(I)
Protection of the body and exposed parts and other protective equipment.
(1) All persons who work in such a manner
that their clothing may become wet with acids caustics or other injurious
liquids will be provided with such gloves, aprons, coats, jackets, sleeves, or
other garments made of rubber, or other materials impervious to such liquids as
are needed to keep their clothing dry. Aprons will extend well below the top of
boots to prevent such liquid from splashing into the boots. Provision of dry
clean cotton clothing along with rubber shoes or short boots and an apron
impervious to such liquids will be considered a satisfactory substitute where
small parts are cleaned, plated, or acid-dipped in open tanks and rapid work is
required.
(2) Facilities for quick
drenching or flushing of the eyes and body will be provided within the work
area, where employees are exposed to injurious corrosive materials. Where
plumbing is not available and where storage batteries of the enclosed type with
explosion-proof vents are serviced exclusively, portable, self-contained
eyewash equipment may be provided in lieu of the quick drenching or flushing
facilities. Where portable self-contained eyewash equipment is used in lieu of
drenching or flushing facilities, it will be capable of delivering to the eye
no less than 1.5 liters (0.4 gallons) per minute for a minimum of fifteen
minutes.
(3) Welding, cutting,
brazing, and molten metal exposures.
All employees exposed to the hazards created by welding,
cutting, brazing, or molten metal operations will be protected by protective
clothing. This includes:
(a)
Flameproof gauntlet gloves.
(b)
Flameproof aprons made of leather, or other material which provides equivalent
protection.
(c) Exterior clothing
made of wool, cotton, or other material chemically treated to reduce
combustibility.
(d) Capes or
shoulder covers made of leather or other material which provides equivalent
protection.
(e) Protection for the
ears from the overhead welding and cutting or welding and cutting in extremely
confined spaces.
(4)
Working by hand on energized circuits.
When an employee works on, or in proximity to, energized lines,
the employer will provide and the employee will use protective equipment
approved for the hazards involved.
(5) Climbers.
(a) Where employees climb poles or trees, the
employer will provide climbers, the appropriate gaffs (spurs). Pole gaffs will
measure at least one and seven-sixteenth inches (36.5 mm) on the underside.
Tree gaffs will measure no more than three and one-half inches (88.9 mm) nor
less than two and one-fourth inches (57.2 mm) on the underside.
(b) Storage.
Storage facilities will be provided so that the sharp points of
the climber gaffs will not cause damage to other equipment or cause injury to
employees.
(6)
Safety belts, harness, lifelines and lanyards.
(a) Lifelines, safety belts or harnesses and
lanyards will be provided by the employer, and it is the responsibility of the
employee to wear such equipment when exposed to hazards of falling where the
operation being performed is more than four feet above the ground or above a
floor or platform, except as otherwise specified in this chapter, and when
working on stored material in silos, hoppers, tanks, and similar storage areas.
Lanyards and vertical lifelines will have a minimum breaking strength of five
thousand pounds. Anchorage used for attachment of personal fall arrest
equipment will be independent of any anchorage being used to support or suspend
platforms and capable of supporting at least five thousand pounds per employee
attached.
(b) Where the lifeline
may be subjected to cutting or abrasion, a minimum seven-eighths-inch wire core
manila rope, or equivalent, will be provided. For all other lifeline
applications, a minimum of three-fourths-inch manila rope, or equivalent, will
be provided.
(c) Safety belt,
harness, or strap lanyards will be a minimum of one-half inch nylon, or
equivalent, with a maximum length to provide for a fall of no more than six
feet. The lanyard will have a breaking strength of no less than five thousand
pounds.
(d) All safety belt,
harness, or strap and lanyard hardware will be drop-forged or pressed steel,
cadmium plated. Surface will be smooth and free from sharp edges.
(e) All safety belt, harness, or strap and
lanyard hardware will be capable of withstanding a tensile loading of five
thousand pounds without cracking, breaking, or becoming permanently
deformed.
(7) Safety
nets.
(a) Safety nets will be provided when
workplaces are more than twenty-five feet above the ground, water, or other
surface where the use of ladders, scaffolds, catch platforms, temporary floors,
safety lines, or safety belts is impractical.
(b) Where safety net protection is required
by this rule, operations will not be undertaken until the net is in place and
has been tested.
(c) Nets will
extend outward from the outermost projection of the work surface in accordance
with table 17-1 to this rule and will be installed as close under the work
surface as practical but in no case more than thirty feet below such work
surface with the exception of bridge construction where only one level of nets
is needed. Nets will be hung with sufficient clearance to prevent the falling
employee's contact with the surface or structures below. Such clearance will be
determined by impact load testing.
Table 17-1
Table
|
Vertical distance from working level to horizontal
plane of the net.
|
Minimum required horizontal distance of net from the
edge of the working surface.
|
|
Up to five feet
|
eight feet
|
|
More than five feet up to ten feet
|
ten feet
|
|
More than ten feet
|
thirteen feet
|
(d)
The mesh size of nets will not exceed six inches. All new nets will meet
accepted performance standards of seventeen thousand five hundred foot-pounds
minimum impact resistance as determined and certified by the manufacturer, and
will bear a label of proof test. Edge ropes will provide a minimum breaking
strength of five thousand pounds.
(e) Forged steel safety hooks or shackles
will be used to fasten the net to its supports. Attachment of safety nets to
the working platform is not permitted.
(f) Connections between net panels will
maintain the full strength of the net.
(8) Working over or near water.
(a) Where employees are working over or near
water, and where the depth or current of the water creates a danger of
drowning, the employer will provide U.S. coast guard-approved life jackets or
buoyant work vests for each employee.
(b) Ring buoys with no less than ninety feet
of line attached will be provided and readily available for emergency rescue
operations. Distance between ring buoys cannot exceed two hundred
feet.
(c) At least one lifesaving
skiff will be immediately available at locations where employees are working
over or adjacent to water.
(d) In
cribs and cofferdams where employees are exposed to danger of falling inside of
the enclosure containing water, a life raft will be provided.
(9) Night work.
When working at night, spotlights or portable lights for
emergency lighting will be provided as needed to perform the work
safely.
(10) Barriers and
warning devices.
The employer will provide barriers and effective warning
devices such as flasher lights, "Men Working" signs, cones, flares, lanterns,
flags and reflectors, for the protection of employees when work is performed in
congested areas and where employees are exposed to traffic hazards or other
working conditions where a hazard may exist.
