Question: How does the final rule increase worker protection?

Answer:

The final rule increases worker protection in many ways. The rule:

• Eliminates the hazard of workers climbing extended heights on fixed ladders without fall protection by phasing out the use of qualified climbers in outdoor advertising;
• Phases in a requirement that fixed ladders (over 24 feet) must be equipped with ladder safety or personal fall protection systems to prevent workers from falling or arresting their fall before contact with a lower level;
• Provides performance criteria for personal fall protection equipment in general industry, similar to the criteria used in OSHA's construction industry rules since 1994;
• Requires the use of body harnesses, and prohibits body belts, in personal fall arrest systems to distribute fall arrest forces over a larger area of a worker's body; and
• Requires that workers who use personal fall protection and other covered equipment be trained, and retrained as necessary, in fall and equipment hazards prior to work at elevated heights and use of that equipment, including fall protection systems.