437-002-2306 Personal Protective Equipment (1) General. For employers engaged in general industry activities, personal protective equipment must meet the requirements of Division 2/I. For employers engaged in construction activities, personal protective equipment must meet the requirements of Division 3/E. Note 1: 437-002-0134 (4) and 437-003-0134 (4) set employer payment obligations for the personal protective equipment required by this rule, including, but not limited to, the fall protection equipment required by paragraph (2) of this rule, the electrical protective equipment required by 437-002-2311(3) of Division 2/RR, and the flame-resistant and arc-rated clothing and other protective equipment required by 437-002-2311(8) of Division 2/RR. Note 2: For general industry activities, refer to Division 2/I, 1910.137, for Electrical Protective Equipment requirements. For construction activities, refer to Division 3/E, 1926.97, for Electrical Protective Equipment requirements. (2) Fall protection. (a) For employers engaged in general industry activities, personal fall arrest systems must meet the requirements of Division 2/I For employers engaged in construction activities, personal fall arrest systems must meet the requirements of Division 3/M. (b) Personal fall arrest equipment used by employees who are exposed to hazards from flames or electric arcs, as determined by the employer under 437-002-2311(8)(a) of Division 2/RR, must be capable of passing a drop test equivalent to that required by paragraph (2)(c)(L) of this rule after exposure to an electric arc with a heat energy of 40±5 cal/cm2. (c) Body belts and positioning straps for work-positioning equipment must meet the following requirements: (A) Hardware for body belts and positioning straps must meet the following requirements: (i) Hardware must be made of drop-forged steel, pressed steel, formed steel, or equivalent material. (ii) Hardware must have a corrosion-resistant finish. (iii) Hardware surfaces must be smooth and free of sharp edges. (B) Buckles must be capable of withstanding an 8.9-kilonewton (2,000-pound-force) tension test with a maximum permanent deformation no greater than 0.4 millimeters (0.0156 inches). (C) D rings must be capable of withstanding a 22-kilonewton (5,000-pound-force) tensile test without cracking or breaking. (D) Snaphooks must be capable of withstanding a 22-kilonewton (5,000-pound-force) tension test without failure. Note to paragraph (2)(c)(D) of this rule: Distortion of the snaphook sufficient to release the keeper is considered to be tensile failure of a snaphook. (E) Top grain leather or leather substitute may be used in the manufacture of body belts and positioning straps; however, leather and leather substitutes may not be used alone as a load-bearing component of the assembly. (F) Plied fabric used in positioning straps and in load-bearing parts of body belts must be constructed in such a way that no raw edges are exposed and the plies do not separate. (G) Positioning straps must be capable of withstanding the following tests: (i) A dielectric test of 819.7 volts, AC, per centimeter (25,000 volts per foot) for 3 minutes without visible deterioration; (ii) A leakage test of 98.4 volts, AC, per centimeter (3,000 volts per foot) with a leakage current of no more than 1 mA; Note to paragraphs (2)(c)(G)(i) and (2)(c)(G)(ii): Positioning straps that pass direct-current tests at equivalent voltages are considered as meeting this requirement. (iii) Tension tests of 20 kilonewtons (4,500 pounds-force) for sections free of buckle holes and of 15 kilonewtons (3,500 pounds-force) for sections with buckle holes; (iv) A buckle-tear test with a load of 4.4 kilonewtons (1,000 pounds-force); and (v) A flammability test in accordance with Table RR-1. Table RR-1 (H) The cushion part of the body belt must contain no exposed rivets on the inside and must be at least 76 millimeters (3 inches) in width (I) Tool loops must be situated on the body of a body belt so that the 100 millimeters (4 inches) of the body belt that is in the center of the back, measuring from D ring to D ring, is free of tool loops and any other attachments. (J) Copper, steel, or equivalent liners must be used around the bars of D rings to prevent wear between these members and the leather or fabric enclosing them. (K) Snaphooks must be of the locking type meeting the following requirements: (i) The locking mechanism must first be released, or a destructive force must be placed on the keeper, before the keeper will open. (ii) A force in the range of 6.7 N (1.5 lbf) to 17.8 N (4 lbf) must be required to release the locking mechanism. (iii) With the locking mechanism released and with a force applied on the keeper against the face of the nose, the keeper may not begin to open with a force of 11.2 N (2.5 lbf) or less and must begin to open with a maximum force of 17.8 N (4 lbf). (L) Body belts and positioning straps must be capable of withstanding a drop test as follows: (i) The test mass must be rigidly constructed of steel or equivalent material with a mass of 100 kg (220.5 lbm). For work-positioning equipment used by employees weighing more than 140 kg (310 lbm) fully equipped, the test mass must be increased proportionately (that is, the test mass must equal the mass of the equipped worker divided by 1.4). (ii) For body belts, the body belt must be fitted snugly around the test mass and must be attached to the test structure anchorage point by means of a wire rope. (iii) For positioning straps, the strap must be adjusted to its shortest length possible to accommodate the test and connected to the test-structure anchorage point at one end and to the test mass on the other end. (iv) The test mass must be dropped an unobstructed distance of 1 meter (39.4 inches) from a supporting structure that will sustain minimal deflection during the test. (v) Body belts must successfully arrest the fall of the test mass and must be capable of supporting the mass after the test. (vi) Positioning straps must successfully arrest the fall of the test mass without breaking, and the arrest force may not exceed 17.8 kilonewtons (4,000 pounds-force). Additionally, snaphooks on positioning straps may not distort to such an extent that the keeper would release. Note to paragraph (2)(c) of this rule: When used by employees weighing no more than 140 kg (310 lbm) fully equipped, body belts and positioning straps that conform to American Society of Testing and Materials Standard Specifications for Personal Climbing Equipment, ASTM F887-12e1, are deemed to be in compliance with