Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities. The OSHA standards for walking and working surfaces apply to all permanent places of employment, except where domestic, mining, or agricultural work only is performed.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Housekeeping
Some of the most frequently overlooked general requirements involve housekeeping:
All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, and service rooms shall be kept clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition.

The floor of every workroom shall be maintained in a clean and, so far as possible, a dry condition. Where wet processes are used, drainage shall be maintained and gratings, mats, or raised platforms shall be provided.

> Every floor, working place and passageway shall be kept free from protruding nails, splinters, holes, or loose boards.

> Aisles and passageways shall be kept clear and in good repair with no obstruction across or in aisles that could create a hazard.

> Permanent aisles and passageways shall be appropriately marked.

> Where mechanical handling equipment is used, aisles shall be sufficiently wide. Improper aisle widths coupled with poor housekeeping and vehicle traffic can cause injury to employees, damage the equipment and material, and can limit egress in emergencies.
Covers and Guardrails

> Covers and/or guardrails shall be provided to protect personnel from the hazards of open pits, tanks, vats, ditches, and the like.

Floor Loading Protection
Load rating limits shall be marked on plates and conspicuously posted. It shall be unlawful to place, or cause, or permit to be placed, on any floor or roof of a building or other structure, a load greater than that for which such floor or roof is approved.

GUARDING FLOOR AND WALL OPENINGS AND HOLES

Floor openings and holes, wall openings and holes, and the open sides of platforms may create hazards. People may fall through the openings or over the sides to the level below. Objects, such as tools or parts, may fall through the holes and strike people or damage machinery on lower levels.

OSHA standards for guarding openings and holes use the following definitions:

Floor hole. An opening measuring less than 12 inches but more than 1 inch in its least dimension, in any floor, platform, pavement or yard, through which materials but not persons may fall.

Floor opening. An opening measuring 12 inches or more in its least dimension, in any floor, platform, pavement, or yard, through which persons may fall.

Platform. A working space for persons, elevated above the surrounding floor or ground.

Wall hole. An opening less than 30 inches but more than 1 inch high, of unrestricted width, in any wall or partition.

Wall opening. An opening at least 30 inches high and 18 inches wide, in any wall or partition, through which persons may fall.

Protection for Floor Openings
Standard railings shall be provided on all exposed sides of a stairway opening, except at the stairway entrance. For infrequently used stairways, where traffic across the opening prevents the use of a fixed standard railing, the guard shall consist of a hinged floor opening cover of standard strength and construction along with removable standard railings on all exposed sides, except at the stairway entrance.

A "standard railing" consists of top rail, mid rail, and posts, and shall have a vertical height of 42 inches nominal from the upper surface of top rail to floor, platform, runway, or ramp level. Nominal height of mid rail is 21 inches.

A "standard toeboard" is 4 inches nominal in vertical height, with not more than ¼-inch clearance above floor level.

Floor openings may be covered rather than guarded with rails. When the floor opening cover is removed, a temporary guardrail shall be in place, or an attendant shall be stationed at the opening to warn personnel.

Every floor hole into which persons can accidentally walk shall be guarded by either:
A standard railing with toeboard, or A floor hole cover of standard strength and construction.
While the cover is not in place, the floor hole shall be constantly attended by someone or shall be protected by a removable standard railing.

Protection of Open-Sided Floors, Platforms, and Runways
One of the most frequently overlooked requirements in walking-working surfaces is the requirement that every open-sided floor or platform 4 feet or more above adjacent floor or ground level shall be guarded by a standard railing on all open sides, except where there is an entrance to a ramp, stairway, or fixed ladder. The railing shall be provided with a toeboard wherever, beneath the open sides:
Persons can pass,
There is moving machinery, or
There is equipment with which falling materials could create a hazard.
Every runway shall be guarded by a standard railing, or the equivalent, on all sides 4 feet or more above floor or ground level. Wherever tools, machine parts, or materials are likely to be used on the runway, a toeboard shall also be provided on each exposed side.

Regardless of height, open-sided floors, walkways, platforms, or runways above or adjacent to dangerous equipment, pickling or galvanizing tanks, degreasing units, and similar hazards shall be guarded with a standard railing and toeboard.

Stairway Railings and Guards
Every flight of stairs with four or more risers shall have standard stair railings or standard handrails as specified below. Stair width is measured clear of all obstructions except handrails.
On stairways less than 44 inches wide having both sides enclosed, at least one handrail shall be affixed, preferably on the right side descending.

On stairways less than 44 inches wide with one open side, at least one stair rail shall be affixed on the open side.

On stairways less than 44 inches wide having both sides open, two stair rails shall be provided, one for each side.

On stairways more than 44 inches wide, but less than 88 inches, one handrail shall be provided on each enclosed side and one stair rail on each open side.

On stairways 88 inches or more in width, one handrail shall be provided on each enclosed side, one stair rail on each open side, and one intermediate stair rail placed approximately in the middle of the stairs.

A "standard stair railing" (stair rail) shall be of construction similar to a standard railing, but the vertical height shall be not more than 34 inches nor less than 30 inches from the upper surface of the top rail to the surface of the tread in line with the face of the riser at the forward edge of the tread.

A "standard handrail" consists of a lengthwise member mounted directly on a wall or partition by means of brackets attached to the lower side of the handrail in order to keep a smooth, unobstructed surface along the top and both sides of the handrail. They shall hold the rail 3 inches from the wall and be no more than 8 feet apart.

The height of handrails shall be no more than 34 inches nor less than 30 inches from the upper surface of the handrail to the surface of the tread in line with the face of the riser or to the surface of the ramp.

Winding stairs shall have a handrail that is offset to prevent people from walking on any portion of the treads where the width is less than 6 inches.

FIXED INDUSTRIAL STAIRS

This section contains specifications for the safe design and construction of fixed general industrial stairs. This includes interior and exterior stairs around machinery, tanks, and other equipment, and stairs leading to or from floors, platforms or pits. This section does not apply to stairs used for fire exit purposes, to construction operations, to private residences, or to articulated stairs, such as may be installed on floating roof tanks, the angle of which changes with the rise and fall of the base support.

Where are fixed stairs required?
Fixed Industrial Stairs shall be provided for access to and from places of work where
operations necessitate regular travel between levels. OSHA requirements include:
Fixed industrial stairs shall be strong enough to carry five times the normal
anticipated live load.

At the very minimum, any fixed stairway shall be able to carry safely a moving concentrated load of 1000 pounds.

All fixed stairways shall have a minimum width of 22 inches.

Fixed stairs shall be installed at angles to the horizontal of between 30 degrees and 50degrees.

Vertical clearance above any stair tread to an overhead obstruction shall be at least 7 feet measured from the leading edge of the tread.

When inspecting the condition of stairways in your place of work, here are some items for consideration:

 Handrails and Stair rails:
A. Lack of
B. Placement
C. Smoothness of surface
D. Strength
E. Clearance between rail and wall or other object

Treads:
A. Strength
B. Slip resistance
C. Dimensions
D. Evenness of surface
E. Visibility of leading edge

> Improper/inadequate design, construction or location of staircases.

> Wet, slippery, or damaged walking or grasping surfaces.

> Improper illumination...there is no general OSHA standard for illumination levels. The Illuminating Engineering Society publications should be consulted for recommendations.

> Poor housekeeping

> The length of a staircase is important. Long flights of steps without landings should be avoided whenever possible. The OSHA standards do not specify any exact number or placement of landings. The National Safety Council recommends landings at every tenth or twelfth tread. Intermediate landings and platforms on stairways shall be no less than the stair width and a minimum of 30 inches in length measured in the direction of travel.