CCOHS: Fall Protection - Guardrails

Jan. 06, 2025

CCOHS: Fall Protection - Guardrails

Fall Protection - Guardrails

What are guardrails?

Guardrails are a stationary (or "fixed") system used to protect workers from falls when working at heights. Guardrails are a preferred means of protecting workers because the system does not rely on the worker to be trained to use, inspect, and wear a fall protection system.

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Well built guardrails are a reliable and convenient means of fall protection because they act as a visible and physical barrier to help prevent falls from heights or between levels including falls from roofs, balconies, stairwells or falls into open holes. Guardrails are used where covers, floors or walls cannot be installed or are not practical.

Guardrails are used in every industry and can be seen in:

retail shops
industrial settings
construction sites
warehouses
shipping facilities
landscaping and work areas in natural settings, and
any workplace with an accessible rooftop.

Are guardrails and handrails the same thing?

While guardrails often also have handrails, they are not the same thing. Handrails serve as a handhold people use to support themselves while using up or down stairs, ramps, or crossing flat surfaces. Guardrails are designed to prevent falls over an unprotected edge or into an opening.

When do you use guardrails?

Install a guardrail if the fall hazard or working at heights cannot be eliminated. Guardrails should be used when a worker could have access to the unprotected edge of any of the following work surfaces and is exposed to a fall from a height or between levels. If an employee can fall into or onto dangerous equipment such as a conveyor belt, it is also good practice to prevent such falls by installing guardrails and toe boards. Make sure the guardrail is installed around the edge or opening before work begins.

Installing a guardrail is good practice:

around a balcony or mezzanine
at the edges of catwalks or overhead conveyor platforms
along the bridges
around scaffolds, raised platforms, or open platforms on aerial devices
at the edges of roofs where work may be performed
along the open edges of elevated working areas such as the upper floors of building under construction or being repaired
around work elevated work surfaces including platforms, scaffolds, runways, or ramps
around openings in floors, roofs, and in working surfaces where the openings are not covered or protected
open edges of slab formwork for floors and roofs
any where workers could fall into water, operating machinery, or hazardous substances.

In most jurisdictions, use of a guardrail is specified for certain circumstances. Always check with your jurisdiction for exact requirements.

What are the main types of guardrails?

There are two main types of guardrails - job built guardrails and manufactured guardrail systems. While job built guardrails are typically made of wood, manufactured guardrail systems are available in a variety of materials and may have parts made of mesh, netting or fencing. Guardrails typically feature a top rail, mid-rail, toe boards with evenly spaced vertical posts.

Regardless of type, make sure all guardrails used meet the regulatory requirements and are built according to requirements (e.g., height and spacing requirements of guardrail components and/or are installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To prevent people from falling, guardrails must:

be high enough to prevent a person from falling over the top of them.
be strong enough to withstand the force of the number of people likely to lean or push up against them. Consider also possible impacts from tools and other materials used nearby.
have evenly spaced posts that areclose enough together to prevent people from falling through the gaps. If using a manufactured guardrail system that does not use vertical posts, it must provide equal protection against similar gaps.
be installed as close to the open edge as is reasonable.
extend along the whole length of the opening or unprotected edge.
be made of materials with smooth surfaces that are not abrasive and will not cut skin or snag clothing. Common materials used are wood and metal.

What is meant by load specifications?

Regulations often require a load specification. This requirement refers to the amount of force that guardrails may be expected to support, and is measured in newtons (N) or pounds (lbs).

The force requirements will depend on the application of the guardrail and the legislative requirements in your jurisdiction.

The CSA Standard Z797-18 Code of practice for access scaffold also provides minimum load bearing and height requirements for guardrails and toe boards.

What else should be considered when installing guardrails?

Make sure workers in the area near the unguarded edge are protected from falls by other means (travel restraint, fall arrest, netting, etc.) until the guardrail is completely installed.

When building guardrails on the job,

Consider how long the guardrail will be required (and factor in the local weather and other environment conditions).
If building the guardrail from wood, only use lumber that is construction grade quality or better. Some jurisdictions require the lumber used be spruce, pine or fir (S-P-F) timber.
Inspect the lumber for damage or rot. Lumber should have no visible defects that could affect its loadbearing capacity.
Choose the appropriate fasteners for the materials being used. Make sure all nails and other fasteners used are strong enough to withstand the forces applied to them.
Make sure the wooden surface is smooth and that the finished guardrail does not have protruding nails, screws, or rough edges.
Do not reuse old construction materials.

Other items to consider include:

The number of people in a work area
The size of the work area
The weight and type of tools or materials being used in the area
Whether the guardrails are to be a permanent or temporary solution

What should be done if you need to remove the whole or part of a guardrail?

It may be necessary to remove guardrails or sections of a guardrail in a working area, such as unloading materials at a site above ground level. Follow good practice to ensure there are not falls through an unprotected opening. Improper removal of the guardrails can leave protruding edges or parts, like nails, that may injure workers, so use the right tools and follow all established construction procedures.

Before removing a guardrail:

Identify the work area that will be affected by the removal of the guardrail. Mark an area large enough to keep unprotected employees away from the fall hazard. For example, in Ontario it is recommended that this distance be "at least 2 metres (6 feet, 6 inches) from either side of the opening and at least 2 metres back from the open edge of the work surface".
Clear that area so it is free from slip or trip hazards such as ice and debris.
Mark it off as a fall hazard area with caution tape or a warning barrier.
Alert all those working nearby that a guardrail is being removed. Post warning signs outside the roped off area alerting anyone of the danger from the unprotected fall hazard.
Set up travel restraint or fall arrest systems for everyone working in the fall hazard area after the guardrail is removed.

