OSHA Revises Residential Construction Regulations

As our work environments are slowly becoming fully integrated with the necessary safety equipment, OSHA has been doing their part by reevaluating current standards. One of these is STD 03-00-001, a directive pertaining to a leading cause of fatalities in one of the top five highest fatality reporting industries: construction, specifically residential.

OSHA has come to the following decision based on data compiled over the last decade and current technological advancements.

As of December 16, 2010, STD 03-00-001 is rescinded and STD 03-11-002 is now effective, but company compliancy is not yet required.

Not until this June 16^th, 2011, when the residential construction community becomes responsible for adhering to the strict fall protection regulations the rest of the construction world abides by.

What this means is that the previous guidelines which allowed residential construction companies to avoid implementing conventional fall protection whenever they deemed it unattainable or jeopardizing, and which they were allowed to determine without providing proper fall protection documentation, will soon be eliminated.

On the 16^th of June, residential construction companies will be responsible for insuring site specific conventional fall protection (i.e., personal fall arrest systems, guardrail systems, safety net systems), unless the company strongly believes that implementation of such equipment is unattainable or jeopardizing; in which case the company will now be mandated to provide a written site specific fall protection plan.

OSHA’s belief in the versatility of recent fall protection technology is the catalyst for this recent revision. As a member of the safety community we are spreading the word of OSHA to ensure a smooth transition for residential construction companies this summer.

Have a Great Day, Have a Safe Day, Have a Safe Year

Versatile Systems, Inc.

For Free Consultation:

818-565-5551

or

john@verfallpro.com