Can chains be used as guardrails?
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The employer may use chains or gates instead of a removable guardrail section at hoist areas if the employer demonstrates the chains or gates provide a level of safety equivalent to guardrails. When guardrail systems are used around holes, they are installed on all unprotected sides or edges of the hole.
What is the OSHA standard for guardrails?
OSHA states that guardrail must reach a height of 42 inches, plus or minus 3 inches, above the walking-working surface and withstand a force of 200 pounds at any point in a downward or outward direction. If the railing dips below 39 inches, due to the force, the railing is not OSHA compliant.
At what height do you need a safety rail?
The standard specifies that the top of the guardrail, which is the highest vertical point of the handrail structure, must stand between 900mm-1,100mm from the top of the walkway or platform. In instances where guardrails are used on staircases, the nosing height is the reference point.
Are chains allowed for fall protection?
Simply put, chains, once a viable option for protection of ladder access, are no longer allowed by OSHA.
What is the difference between a guardrail and a handrail?
OSHA and many building codes use the term “guardrail” to refer to fall protection for raised platforms and stairways, but the industrial safety industry uses the more specific term “handrail,” with “guardrail” used only to refer heavy-duty beams of formed steel.
How high can a platform be without a railing?
29 CFR 1926.500(d)(1) requires every opensided floor or platform 6 feet or more above the adjacent floor or ground level to be guarded by a standard railing or the equivalent on all open sides, except where there is an entrance to a ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder.
How do handrails keep you safe OSHA?
Stairrail systems and handrails shall be so surfaced as to prevent injury to employees from punctures or lacerations, and to prevent snagging of clothing. Handrails shall provide an adequate handhold for employees grasping them to avoid falling.
What is the minimum clearance between the handrail and wall?
2-1/4″
Originally created as part of their building code — NFPA 5000 — but now included in NFPA 101 — Life Safety Code, the NFPA requires a 2-1/4″ clearance between the wall and the handrail.
What are the OSHA requirements for guardrails and safety railings?
First of all, here are some applicable requirements for guardrails and safety railings included in OSHA’s Walking-Working Surfaces standard for general industry to help prevent fall hazard, 29 CFR 1910.29: To meet OSHA’s guardrail height requirements, the top rail needs to be 42 inches plus or minus 3 inches above the walking-working surface.
What are safety railings used for?
Safety railings can also be used commercially to protect workers and pedestrians from falls off steps, walkways, platforms or other raised areas. These guardrails provide safety for various applications including protection over a stair rail system, culverts, ramps, service platforms, loading bays, mezzanines, and pedestrian pathways.
Are security chains a good substitute for guardrails?
The primary concern is that if security chains give an indistinguishable level of assurance from a standard guardrail, they can be utilized. General industry fall assurance can be a genuine test.
Are you confused with fall protection railing requirements?
Areas of confusion often arise with fall protection railing requirements, OSHA guardrail height, handrail requirements, and temporary guardrail systems. There are many places in a facility or on a rooftop that pose a hazard for workplace injuries and fatalities.