When OSHA revised the walking-working surface standard in 2016, part of the goal was to make the general industry standard more consistent with existing construction standards. The rule also acknowledged advances in technology over the past 30-plus years by adding several new provisions that allow employers greater flexibility to choose from a variety of solutions to meet their fall protection and prevention needs.
Prior to 2016, the primary method for preventing falls from elevation in general industry was to install guardrails. While guardrails provide adequate protection for many situations, they didn’t work well for every application and did not reflect the availability of other equally or more appropriate fall prevention technologies that have proven to be successful for decades in other industries.