Fall zone safety for hoisting

Employers must use hoisting routes that minimize employee exposure to hoisted loads whenever such routes are available and doing so is consistent with public safety. See 1926.1425(a).

• Use planning to select routes that reduce time workers spend near suspended loads.
• Balance worker protection with public-safety considerations when selecting routes.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(a).

Only employees engaged in hooking, unhooking, or guiding a load; engaged in the initial attachment of the load to a component or structure; or operating a concrete hopper or concrete bucket may be within the fall zone while the operator is not moving a suspended load. See 1926.1425(b) and its exceptions at 1926.1425(b)(1)–(3).

• Employers should limit presence in the fall zone to those specific tasks only.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(b).

No — 1926.1425(b) allows limited employees in the fall zone only while the operator is not moving a suspended load, which implies employees must not be in the fall zone when the operator is moving the suspended load. See 1926.1425(b).

• To be compliant, ensure the fall zone is clear of personnel whenever the operator moves a suspended load unless another standard provision explicitly permits presence.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(b).

All three specific criteria in 1926.1425(c) must be met: the materials must be rigged to prevent unintentional displacement, hooks with self-closing latches (or equivalent) must be used (with a limited exception), and the materials must be rigged by a qualified rigger. See 1926.1425(c).

• 1926.1425(c)(1): Rigging must prevent unintentional displacement.
• 1926.1425(c)(2): Use hooks with self-closing latches or equivalent; exception permits "J" hooks for setting wooden trusses.
• 1926.1425(c)(3): A qualified rigger must perform the rigging.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(c).

It means the rigging for hoisted materials must be arranged and secured so the load cannot move, shift, or fall unexpectedly while employees are within the fall zone. See 1926.1425(c)(1).

• Employers must choose rigging methods and devices that keep the load stable during the specific lift.
• The rigging decision should be made by a qualified rigger as required by 1926.1425(c)(3).

Cited standard: 1926.1425(c)(1).

No — hooks with self-closing latches or their equivalent must be used when employees are in the fall zone guiding loads, except that "J" hooks are permitted for setting wooden trusses. See 1926.1425(c)(2).

• Use self-closing latches unless the specific truss-setting exception applies.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(c)(2).

Materials must be rigged by a qualified rigger when employees are within the fall zone performing hooking, unhooking, or guiding tasks. See 1926.1425(c)(3).

• Employers are responsible for ensuring the rigger has the necessary knowledge, training, and competency to rig safely for the lift.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(c)(3).

Only the employees needed to receive (land) the load are permitted to be within the fall zone when a load is being landed. See 1926.1425(d).

• Limit personnel to those essential for the landing operation to reduce exposure to falling objects or load shifts.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(d).

No — during a tilt-up or tilt-down operation, no employee must be directly under the load. See 1926.1425(e)(1).

• Maintain exclusion zones and work procedures to prevent personnel from being directly beneath tilted panels or members.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(e)(1).

Only employees essential to the operation may be in the fall zone (but not directly under the load) during tilt-up or tilt-down operations; an employee is "essential" if they are performing one of these tasks and the employer can demonstrate it is infeasible to perform it from outside the fall zone: (1) physically guide the load; (2) closely monitor and give instructions regarding the load's movement; or (3) detach or initially attach the load to another component or structure. See 1926.1425(e)(2).

• Employers must document or be able to demonstrate why the essential task cannot be done from outside the fall zone.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(e)(2).

Yes — 1926.1425 notes that boom free fall is prohibited when an employee is in the fall zone of the boom, and load line free fall is prohibited when an employee is directly under the load, and it refers to 1926.1426 for further details. See 1926.1425(e) and 1926.1426.

• Do not use boom free fall if employees are in the boom fall zone.
• Do not use load line free fall if employees are directly beneath the load.

Cited standards: 1926.1425(e) and 1926.1426.

No — the standard limits presence in the fall zone to specific necessary functions (hooking/unhooking/guiding, initial attachment, receiving a load, or essential tilt-up/down tasks); nonessential watching or informal assistance is not permitted. See 1926.1425(b) and 1926.1425(d).

• Restrict the fall zone strictly to necessary personnel to reduce risk of injury from dropped or shifting loads.

Cited standards: 1926.1425(b) and 1926.1425(d).

Employers must ensure the load is rigged to prevent unintentional displacement, that hooks with self-closing latches (or equivalents) are used except for the truss exception, and that a qualified rigger performs the rigging before permitting employees in the fall zone to attach or guide loads. See 1926.1425(c).

• Train and assign qualified personnel for rigging tasks.
• Use proper hardware (self-closing latches) unless the specific exception applies.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(c).

Yes — an employee who must closely monitor and give instructions regarding the load's movement can be considered essential and permitted in the fall zone (but not directly under the load) if the employer demonstrates it is infeasible for that employee to perform the task from outside the fall zone. See 1926.1425(e)(2).

• The employer must be able to justify why the monitoring or instruction cannot be done from a safer location.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(e)(2).

Yes — employees operating a concrete hopper or concrete bucket are one of the specific exceptions allowed within the fall zone while the operator is not moving a suspended load, per 1926.1425(b)(3).

• Even in this permitted case, employers should ensure rigging, landing, and access procedures protect the operator from hazards.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(b)(3).

1926.1425 prohibits boom free fall when an employee is in the boom's fall zone and prohibits load line free fall when an employee is directly under the load, and refers employers to 1926.1426 for additional requirements about free-fall operations. See 1926.1425(e).

• Consult 1926.1426 before using free-fall functions when personnel are near the boom or under the load.

Cited standards: 1926.1425(e) and 1926.1426.

Employers must ensure the load is rigged to prevent unintentional displacement, use hooks with self-closing latches (unless the truss exception applies), and have the rigging done by a qualified rigger before permitting initial attachment work in the fall zone. See 1926.1425(c)(1)–(3).

• Only workers directly involved in the initial attachment should be in the fall zone; others must remain clear.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(c).

No — the standard prescribes explicit, limited conditions under which employees may be in the fall zone; employers must follow those requirements (e.g., rigging criteria and qualified rigger) rather than relying on informal practices. See 1926.1425(b)–(e).

• Documented procedures and trained qualified personnel are necessary to meet the standard's conditions.

Cited standard: 1926.1425(b)–(e).

OSHA's Letter of Interpretation on scaffold and fall protection clarification (Dec. 5, 2023) explains that conveyances operating with temporary guides, suspension means, or temporary hoist machines meet the definition of a suspended scaffold and must follow suspended scaffold fall protection and falling object protection requirements found in the scaffold standards. See the interpretation at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2023-12-05 and the general construction standard 1926.

• That interpretation helps when deciding whether conveyances are treated as suspended scaffolds and what fall/falling-object protections apply.

Cited interpretation: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2023-12-05 and standard: 1926.

The fall-zone rules for hoisting loads are located in 29 CFR 1926.1425; you can read the full section at 1926.1425.

• That page contains the provisions for hoisting routes, who may be in the fall zone, rigging and hook requirements, receiving a load, and tilt-up/down operations.

Cited standard: 1926.1425.