New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 12 - DEPARTMENT OF LABOR › Chapter I - Industrial Board Of Appeals › Subchapter A - The Industrial Code › Part 21 - Protection Of Persons Employed At Window Cleaning-structural Requirements, Equipment And Procedures › Section 21.8 - Working from boatswain's chairs

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a) Approval required over 75 feet. After
				  October 1, 1967, a boatswain's chair which is suspended from a point with an
				  elevation of more than 75 feet above the nearest street or ground surface shall
				  be approved for the specific building and location where it is to be used to
				  clean windows. Approval will not be considered unless other authorized means of
				  cleaning the windows have been found impracticable or impossible due to the
				  exterior features of the building.
(b) Suspended point height of 75 feet or
				  less. A manually operated boatswain's chair which is suspended from a point
				  with an elevation of 75 feet or less above the nearest street or ground surface
				  is not required to be approved but shall conform to the following requirements:
(1) Safety belt and lifeline required. Each
				  person working from a boatswain's chair shall be provided with and shall use an
				  approved safety belt and a lifeline consisting of a hanging line and a tail
				  line. The tail line shall be of minimum practical length and shall be attached
				  to the hanging line by an approved special device to allow vertical adjustment
				  of the point of attachment.
Note: See section 23.30 of Industrial Code Part (Rule No.)
					 23.
(2) Protection of
				  street or ground area. Where a boatswain's chair is suspended over an area
				  traversed by pedestrians or vehicular traffic, the ground area directly under
				  the chair work zone shall be effectively blocked by barricade, or an attendant
				  shall be stationed so as to keep the area clear.
(3) Skilled operators. Persons not trained in
				  the use of boatswain's chairs shall not use such equipment.
(4) Chairs. Boatswain's chairs and all
				  supports shall be designed and constructed to sustain without failure a minimum
				  load of 600 pounds. Each chair shall be suspended from its four corners by
				  means of rope slings, have a seat not less than 24 inches long by 10 inches
				  wide and two inches in thickness if of soft wood or one and one-eighth inches
				  in thickness if of oak or ash, and be reinforced across the full width by
				  cleats securely fastened to each end. The chair seat may be constructed of
				  material other than wood, provided the material is equivalent in strength to
				  two inches of soft wood or one and one-eighth inches of oak or ash. If
				  constructed of material of equivalent strength, cleats across the full width of
				  the seat shall be provided unless structural analysis indicates they are not
				  necessary.
(5) Tackle. Tackle shall
				  consist of rope at least equal in strength to five-eighths inch first grade
				  Manila rope and proper sized blocks. Rope attachment to a block shall be by a
				  thimble and splice. Hooks shall be provided with means to prevent accidental
				  disengagement.
(6) Anchorage. The
				  object to which the tackle is anchored shall be rigid and of ample
				  strength.
(7) Tie-ins. Tie-ins
				  shall be provided for boatswain's chairs and used by the cleaner to prevent
				  sway during the window cleaning operation.