After the guardrail is removed, everyone working inside the marked off area must use a travel restraint or fall arrest system at all times.

When reinstalling or rebuilding a guardrail, make sure it is installed as intended according to the manufacturer's instructions or its original design. Store the removed guardrails or sections in a place where they cannot fall on someone or become a trip hazard.

Fact sheet first published: -11-07
Fact sheet confirmed current: -01-10
Fact sheet last revised: -11-07

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Understanding OSHA Requirements for Guardrail

As the leading resource on fall protection, we at Diversified Fall Protection are frequently asked for help understanding and complying with OSHA requirements for guardrail and safety railing systems.

Below, we&#;ll explain OSHA&#;s official rules on guardrail for general industry applications and show you how your business can remain compliant with these regulations.

For more help, contact the team of experts at Diversified Fall Protection. Our engineers will design and implement a complete, OSHA-compliant guardrail system to protect your team when working on rooftops and other elevated surfaces.

What is a guardrail?

A guardrail, or guard rail, is a stationary, fixed fall protection system designed to prevent workers from stepping over the edge of a walking-working surface. OSHA .29(b) is the portion of the regulations that contains system requirements that employers must follow to ensure guardrail systems will protect workers from falling to lower levels.

Three main parts of a guardrail

There are three main parts of a guardrail: The top rails, the midrails, and the vertical posts. Each part of the guardrail must comply with OSHA&#;s rules, including material type, size, height, and location. We explain each of these below.

Guard Rail Requirements

Diversified Fall Protection provides turnkey guardrail systems that comply with all of the following OSHA requirements for guard rail.

Railing height for guard rail

According to OSHA, top rails (or equivalent guardrail system members) must be 42 inches (107 cm), plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm), above the walking-working surface. The top edge height may exceed 45 inches (114 cm), as long as the guardrail system meets all other criteria.

Guardrail is required for any platform 4 feet or higher above a lower floor or the ground. Guardrails are required have vertical heights of 42 inches from the upper surface of the top rail to floor, platform, runway, or ramp level.

Mid-rails

If there is not a wall or parapet at least 21 inches (53 cm) high, then midrails must be installed halfway between the top edge of the guardrail and the walking-working surface. Screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, solid panels, or other equivalents can be considered &#;midrails&#; for this purpose.

If screens and mesh are used, they must extend from the walking-working surface to the top rail and along the entire opening between top rail supports.

Intermediate vertical members (such as balusters) must be installed no more than 19 inches (48 cm) apart. Other equivalent intermediate members (such as additional midrails and architectural panels) should be installed so that the openings are not more than 19 inches (48 cm) wide.

Guard rail strength

OSHA requires guardrail be strong enough to withstand force both outward and downward along the top rail and at the midrail section.

Guardrail systems need to be capable of withstanding a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) at any point along the top rail. This force is applied in a downward or outward direction within 2 inches (5 cm) of the top edge. When tested in a downward direction, the top rail of the guardrail system must remain at least 39 inches (99 cm) above the walking-working surface.

Midrails, screens, mesh, solid panels, and other equivalent intermediate members must be capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 150 pounds (667 N) applied in any downward or outward direction at any point along the intermediate member.

Smooth surfaces required for guardrail

Guardrail systems need to be smooth-surfaced. This is to protect employees from injury, such as punctures or lacerations, and to prevent catching or snagging of clothing. Our railings have a powder-coated finish to meet this requirement.

OSHA also requires that the ends of top rails and midrails do not overhang the terminal posts, which are the posts at each end. The only exception is if the overhang does not pose a projection hazard.

Similarly, steel and plastic banding are not permitted to be used for top rails or midrails, and guard rails must be at least 0.25-inches (0.6 cm) in diameter or in thickness. These requirements also protect workers from injury caused by too much force applied at these points.

Guardrail near hoist areas and holes

OSHA says that when guardrail systems are used at hoist areas, there needs to be a removable guardrail section placed across the access opening when employees are not performing hoisting operations. This section must have a top rail and midrail. You may use chains or gates instead of a removable guardrail section if you show they provide the same level of protection as guard rails.

Guardrail systems used around holes must be installed on all unprotected sides or edges of the hole. If materials will be passed through the hole, no more than two sides of the guardrail system can be removed at a time. When materials are not being passed through the hole, the hole must be guarded by a guardrail system along all unprotected sides or edges or closed over with a cover.

Guardrails at point-of-access holes

When used around holes that serve as points of access (such as ladderways), the guardrail system opening needs to have a self-closing gate that slides or swings away from the hole. The gate must have a top rail and midrail (or equivalent intermediate member) that meets the requirements for guardrail above. The other option is to offset it to prevent an employee from walking or falling into the hole.

Guardrail for ramps and runways

For ramps and runways, guard rail must be installed along each unprotected side or edge. You can use Manila or synthetic rope for top rails or midrails if it is inspected as necessary to ensure that the rope continues to meet OSHA strength requirements described above (the 200-pound and 150-pound tests).

CCOHS: Fall Protection - Guardrails