paragraph (2)(c) of this rule. (d) The following requirements apply to the care and use of personal fall protection equipment. (A) Body belts and positioning straps must never be stored with sharp or edged tools. (B) Small tools carried in the belt must be placed so they present the least danger of coming in accidental contact with energized parts. Sharp or pointed tools must not be carried unless in scabbards, or are otherwise effectively safeguarded. (C) Work-positioning equipment must be inspected before use each day to determine that the equipment is in safe working condition. Work-positioning equipment that is not in safe working condition may not be used. Note to paragraph (2)(d)(C): Appendix F to Division 2/RR contains guidelines for inspecting work-positioning equipment. (D) The use of chainsaws is prohibited on all overhead work where workers are supported by a single climbing belt or rope. (E) Workers must not place positioning straps around the pole above the top crossarm except where adequate protection is taken to prevent it from slipping over the top of the pole. Workers must not allow either end of a strap to hang loose, either in climbing or descending poles or other structures. (F) Gaffs and Climbers. (i) Gaffs and climbers must be maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. (ii) Workers must remove climbers before driving any vehicle. (iii) Climbers must not be worn except when required. Workers must not continue to wear their climbers while working on the ground except for brief periods when a worker is necessarily off the pole. (iv) While climbers are not being worn, the gaffs must be properly guarded. (G) Safety lines must be readily available while working aloft to be used for emergency rescue such as lowering a worker to the ground. Such safety lines must be a minimum of one-half-inch diameter and three or four strand first-grade manila or its equivalent in strength (2,650 lb.) and durability. (H) For employers engaged in general industry activities, personal fall arrest systems must be used in accordance with Division 2/I. For employers engaged in construction activities, personal fall arrest systems must be used in accordance with Division 3/M. Note to paragraph (2)(d)(H): Fall protection equipment rigged to arrest falls is considered a fall arrest system and must meet the applicable requirements for the design and use of those systems. Fall protection equipment rigged for work positioning is considered work-positioning equipment and must meet the applicable requirements for the design and use of that equipment. (I) The employer must ensure that employees use fall protection systems as follows: (i) Each employee working from an aerial lift must use a travel restraint system or a personal fall arrest system. Paragraph (c)(2)(v) of 1910.67 and paragraph (b)(2)(v) of 1926.453 do not apply. (ii) Except as provided in paragraph (2)(d)(I)(iii) of this rule, each employee in elevated locations more than 1.2 meters (4 feet) above the ground on poles, towers, or similar structures must use a personal fall arrest system, work-positioning equipment, or fall restraint system, as appropriate, if the employer has not provided other fall protection meeting Division 2/D, Walking-Working Surfaces; or Division 3/M, Fall Protection. (iii) Each qualified employee climbing or changing location on poles, towers, or similar structures must use fall protection equipment unless the employer can demonstrate that climbing or changing location with fall protection is infeasible or creates a greater hazard than climbing or changing location without it. (I) The employer must ensure that employees use fall protection systems as follows: (i) Each employee working from an aerial lift must use a fall restraint system or a personal fall arrest system. Paragraph (c)(2)(v) of 1910.67 and paragraph (b)(2)(v) of 1926.453 do not apply. (ii) Except as provided in paragraph (2)(d)(I)(iii) of this rule, each employee in elevated locations more than 1.2 meters (4 feet) above the ground on poles, towers, or similar structures must use a personal fall arrest system, work-positioning equipment, or fall restraint system, as appropriate, if the employer has not provided other fall protection meeting Division 2/D, Walking-Working Surfaces; or Division 3/M, Fall Protection. (iii) Each qualified employee climbing or changing location on poles, towers, or similar structures must use fall protection equipment unless the employer can demonstrate that climbing or changing location with fall protection is infeasible or creates a greater hazard than climbing or changing location without it. Note 1 to paragraphs (2)(d)(I)(ii) and (2)(d)(I)(iii) of this rule: These paragraphs apply to structures that support overhead electric power transmission and distribution lines and equipment. They do not apply to portions of buildings, such as loading docks, or to electric equipment, such as transformers and capacitors. Division 2/D, and Division 3/M contain the duty to provide fall protection associated with walking and working surfaces. (J) Work-positioning equipment must be rigged so that an employee can free fall no more than 0.6 meters (2 feet). (K) Anchorages for work-positioning equipment must be capable of supporting at least twice the potential impact load of an employee's fall, or 13.3 kilonewtons (3,000 pounds-force), whichever is greater. Note to paragraph (2)(d)(K): Wood-pole fall-restriction devices meeting American Society of Testing and Materials Standard Specifications for Personal Climbing Equipment, ASTM F887-12e1, are deemed to meet the anchorage-strength requirement when they are used in accordance with manufacturers' instructions. (L) Unless the snaphook is a locking type and designed specifically for the following connections, snaphooks on work-positioning equipment may not be engaged: (i) Directly to webbing, rope, or wire rope; (ii) To each other; (iii) To a D ring to which another snaphook or other connector is attached; (iv) To a horizontal lifeline; or (v) To any object that is incompatibly shaped or dimensioned in relation to the snaphook such that accidental disengagement could occur should the connected object sufficiently depress the snaphook keeper to allow release of the object. [ED. NOTE: To view attachments referenced in rule text, click here to view rule.] Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 654.025(2) & 656.726(4) Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 654.001 - 654.295 History: OSHA 2-2017, f. 5-16-17, cert. ef. 11-1-17 OSHA 3-2015, f. 10-9-15, cert. ef. 1-1-16