Pile driving equipment requirements

Yes — boilers that are part of or used with pile driving equipment must meet the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Power Boilers (Section I) requirements. See the specific requirement in 1926.603(a)(1).

Yes — any pressure vessels that are part of or used with pile driving equipment must meet the applicable American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Pressure Vessels (Section VIII) requirements. See 1926.603(a)(2).

You must provide overhead protection that does not obscure the operator’s vision and that meets the requirements of Subpart N; it must be equivalent in strength to 2‑inch planking or another solid material of equivalent strength. See 1926.603(a)(3) and consult the general Subpart N rules in 1926 Subpart N for guard and protection design details.

Yes — stop blocks must be provided for the leads to prevent the hammer from being raised against the head block. This prevents overtravel of the hammer and reduces the risk of equipment damage and worker injury. See 1926.603(a)(4).

A blocking device capable of safely supporting the weight of the hammer must be provided and kept in the leads under the hammer at all times while employees are working beneath it. This protects workers from an accidental drop or movement of the hammer. See 1926.603(a)(5).

You must provide guards across the top of the head block to prevent the cable from jumping out of the sheaves. These guards help avoid sudden cable failures or whip that can injure workers. See 1926.603(a)(6).

When the leads must be inclined for driving batter piles, provisions must be made to stabilize the leads so they remain secure during driving operations. Stabilization prevents collapse or loss of control of the leads. See 1926.603(a)(7).

Fixed leads must have a ladder and adequate rings or similar attachment points so the loft worker can engage a safety-belt lanyard to the leads; if loft platforms are provided, the platforms must be protected by standard guardrails. See 1926.603(a)(8). Additionally, suspended or temporary conveyances used as work platforms meet the definition of suspended scaffolds and must follow fall protection and falling object protection in 29 CFR 1926.451(g) and (h) as discussed in OSHA’s scaffold interpretation (Dec. 5, 2023) at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2023-12-05.

Steam hoses leading to a steam hammer or jet pipe must be securely attached to the hammer with at least a 1/4‑inch diameter chain or cable of adequate length to prevent whipping if the joint breaks; air hammer hoses must have the same protection, and each hose connection must have safety chains or equivalent means to prevent thrashing if a coupling disconnects. See 1926.603(a)(9) and 1926.603(a)(10).

Steam line controls must include two shutoff valves, and one of them must be a quick‑acting lever type located within easy reach of the hammer operator. This lets the operator quickly stop steam flow in an emergency. See 1926.603(a)(11).

Pile driver rigs must be provided with guys, outriggers, thrustouts, or counterbalances as necessary to maintain stability of the rig. Use the means appropriate for your rig and site conditions to prevent tipping or collapse. See 1926.603(a)(12).

Barges or floats used to support pile driving operations must meet the applicable requirements of 1926.605. See 1926.603(b).

Engineers and winchmen must accept signals only from the designated signalmen. This ensures clear, coordinated communication during hoisting and driving. See 1926.603(c)(1).

All employees must be kept clear while piling is being hoisted into the leads to avoid struck‑by and crushing hazards. See 1926.603(c)(2).

When piles are being driven in an excavated pit, the pit walls must be sloped to the angle of repose or the pit must be sheet‑piled and braced to prevent collapse and protect workers. See 1926.603(c)(3).

Employees must be kept well beyond the range of falling materials when steel tube piles are being blown out, so they are not struck by expelled debris. See 1926.603(c)(4).

Pile driving operations must be suspended while pile tops are being cut off unless the cutting is located at least twice the length of the longest pile from the driver; only then may cutting occur concurrently without suspending driving. See 1926.603(c)(5).

When driving jacked piles, all access pits must be provided with ladders and bulkheaded curbs to prevent material from falling into the pit and to provide safe entry and egress. See 1926.603(c)(6).

Yes — employers must assess workplace hazards before selecting and requiring PPE such as safety belts and lanyards, and provide written certification of that assessment when PPE will be required. OSHA’s Personal Protective Equipment interpretation explains the employer’s duty to assess hazards and document the assessment as required by 29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1), which applies as general PPE guidance employers should follow when implementing the attachment points and lanyard use required by 1926.603(a)(5) and (a)(8). See OSHA’s interpretation on PPE hazard assessment at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2024-03-28 and the fixed‑leads attachment requirement in 1926.603(a)(8).

If a conveyance functions as a temporary suspended work platform, it meets the definition of a suspended scaffold and must comply with scaffold fall protection and falling-object protection requirements under [29 CFR 1926.451(g) and (h)], as clarified in OSHA’s scaffold interpretation. See the scaffold interpretation at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2023-12-05 and the general pile driving overhead/guardrail requirements in 1926.603(a)(3) and (a)(8).

Yes — workers on pile driving operations are likely to need hearing protection due to high noise from hammers, and OSHA allows employers to rely on properly selected and used hearing protection when engineering or administrative controls are not feasible. Employers should include exposed workers in a hearing conservation program when exposures meet the action level. See OSHA’s guidance on hearing protection and the Hearing Conservation rules referenced in the noise interpretation at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2023-03-06 and consider the general construction requirements in 1926 when planning controls.