The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the newly revised Walking-Working Surfaces standard at the end of 2016, and it went into effect Jan. 17, 2017. While this standard (OSHA 1910.29) is more specific about swing-gate requirements at the top of ladderway openings, like the previous standard (OSHA 1910.23), pieces have to be collected from different sections to get a full understanding of what is required. Instead of going through all the verbiage, this article simplifies it through images.
If your walking-working surface is elevated more than 4 feet off the ground, your guide to the newly revised OSHA standard is below.
While these illustrations do not include every possibility of what is out there, they do give a good idea of what to look for when replacing and/or purchasing new safety gates. Besides what is illustrated, an additional key feature to note is the gate must be self-closing. This is important because the previous standard only required that it be a swinging gate.
For more information regarding this new standard, visit www.intrepidindustries.com or www.osha.gov, call (281) 479-8301 or email Paxton Guidroz at pguidroz@intrepidindustries.com.
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This is not acceptable in the ladder opening.
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This is acceptable in the ladder opening.
