New Rules for Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection

MIOSHA has adopted major changes to its requirements for walking-working surfaces and fall protection in general industry. The rule revisions follow OSHA’s updates to its general industry standards addressing slip, trip, and fall hazards (OSHA Subpart D, Walking-Working Surfaces) and its revisions to its requirements for personal fall protection systems (in OSHA Subpart I, Personal Protective Equipment).

The effective date of the amended General Industry Part 2. Walking-Working Surfaces is February 2, 2018.

A few provisions have delayed compliance deadlines:

Train workers on fall hazards. Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, the employer must provide training to each employee who uses personal fall protection systems or is required to be trained as specified elsewhere in Subpart D on or before June 4, 2018.
Train workers on equipment hazards. The employer must train each employee in the proper care, inspection, storage, and use of equipment covered by Subpart D before an employee uses the equipment on or before June 4, 2018.
Test and certify permanent anchorages for rope descent systems to ensure they can support 5,000 pounds for each employee attached on or before December 5, 2018.
On existing fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet above a lower level, install a personal fall arrest system, ladder safety system, cage, or well on or before November 19, 2018.
On new fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet above a lower level, install personal fall arrest system or ladder safety systems on or before November 19, 2018.
On all fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet above a lower level, replace cages and wells with ladder safety system or personal fall arrest systems on or before November 18, 2036.
When an employee in outdoor advertising climbs a fixed ladder before November 19, 2018, that is not equipped with a cage, well, personal fall arrest system, or a ladder safety system the employer must ensure the employee receives training and demonstrates the physical capability to perform the necessary climbs in accordance with § 1910.29(h) of the rule.

To assist in a good understanding of the effects of MIOSHA’s Walking Working Surfaces rule on the below mentioned standards, the included comparison documents have been developed. The documents have tables that name each prior rule that has been affected and identify what new rule or rules replaced it. The first column of each document contains the rescinded rule (struck through). The second column contains the corresponding, comparable new rule(s) that could be used to address the same hazard. In some cases there may be more than one applicable rule in the new regulations. The documents are prepared as a courtesy for informal guidance and assistance. This information is not intended to replace or supersede the actual MIOSHA standard or rule requirement. All information published online by MIOSHA is subject to change without notice. Every effort is made to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date, but no legal responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions, or misleading statement.

Attached are the comparison documents:

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Here are some resources on the new MIOSHA Walking-Working Surface and Fall Protection rules: