Source: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2006-05-09-0
Timestamp: 2019-09-19 10:41:11
Document Index: 7347969

Matched Legal Cases: ['§1926', '§1926', '§1926', '§1926', '§1926', '§1926', '§1926', '§1926']

Whether the operator's cab of excavators must be equipped with seatbelts; §1926.602(a) and §1926.602(b). | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Whether the operator's cab of excavators must be equipped with seatbelts; §1926.602(a) and §1926.602(b).
First, it is significant that a separate paragraph, §1926.602(b), entitled "Excavating and other equipment" was included under §1926.602. If the intent was to cover excavating equipment as "similar equipment" under the preceding paragraph (a), then paragraph (b) would be expected to contain only additional, excavator-specific, requirements. That is not the case — some of the requirements in paragraph (b) are also in paragraph (a).1 This indicates that the only requirements in §1926.602 applicable to excavating equipment are those listed in paragraph (b).
Second, paragraph (b) states that tractors, when used with certain attachments, must be equipped with seatbelts "even though" they are used "for excavating work . . . ." That indicates a recognition that excavators are not required to have seat belts — which would only be the case if paragraph (a) was inapplicable to excavators.
If you need any further clarification on this subject, please contact us by fax at: U.S. Department of Labor — OSHA, Directorate of Construction, Office of Construction Standards and Guidance, fax # 202-693-1689. You can also contact us by mail at the above office, Room N3468, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210, although there will be a delay in our receiving correspondence by mail.
1 For example, both paragraphs address brakes (§1926.602(b) addresses brakes through incorporation by reference of the safety requirements in the PSCA standards). [ back to text ]
2 The 1999 SAE standard on Earthmoving Machinery — Basic Types — Vocabulary — J/ISO — 6165, in its definition of "excavator," indicates that this continues to be the case: