Regardless of where you work or what industry you work in, slips and falls are the main cause of work accidents. Whether you are in California or some other state, your employer must follow the safety regulations set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA recently made updates to the slip and fall guidelines that are aimed at reducing the number of related accidents in workplaces across the country.
Changes in the guidelines are specifically aimed at certain industries. They do not affect agriculture or construction. One goal is to help make worker protection more cost efficient and to give employers a little more control over what safety precautions they use. For example, one standard that changed is that employers no longer have to use guardrails and instead can choose different fall protection systems as the primary fall protection. It also allows for non-conventional fall protection to be used based on the situation, especially if it is a special condition where conventional methods may not work as well.
These new guidelines are hoping to make general fall protection standards match that of those for the construction industry. They are being rolled over in time with some having kicked in at the beginning of 2017 and subsequent requirements being implemented throughout 2017 and 2018. The final new guidelines will be in 2036 and that will be the replacement of cages and wells as fall protection. So, you should start looking for changes and new safety protection in your workplace. You also will probably have to go through additional safety training to learn about the new guidelines.
