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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
announced today it is delaying until Aug. 6 application of its new final
construction industry fall protection rule to any steel erection activities.
It also is delaying until Aug. 6 the effective date of
supporting amendments to its construction standards on personal protective and
lifesaving equipment that had been included in the Aug. 9, 1994 Federal
Register notice announcing the fall protection rule. In effect, this means that
the old provisions that applied to steel erection will continue in effect for
the six-month period.
OSHA also intends to reopen the rulemaking record on the
construction fall protection rule in a subsequent Federal Register notice. At
that time it will invite comment regarding the appropriate fall protection
measures to be taken to protect employees engaged in non-building steel
erection activities from fall hazards; the appropriateness of the criteria for
fall protection systems and the training requirements as they pertain to all
steel erection activities.
The construction fall protection rule and other supporting
amendments will become effective for all construction activity other than steel
erection on Feb. 6.
Steel erection involves a wide variety of structures,
roughly grouped into building and non-building.
Building steel erection activities include single-story
and multi-story buildings, such as mill buildings, warehouses, gymnasiums,
stadiums, power plants and theaters as well as metal floor decking and metal
roof decking installed during the erection process.
Non-building steel erection activities include erection of
steel members during construction of bridges (including viaducts and
overpasses), towers, tanks, antennae and similar structures.
OSHA has decided that steel erection fall hazards related
to building activities will be addressed in a rulemaking to revise the section
of the construction standards that covers building steel erection
activities.
However, it intended that fall hazards related to non-
building steel erection activities would be covered in the fall protection
standard.
On Oct. 7, 1994, five steel erection companies petitioned
for an administrative stay of the standard, saying that OSHA had failed to give
fair notice that it would apply in any way to the steel erection industry, and
therefore they were deprived of an opportunity to comment on this issue. Notice
of the delay in application of the fall protection standard to any steel
erection activities is included in the Jan. 26, 1995 Federal Register.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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