Scribd
Upload
105 views

Walking and Working Surfaces

Slips, trips and falls cause the majority of general industry accidents and more fatalities than any other cause except motor vehicles. OSHA's standards for walking-working surfaces require guarding floor openings, holes, and holes; maintaining clean and dry walking surfaces; and properly installing ladders, stairs, and scaffolding to prevent many workplace injuries from falls.

Uploaded by

ahmed naveed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
105 views

Walking and Working Surfaces

Slips, trips and falls cause the majority of general industry accidents and more fatalities than any other cause except motor vehicles. OSHA's standards for walking-working surfaces require guarding floor openings, holes, and holes; maintaining clean and dry walking surfaces; and properly installing ladders, stairs, and scaffolding to prevent many workplace injuries from falls.

Uploaded by

ahmed naveed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 21

Walking-Working Surfaces

OSHA Office of Training and Education 1


Introduction
Slips, trips and falls cause:
the majority of general industry accidents
15 percent of all accidental deaths
more fatalities than all other causes but motor
vehicles
OSHA’s standards for walking and working
surfaces apply to all permanent places of
employment, except where only domestic,
mining, or agricultural work is performed

OSHA Office of Training and Education 2


General Requirements
Housekeeping
Workplaces must be kept
clean, orderly, and sanitary
Workroom floors must be
maintained as clean and dry
as possible

OSHA Office of Training and Education 3


General Requirements
Aisles and Passageways
Keep clear and move
obstructions that could
create a hazard
Mark permanent aisles and
passageways
Aisles must be sufficiently
wide where mechanical
handling equipment is used

OSHA Office of Training and Education 4


General Requirements
Covers and Guardrails

Provide covers and/or


guardrails to protect
workers from the hazards
of open pits, tanks, vats,
ditches, and the like.

OSHA Office of Training and Education 5


General Requirements
Floor Loading Protection
Load ratings must be
marked on plates and be
conspicuously posted
Do not exceed the load
rating limit

OSHA Office of Training and Education 6


Floor Opening
An opening measuring 12 inches or more in its
least dimension in a floor, platform, pavement,
or yard, through which persons may fall.

OSHA Office of Training and Education 7


Guarding Floor Openings
Definitions
Standard railing. Consists of
top rail, mid rail, and posts.
Height from the upper surface
of top rail to floor level is 42
inches. Mid rail height is 21
inches.
Standard toeboard. 4 inches
high, with not more than ¼-inch
clearance above the floor.

OSHA Office of Training and Education 8


Stairway Floor Openings
Must be guarded by a standard railing on
all exposed sides (except at entrance).

OSHA Office of Training and Education 9


Ladderway Floor Openings

Guard with a standard railing


with toeboard on all exposed
sides (except entrance)
Guard the passage through
the railing with a swinging
gate or offset it to prevent
someone from walking into
the opening

OSHA Office of Training and Education 10


Floor Hole
An opening measuring less than
12 in. but more than 1 in. in its
least dimension, in a floor,
platform, pavement or yard,
through which materials but not
persons may fall
Every floor hole into which
persons can accidentally walk
must be guarded by either:
standard railing with toeboard
cover

OSHA Office of Training and Education 11


Wall Openings
Opening at least 30 in. high
and 18 in. wide, in a wall or
partition, through which
persons may fall
Wall openings from which
there is a drop of more than
4 feet must be guarded

OSHA Office of Training and Education 12


Open-Sided Floors and Platforms

 Open-sided floors or platforms 4 feet or


more above adjacent floor or ground
level must be guarded by a standard
railing (or equivalent) on all open sides,
except where there is an entrance to a
ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder
 A toeboard is required when, beneath
the open sides:
 persons can pass, Unguarded Platform
 there is moving machinery, or
 there is equipment with which falling
materials could create a hazard

OSHA Office of Training and Education 13


Open-Sided Floors, Walkways,
Platforms, and Runways

Regardless of height, a standard railing and


toeboard must be used to guard:
- open-sided floors
- walkways
- platforms, or
- runways
above or adjacent to dangerous equipment,
pickling or galvanizing tanks, degreasing
units, and similar hazards.

OSHA Office of Training and Education 14


Stairways

Flights of stairs with four


or more risers must have
standard stair railings or
handrails.

OSHA Office of Training and Education 15


Fixed Industrial Stairs

Treads must be slip resistant


with uniform rise height and
tread width
Must be able to carry 5 times
expected load; minimum of
1000 pounds
Minimum width of 22 inches
Violation here – several
steps bent and damaged

OSHA Office of Training and Education 16


Portable Ladders
Ladders used to gain access to a roof
or other area must extend at least 3
feet above the point of support
Withdraw defective ladders from
service and tag or mark "Dangerous,
Do Not Use“
Never use ladders in a horizontal
position as scaffolds or work platforms
Never use metal ladders near
electrical equipment

OSHA Office of Training and Education 17


Ladder Angle
Portable Rung and Cleat Ladders
Use at angle where the
horizontal distance from the
top support to the foot of the
ladder is ¼ the working length
of the ladder (length along
ladder between the foot and
top support).

OSHA Office of Training and Education 18


Fixed Ladders
Permanently attached to a
structure, building or equipment
Cages or wells required if longer
than 20 ft. to a maximum
unbroken length of 30 ft.
Ladder safety devices may be
used on tower, water tank and
chimney ladders over 20 ft. in
unbroken length instead of cage
protection

OSHA Office of Training and Education 19


Scaffolding
General Requirements
Must be capable of supporting four
times the maximum intended load
Do not alter or move while in use
Protect workers on scaffolds from
overhead hazards
If higher than 10 ft., use guardrails,
midrails and toeboards
Use wire mesh between the
toeboard and guardrail if people
work or pass underneath
Must be equipped with access
ladder or equivalent
OSHA Office of Training and Education 20
Summary
Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general
industry accidents
OSHA’s standards for walking and working surfaces
include requirements for housekeeping, guarding
floor and wall openings and holes, industrial stairs
and ladders
Keeping working surfaces clean, dry, and uncluttered
can prevent many workplace accidents

OSHA Office of Training and Education 21

You might also like