Washington Administrative Code

(1) You must make sure workers use extreme care when using rope descent equipment around electrical service, heat sources, and turbulent areas, such as air vents.(2) You must connect the seatboard or boatswain's chair to the descent device with a manual- or auto-locking carabiner…

(1) You must make sure the rated capacity or the maximum intended load, whichever is less, is not exceeded.(2) You must make sure the descent device manufacturer's specifications for rope diameter and construction are followed.(3) You must make sure the rope is rigged through the…

SummaryYou must meet the requirements…in this section:Prohibit equipment from useWAC 296-878-21005[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 14-09-095, § 296-878-210, filed 4/22/14, effective 7/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 4…

This chapter sets forth requirements for employers to provide and enforce the use of fall protection for employees performing activities covered under this chapter.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 20-12-091, § 296-88…

Unified Fall Protection Quick Reference GuideGeneral fall protection for all industriesThreshold heightWACAbove or adjacent to dangerous equipmentRegardless of height 296-880-10010(1)Holes into which an employee can trip, step into, or step throughRegardless of height 296-880-100…

For the purposes of this chapter the following definitions apply:(1) Aerial device. A vehicle-mounted device, telescoping or articulating, or both, which is used to position personnel.(2) Affected area. The distance away from the edge of an excavation equal to the depth of the ex…

Requirements that apply to all sections of this chapter.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 20-12-091, § 296-880-100, filed 6/2/20, effective 10/1/20.]

(1) The employer must ensure that all surfaces on which employees will be working or walking on are structurally sound and will support them safely prior to allowing employees to work or walk on them.(2) Inspection criteria.(a) The employer must inspect all components (including …

(1) Regardless of height, the employer must guard open-sided floors, walkways, platforms, or runways above or adjacent to dangerous equipment, such as dip tanks and material handling equipment, and similar hazards with a standard guardrail system.(2) The employer must guard holes…

(1) Provide fall protection training for employees exposed to fall hazards. The employer must provide training for each employee exposed to fall hazards. The training must enable each employee to recognize the hazards of falling and procedures to be followed in order to minimize …

(1) The employer must develop and implement a written fall protection work plan including each area of the work place where the employees are assigned and where fall hazards of ten feet or more exist.(2) The fall protection work plan must:(a) Identify all fall hazards in the work…

This section sets forth requirements for the use of fall protection at four feet or more unless specifically addressed in WAC 296-880-300 of this chapter.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 20-12-091, § 296-880-200, fil…

The employer must ensure that fall arrest systems, fall restraint systems, or positioning device systems are provided, installed, and implemented in accordance with WAC 296-880-400 Fall protection system specifications when employees are exposed to fall hazards of four feet or mo…

Employees are exempt from WAC 296-880-20005 under the following conditions:(1) During initial installation of the fall protection anchor prior to engaging in any work activity, or the disassembly of the fall protection anchor after all work activities have been completed.(2) When…

This section addresses specific fall protection requirements not already addressed in WAC 296-880-200 of this chapter.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 20-12-091, § 296-880-300, filed 6/2/20, effective 10/1/20.]

This section applies to work activities under the scope of chapter 296-155 WAC, Safety standards for construction work, unless specifically addressed in WAC 296-880-200 of this chapter.(1) The employer must ensure that a fall arrest system, fall restraint system, or positioning d…

This section applies to powered industrial trucks under the scope of chapter 296-863 WAC, Forklifts and other powered industrial trucks.(1) The employer must ensure all persons operating an order picker are protected by standard guardrails on all open sides; or(2) A full body har…

(1) This section applies to the following types of elevating work platforms covered under the scope of chapter 296-869 WAC, Elevating work platforms: (a) Aerial lifts;(b) Manually propelled elevating work platforms that have a platform that cannot be positioned completely beyond …

This section applies to permanent powered platform installations dedicated to interior or exterior building maintenance of a specific structure or group of structures under the scope of chapter 296-870 WAC, Powered platforms.(1) Building owner certifications. The employer must ob…

This section applies to all window cleaning activities performed on the inside or outside of a building in which the window cleaner is working from a level that is located more than four feet above grade or lower level under the scope of chapter 296-878 WAC, Safety standards for …

This section applies to suspended and supported scaffolds under the scope of chapter 296-874 WAC, Scaffolds.(1) The employer must protect each employee on a scaffold from falling ten feet or more to a lower level, by providing either:(a) A personal fall arrest system; or(b) Guard…

This section applies to all cranes covered under the scope of chapter 296-155 WAC, Part L, Cranes, rigging, and personnel lifting.(1) Fall protection systems:(a) Personal fall arrest systems must conform to the criteria in WAC 296-880-40020.(b) Personal fall restraint systems mus…

Requirements for telecommunications can be found in chapter 296-32 WAC, Safety standards for telecommunications.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 20-12-091, § 296-880-30040, filed 6/2/20, effective 10/1/20.]

