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805 Fall Protection in Construction
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Employer Training Responsibilities

If you're an employer, you are assigned responsibility and held accountable by OSHA to make sure your employees can recognize fall hazards and know how to protect themselves from those hazards.

Worker climbing a tower with a fall harness
Safety trainers should be competent in developing and presenting safety training courses.

You can't assume they know how to protect themselves from falls. For example, if they're starting work on a new worksite, they might not recognize fall hazards or know how to protect themselves unless you train them.

Required Training

Workers who could be exposed to fall hazards must be trained to recognize the hazards and to know the procedures that minimize the hazards. Here are the minimum OSHA requirements in the OSHA 1926.503, Fall Protection.

Fall Protection -- Training Requirements in Construction 1926.503(a)(1) and (2)(ii) through (vii)

(a) Training Program.

(1) The employer shall provide a training program for each employee who might be exposed to fall hazards. The program shall enable each employee to recognize the hazards of falling and shall train each employee in the procedures to be followed in order to minimize these hazards.

(2) The employer shall ensure that each employee has been trained, as necessary, by a competent person qualified in the following areas:

(i) The nature of fall hazards in the work area;

(ii) The correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting the fall protection systems to be used;

(iii) The use and operation of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems, warning line systems, safety monitoring systems, controlled access zones, and other protection to be used;

(iv) The role of each employee in the safety monitoring system when this system is used;

(v) The limitations on the use of mechanical equipment during the performance of roofing work on low-slope roofs;

(vi) The correct procedures for the handling and storage of equipment and materials and the erection of overhead protection; and

(vii) The standards contained in this subpart.

Additional Training Guidelines

ANSI Z359.2, Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program, sets goals for best practices in safety training throughout the industry. It incorporates by reference ANSI/ASSP Z490.1, Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health and Environmental Training.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

7-2. Who is held responsible and accountable by OSHA for making sure employees can recognize fall hazards and how to protect themselves from those hazards?