Walking-Working Surfaces
OSHA Office of Training and Education
Introduction
Slips, trips and falls constitute the majority of general
industry accidents
This discussion covers some of the most frequentlyoccurring serious hazards involving OSHA’s walkingworking surfaces standards
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General Requirements
Housekeeping
All workplaces must be
kept clean and orderly and
in a sanitary condition
Every workroom floor must
be maintained as clean and
dry as possible
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General Requirements
Aisles and Passageways
Keep clear and in good
repair with no obstruction
across or in aisles that
could create a hazard
Permanent aisles and
passageways must be
appropriately marked
Aisles must be sufficiently
wide where mechanical
handling equipment is used
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General Requirements
Covers and Guardrails
Covers and/or guardrails
must be provided to
protect employees from
the hazards of open pits,
tanks, vats, ditches, and
the like.
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General Requirements
Floor Loading Protection
Load rating plates must be
marked on plates and
conspicuously posted
No load must be placed on
any floor or roof that is
greater than its load rating
limit
OSHA Office of Training and Education
Guarding Floor and Wall Openings and Holes
Definitions
Floor opening. An opening
measuring 12 inches or more in
its least dimension, in any floor,
platform, pavement, or yard,
through which persons may fall.
Floor hole. An opening
measuring less than 12 inches but
more than 1 inch in its least
dimension, in any floor, platform,
pavement or yard, through which
materials but not persons may fall.
OSHA Office of Training and Education
Guarding Floor and Wall Openings and Holes
Definitions (cont’d)
Wall opening. An opening at least 30 inches high and 18
inches wide, in any wall or partition, through which persons
may fall.
Wall hole. An opening less than 30 inches but more than 1
inch high, of unrestricted width, in any wall or partition.
OSHA Office of Training and Education
Guarding Floor and Wall Openings and Holes
Definitions (cont’d)
Standard railing. Consists
of top rail, mid rail, and
posts, a vertical height of
42 inches nominal from the
upper surface of top rail to
floor level. Nominal height
of mid rail is 21 inches.
Standard toeboard. 4
inches nominal in vertical
height, with not more than
¼-inch clearance above
floor level.
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Guarding Stairway Floor Openings
Must be guarded by a standard railing on all
exposed sides (except at stairway entrance).
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Guarding Ladderway Floor Openings
Must be guarded by a
standard railing with
toeboard on all exposed
sides (except at entrance)
Swinging gate or offset
required so that a person
cannot walk directly into
the opening
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Guarding Wall Openings
Every wall opening from which there is a drop of
more than 4 feet must be guarded.
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Guarding Temporary Floor Openings
Must have standard railings or be constantly
attended by someone.
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Guarding Open-Sided Floors and Platforms
Every open-sided floor or platform 4 feet or more above
adjacent floor or ground level must be guarded by a
standard railing (or equivalent) on all open sides, except
where there is an entrance to a ramp, stairway, or fixed
ladder.
A toeboard is required wherever, beneath the open sides:
Persons can pass,
There is moving machinery, or
There is equipment with which falling materials could
create a hazard.
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Guarding Platforms
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Guarding Open-Sided Floors, Walkways,
Platforms, and Runways
Regardless of height, open-sided floors, walkways,
platforms, or runways above or adjacent to
dangerous equipment, pickling or galvanizing
tanks, degreasing units, and similar hazards must
be guarded with a standard railing and toeboard.
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Guarding Stairways
Every flight of stairs with
four or more risers must
have standard stair
railings or standard
handrails.
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Portable Ladders
Must withdraw defective ladders from
service and tag or mark "Dangerous,
Do Not Use"
Ladders used to gain access to a roof
or other area must extend at least 3
feet above the point of support
Ladders must never be used in a
horizontal position as scaffolds or
work platforms
Metal ladders must never be used
near electrical equipment
OSHA Office of Training and Education
Summary
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
OSHA’s standards for walking and working surfaces apply
to all permanent places of employment, except where only
domestic, mining, or agricultural work is performed
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