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Human Resources Department

Occupational Safety & Health Unit

Fall Protection

Photo of a Fall Protection Lanyard Hook Attached to a Horizontal Life Line.

Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of exposed edges, roofs, overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls. In general, some form of fall protection must be provided for personnel at elevations above four feet in a general industry workplace, and seven and a half feet in the construction industry. In addition, OSHA requires that fall protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.

To get more information on the applicability of the Fall Protection Program for a specific County operation please contact the corresponding departmental Safety Coordinator.

For further information on specific regulatory guidelines please refer to the link(s) below:

 Cal-OSHA Guardrails at Elevated Locations (General Industry §3210)

Cal-OSHA Portable Ladders (General Industry §3276)

Cal-OSHA Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Personal Fall Restraint Systems and Positioning Devices (Construction §1670)

Cal-OSHA Fall Protection in Construction Fact Sheet