This section applies to all ship repairing, shipbuilding and shipbreaking industries and operations under the scope of chapter 296-304 WAC, Safety standards for ship repairing, shipbuilding and shipbreaking.(1) The employer must provide and ensure the use of fall protection when …

This section applies to any and all waterfront operations under the scope of chapter 296-56 WAC, Safety standards—Longshore, stevedore, and waterfront related operations.(1) The employer must ensure employees doing maintenance work on cranes, spouts or similar types of equipment,…

This section applies to all persons, firms, corporations, or others engaged in the operation of organized ski areas and facilities under the scope of chapter 296-59 WAC, Safety standards for ski area facilities and operations.(1) Personal protective equipment, general requirement…

This section applies to all fall protection systems under the scope of this chapter unless specifically addressed in WAC 296-880-300.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 20-12-091, § 296-880-400, filed 6/2/20, effective …

Guardrail systems and their use must conform to the following provisions:(1) A standard guardrail system must consist of top rail, intermediate rail, and posts, and must have a vertical height of 39 to 45 inches from upper surface of top rail to floor, platform, runway, or ramp l…

Ramps, runways, and inclined walkways must conform to the following provisions:(1) Be at least eighteen inches wide; and(2) Not be inclined more than twenty degrees from horizontal and when inclined, they must be cleated or otherwise treated to prevent a slipping hazard on the wa…

Covers and their use must conform to the following provisions:(1) Hole covers must be of any material that meets the following strength requirements:(a) Conduits, trenches, and manhole covers and their supports, when located in roadways, and vehicular aisles must be designed to c…

Personal fall arrest systems and their use must conform to the following provisions:(1) Personal fall arrest systems:(a) A full body harness must be used.(b) The attachment point of the full body harness must be located in the center of the wearer's back near shoulder level, or a…

Personal fall restraint systems and their use must conform to the following provisions.Personal fall restraint systems must be rigged to allow the movement of employees only as far as the unprotected sides and edges of the walking/working surface, and must consist of:(1) A full b…

Positioning device systems and their use must conform to the following provisions:(1) Positioning harnesses or full body harnesses must be used.(2) Positioning devices must be rigged to prevent an employee from a free fall greater than two feet.(3) Positioning devices must be sec…

Self-rescue devices and their use must conform to the following provisions:(1) Self-rescue devices are not to be used as a fall protection system.(2) Self-rescue devices must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions.(3) The use of self-rescue devices must be addressed…

Warning line systems and their use must conform to the following provisions:Warning line system specifications used on roofs with a pitch of four in 12 or less for roofing work, leading edge work and on low pitched open sided surfaces for work activities other than roofing work o…

Safety monitor systems and their use must conform to the following provisions:(1) A safety monitor system may be used in conjunction with a warning line system as a method of fall protection during roofing work on low pitched roofs.Note:The warning line is not required when perfo…

Safety watch systems and their use must conform to the following provisions:(1) When one employee is conducting work, other than construction work, on a low pitch roof, not within six feet of the roof edge and when the work is both infrequent and temporary, employers are allowed …

Safety net systems and their use must conform with the following provisions:(1) Safety nets must be installed as close as practicable under the surface on which employees are working, but in no case more than thirty feet (9.1 m) below such level unless specifically approved in wr…

Catch platforms and their use must comply with the following provisions:(1) Catch platforms must be installed within four vertical feet of the work area.(2) Catch platforms must be a minimum of forty-five inches wide and equipped with standard guardrails and toeboards on all open…

Canopies and their use must comply with the following provision: Canopies, when used as falling object protection, must be of sufficient strength to prevent collapse and to prevent penetration by any objects which may fall onto the canopy.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.1…

Roof brackets and their use must comply with the following provisions: Roofing brackets are not a fall protection system.(1) Roofing brackets must be constructed to fit the pitch of the roof.(2) In addition to securing brackets using the pointed metal projections, brackets must a…

Crawling boards, chicken ladders, and their use must conform with the following provisions: Crawling boards and chicken ladders are not fall protection systems.(1) Crawling boards must be not less than ten inches wide and one inch thick, having cleats one by one and one-half inch…

Roof edge materials handling areas and materials storage must conform with the following provisions:(1) When guardrails are used at hoisting areas, a minimum of four feet of guardrail must be erected along each side of the access point through which materials are hoisted.(2) A ch…

Guidelines for complying with fall restraint requirements in this section.(1) This appendix serves as a guideline to assist employers complying with the requirements of WAC 296-880-40045 which allows the use of a safety monitoring system alone as a means of providing fall protect…

Calculating fall clearance distance using a shock-absorbing lanyard and D-ring anchorage connector - Nonmandatory guidelines for complying with WAC 296-880-40020.Do the following to calculate the fall clearance distance using a shock-absorbing lanyard and D-ring anchorage connect…

(1) General. Subsections (2), (3), (4), and (5) of this appendix set forth test procedures which may be used to determine compliance with the requirements in WAC 296-880-40020.(2) General conditions for all tests.(a) Lifelines, lanyards, and deceleration devices should be attache…

(1) Affected employees. Employees who could be one of the following:(a) Exposed to unsafe conditions or practices.(b) Affected by a request for, or change in, a variance from DOSH requirements.(2) Applicant. The entity submitting an application and formal proposal for a safety an…

This chapter applies to the following requirements and information regarding administration of the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA), chapter 49.17 RCW:(1) Employer requests for using an alternative to DOSH requirements.(2) Workplace inspections conducted by DOS…

Summary:Employer responsibility.Employer must meet the requirements…in this section:Applying for a varianceWAC 296-900-11005Interim ordersWAC 296-900-11010Renewing a temporary varianceWAC 296-900-11015Changing a varianceWAC 296-900-11020Variance hearingsWAC 296-900-11025[Statutor…

IMPORTANT:1. A variance provides an approved alternative to DOSH requirements to protect employees from a workplace hazard. Variances can be permanent or temporary.2. Variances will not be retroactive. Employers are obligated to follow DOSH requirements until the variance is gran…