ConsultStu

New Final Rule for Walking/Working Surfaces and Fall Protection in General Industry

Washington DC – On November 17, 2016, OSHA issued a press release for its new Working Surface and Fall Protection regulations. Falls from heights and on the same level (a working surface) are among the leading causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. OSHA has updated its new rules on Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Fall Protection Systems to better protect workers in general industry from these hazards by updating and clarifying standards and adding training and inspection requirements. The rule becomes effective on Jan. 17, 2017.

The rule affects a wide range of workers, from painters to warehouse workers. It does not change construction or agricultural standards.

The rule incorporates advances in technology, industry best practices, and national consensus standards to provide effective and cost-efficient worker protection. Specifically, it updates general industry standards addressing slip, trip, and fall hazards (subpart D), and adds requirements for personal fall protection systems (subpart I).

The rule benefits employers by providing greater flexibility in choosing a fall protection system. For example, it eliminates the existing mandate to use guardrails as a primary fall protection method and allows employers to choose from accepted fall protection systems they believe will work best in a particular situation – an approach that has been successful in the construction industry since 1994. In addition, employers will be able to use non-conventional fall protection in certain situations, such as designated areas on low-slope roofs. As much as possible, OSHA aligned fall protection requirements for general industry with those for construction, easing compliance for employers who perform both types of activities. For example, the final rule replaces the outdated general industry scaffold standards with a requirement that employers comply with OSHA’s construction scaffold standards.

New Residential Roof Fall Protection for General Industry. Why did OSHA add residential roof provision to the final general industry rules? OSHA included this provision in the final rule to increase consistency between the general industry and construction standards, which makes compliance easier for general industry employers who perform both types of activities on residential roofs. Also, requiring employers to develop and implement a fall protection plan ensures that employers take additional action to reduce fall hazards when guardrail, safety net, and personal fall protection systems cannot be used

Read the OSHA Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions to assist with updating your compliance efforts.

Consultstu LLC provides fractional HR services to small/mid businesses to lower operational costs, improve business processes and comply with workplace regulations. We deliver customized HR solutions that provide protection from expensive mistakes and strategies to improve workplace results. Call us at 727-350-0370 or visit http://www.consultstu.com

HR Categories

1095C form 300 Log 401(k)8(a)(1)Accommodation Affordable Care Act Americans with Disabilities Act Arbitration ARPA Audits Background screening Bilingual Bonuses Business Expenses Cannabidiol (CBD)CDC CDL CFPB charity Child labor CHIP Notice Christmas party Clearinghouse COBRA Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Company Culture Company Property Compensation Compliance Concerted Activity CONNECT Construction consultstu Consultstu Team Contagious disease Coronavirus Craft Beer Department of Labor Direct Threat Disabilities Discrimination DOT Downsizing and Restructuring Dress Code Drivers Drug and Alcohol Drug Free Workplace E-Verify EEO-1 Form EEOC Employee benefits Employee Handbook Employee Illness Employee Injury Employee Misconduct Employee Policies Employee Recognition Employee Referral Employee Rights Employment Poster ERISA Essential functions Executive Order Exempt Employee Exit Interview Fair Credit Reporting Act Fair Labor Standards Act Fall Protection Federal Contractors FFCRA Financial Well-being Firearm Fitness for Duty Florida rules Fluency FMCSA FMLA Form 5500 Form W-4 Fractional HR FTC Gender Non-conformity General HR Questions Goal Setting GPS Group Health Insurance Harassment Hiring Holidays HR Compliance HR Costs HR Resources HR software HSA Human Resources Human Trafficking I9 Form Immigration Independent Contractor Individualized Assessment Injury Statistics Insurance Interviews Investigations IRS ITA Job Description Job Post Joint Employer K1 Leave of Absence Leaving a PEO Management Manager Medical Exams Medical Marijuana mental health Military Appreciation Minimum Wage Morale National Origin New Hire NLRB No-match letter Non-complete Agreements Onboarding Opioids OPT OSHA Outplacement Overtime Paid Leave Pay Cards Pay or Play Paycheck Protection Program Payroll Payroll Protection Program Performance Improvement Plan Performance Review Personnel File Post offer medical questionnaire Posters Pregnancy Publix Immigration Certification Reasonable Accomodation Recall Letter Record Keeping Recruiting Religion Remote employees Restaurants Resume Retaliation Retention Retirement Rewards Risk Management Safety Salaried employees SBA Section 7 Rights Self Appraisal Sick Leave SMART goals Social Media Social Security card Start up Taxes Temporary Employee Termination Tipped Employees Title VII TPD Benefits Training Unemployment Uniforms USCIS Vaccines Volunteer W2 W4 Wage and Hour Wellness program Work from Home Workers Compensation Workplace Monitoring Workplace Violence Wrap Plans

Show All Categories

Show Less Categories