ladder question

[westelectric]

Is there an osha rule which states any ladder taller than 6ft, you must wear a harness and be tied off? Im under the impression that as long as you are using the ladder within its guidelines (ex:standing on the 10th rung of a 12 ft ladder) you are ok and not in violation and do not need a harness. Just a debate we're having here on a friday afternoon.

 

[cpal]

<LI id=jsArticleStep1 itxtvisited="1">OSHA Fall Protection Requirements

<LI id=jsArticleStep1 itxtvisited="1">A personal fall arrest system/safety harness is required by OSHA whenever the employee is 6 feet above ground and is not protected by a guardrail or safety net, during the assembly or removal of scaffolding with incomplete handrails systems and more than 10 feet above the ground, and when using any aerial equipment that raises the employee higher than 6 feet.


Read more: OSHA Safety Harness Requirement | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5447644_osha-safety-harness-requirement.html#ixzz0wWcKDoP7

 

[westelectric]

so 10th rung of a 12ft ladder is fine w/o a harness

 

[infinity]

There is no OSHA requirement to wear a harness on an A frame style ladder.

 

[iwire]

There is no OSHA requirement to wear a harness on an A frame style ladder.

I agree 100%

 

[G0049]

The OP doesn't say what kind of ladder. Portable ladders don't require the climber to be tied off, but the requirements for fixed ladders are different. OSHA's ladder requirements for the construction industry are located at: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10839

PS: Bob (iwire) do you ever sleep?

 

[infinity]

Mike is maybe wondering why every safety guy he runs into on a job says that a harness is required on an A frame style ladder when you're more than 6' above the ground. The ones that I deal with say that it's an OSHA requirement when in fact it is not.

 

[wireguy8169]

Ouch

Ouch

Run into that problem when working at facilities doing maintenance. Safety guy wants you tied off, but sometimes there is nothing to tie off to other than the run on the ladder. Even ran into a few places that require you to use a harness on a platform lift (scissor), when we have always wore one on a boom but not the scissor lift. Oh,well just do what they want as long as its safe...

 

[billsnuff]

company rules

company rules

Our local rules require fall protection or 3 points of contact over 6 ft.

 

[MAK]

Mike is maybe wondering why every safety guy he runs into on a job says that a harness is required on an A frame style ladder when you're more than 6' above the ground. The ones that I deal with say that it's an OSHA requirement when in fact it is not.

A supervisor I had a while ago attended a OSHA 10 course and came back with the "everything over six feet requires a harness" rule. He almost (before logic prevailed) made me go back to a job we finished two years before to install a bracket for tying off to for future service calls on 13 different buildings all of which were historic brick structures.:roll:
I never actually checked up on the actual rule, it just seemed like a ridiculous rule. I guess it was.

 

[WorkSafe]

These safety folks need to learn the rules. There are NO requirements to have fall protection on any portable ladder of any height. Like already mentioned, fall protection comes into play on fixed ladders over 25 ft.

I also find it disturbing when I see folks tieing off their fall protection to anything the clamp will go onto too. These attachment points need to be engineered and rated to support a 5000lb rating for fall arrest and I believe 500lbs for fall restraint.

 

[CFL]

I got screamed at (literally), a couple of months ago by a safety guy for working in a lift with a lanyard longer than three feet! I told him I would hardly be able to turn around. So, in order to keep my job I did no more work for the rest of the day.

 

[WorkSafe]

I got screamed at (literally), a couple of months ago by a safety guy for working in a lift with a lanyard longer than three feet! I told him I would hardly be able to turn around. So, in order to keep my job I did no more work for the rest of the day.

I can see his point about the 3 foot lanyard. What I have noticed is when a worker has a longer one, they will still climb up on the lift rails and putting themselves in needless danger. Just last week there was a contractor in our facility who had one foot on the top rail of the lift and the other on a chilled water supply valve about 40 feet off the ground. It scared the crap out of me to think what could have happened if his foot were to slip. His lanyard was attached to himself of course.....:roll: