Fall Protection: The 6-Foot Rule on Construction Sites

Read this to the crew

Today we are talking about falls. OSHA lists falls as the leading cause of death in construction. The federal rule starts at 6 feet: if you can fall 6 feet or more to a lower level, you need a guardrail, a safety net, or a personal fall arrest system in place before you start work.

1. A guardrail top rail should be 42 inches high, give or take 3 inches, with a midrail below it. If a rail is loose or missing a midrail, tell me before anyone works near that edge.
2. Any hole in a floor or roof that is 2 inches or more across needs protection. A cover has to be strong enough for twice the load on it, fastened down, and marked HOLE or COVER or color coded.
3. If you move a cover to run pipe or conduit, stay at that hole until the cover is back and fastened or a guardrail is up.
4. If you tie off, the anchor has to hold 5,000 pounds per person unless a qualified person designed it. Never tie off to a guardrail.
5. Check your harness and lanyard before every use. Anything that has caught a fall comes out of service until a competent person inspects it.
6. Scaffolds and ladders have their own rules. If you are not sure which rule covers your work today, ask before you climb.

Ask the crew

• Where on this site is there an edge or opening 6 feet or more above the level below that does not have a guardrail right now?
• Which floor and roof holes did we cover this week, and are those covers still fastened and marked?
• Where would you anchor a lanyard on the level we are working today, and who confirmed that anchor?
• If someone fell here and was hanging in a harness, how would we get them down?