last update: