Walking and Working Surfaces

Walking and Working Surfaces (Slips, Trips, and Falls)

Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.
Most of these types of accidents can be prevented with improved housekeeping, appropriate guardrails, maintenance of walking surfaces, and remaining alert to the work surroundings.
Select activities must add a fall protection system such as cable and harness. Contact EHS for specific guidance related to working at heights of six feet or more where there are no guardrails; working on sloped roofs or on flat roofs within six feet of the edge; and working on moving scaffolding, lifts, or buckets.

Keep places of employment, passageways, storerooms, and service room clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition.
Keep floors clean and dry. Where wet processes are used, such as dish washers and cage washers, equip the area with drainage and gratings, mats, or raised platforms.
Remove items that present tripping hazards, such as mats that do not lay flat.
Return equipment to designated storage areas after use.

Keep aisles and passageways clear of obstructions or objects that may present a tripping hazard.
If mechanical handling equipment is used, ensure there is enough room in the aisle or passageway for employees to walk and for emergency egress.
Clearly mark permanent aisles and passageways in machinery and equipment rooms. For example, paint or tape markings on floors.

Protect employees from hazards of open pits, tanks, ditches, and vats by using covers and/or guardrails.

Load rating limits shall be marked on plates and conspicuously posted.
The load rating limit shall not be exceeded by placing loads on the roof or floor of a building or structure greater than that for which it is approved.

For stairway openings, standard railings shall be provided on all exposed sides except at the stairway entrance.
Where a person can accidentally walk into a floor hole, it shall be guarded by either a standard railing with toe board, or a floor hole cover of standard strength and construction. If the cover or guard rail is not in place, the hole must be attended by a person, or protected by a removable standard railing.

An open-sided floor or platform or runway that is 4 feet or more above ground level or above the adjacent floor shall be guarded by a standard railing on all open sides (except where there is an entrance to a ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder).
If a person can pass beneath the open sides, if there is moving machinery, or if equipment or materials could fall and create a hazard, then the railing must include a toe board on each exposed side.

Regardless of height, if the open-sided floor, walkway, platform, or runway is above or adjacent to dangerous equipment, degreasing units, or similar hazards, it shall be guarded with a standard railing and toe board.

Detailed specific requirements in OSHA standard 1910.29 should be carefully reviewed. Guardrails and toe boards are required for work levels 10 feet or more above the ground or floor.
Aerial ladders have additional requirements.
Brief general requirements include that the maximum work height shall not exceed four times the minimum base dimension unless outriggers, guys, or braces are added to provide stability.