Effective June 16th, 2011 residential contractors are required to have their OSHA Fall Protection written plan in place. To help contractors meet this new requirement we are holding a OSHA Fall Protection training on 5/26/2011 at Brockway Smith 146 Dascomb Rd, Andover, Mass.

Sign up here for OSHA Fall Protection Contractor Training 5/26/2011 

According to OSHA standard 1926.501(b)(13), residential construction employees working at least 6 feet above lower levels must be protected by fall protection such as guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems. The old compliance directive (STD 03-00-001) that went into effect in 1999 allowed residential construction companies to use specific alternative methods of fall protection. It did not require the employer to have a written, site-specific plan or provide evidence that conventional protections were infeasible or a greater hazard.

That directive was canceled December when OSHA announced a new compliance directive. Under the new directive (STD 03-11-002), employers wishing to use alternative fall protection measures in residential construction must meet all requirements in 1926.501(b)(13) and 1926.502(k). Additionally, fall protection plans used to comply with those standards must be site-specific and written out.

Now is the time to review your residential fall protection plans. OSHA will begin enforcement activities on or after June 16, 2011. After that date, if an employer is engaged in residential construction, but does not provide guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, or other fall protection allowed under § 1926.501(b), a citation for violating § 1926.501(b)(13) will be issued, unless the employer can demonstrate the infeasibility of these protective measures or the existence of a greater hazard. If the employer demonstrates infeasibility or greater hazard, the compliance officer will determine if the employer has implemented a fall protection plan meeting all the requirements of § 1926.502(k). If an employer has not met all of the requirements of this section, a violation will be issued.

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