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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information may be out of date.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)
today announced plans to initiate rulemaking on fall protection for residential
construction workers, and also is issuing detailed interim compliance
guidelines.
"Both the residential housing and roofing industries have
raised concerns about certain aspects of the current fall protection rule,"
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear
noted. "Further rulemaking will bring us more information on the fall hazards
facing residential construction workers so we can evaluate fall protection
methods suggested by various industry groups including home builders and
roofing contractors."
In the meantime, OSHA has published a directive with
interim compliance guidelines that apply to all construction conducted using
the designs, materials, methods and procedures used in typical townhouse and
single-family house construction. "Residential construction" is not defined in
the current OSHA rule and the term is often mistakenly interpreted to cover
only townhouses and single-family homes. This interpretation is inappropriate,
according to OSHA, because construction-related fall hazards and the measures
for addressing those hazards are determined by the nature of the work
performed, not by the ultimate use of a structure.
The final rule on fall protection in construction,
published in August 1994, became effective for all but steel erection
activities on Feb. 6, 1995. The rule requires residential construction
contractors to use a fall protection plan if they cannot use one of the
conventional means of fall protection (guardrails, personal fall arrest
systems, or safety nets). Employers who demonstrate that it is infeasible or
creates a greater hazard to use conventional fall protection must set out the
supporting rationale in a site-specific fall protection plan, which also spells
out the alternative methods to be used to protect workers.
OSHA anticipated that construction employers would want to
establish the appropriateness of alternative fall protection for workers
installing exterior wall panels, roof trusses and rafters, roof sheathing,
floor joists and trusses. Sample fall protection language for those activities
was included in Appendix E of the OSHA final rule.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) asked
that similar consideration be given for construction employers with employees
working on top of block foundation walls, concrete foundation walls and
formwork, and installing electrical, environmental, safety alarm and similar
systems in attics and on roofs.
The directive spells out alternative methods to protect
these workers from falls. It also makes it plain that, at this time, employers
can use alternative methods in both Appendix E and the directive without
producing a written plan.
The National Roofing Contractors (NRCA) and the NAHB also
had requested that OSHA reconsider application of the standard to residential
construction roofing activities, in light of common protective measures used in
the residential construction industry, but not recognized in the rule.
OSHA has acknowledged these recommendations and the
directive provides for the use of alternative fall protection measures, known
as slide guards, in lieu of conventional measures.
A copy of the directive may be obtained by sending a
self-addressed label to the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA/OSHA Publications,
P.O. Box 37535 Washington, DC 20013-7535. Telephone (202) 219-4667, fax (202)
219-9266.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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