Our company repairs and rebuilds trailers for enclosed and flatbed semi-trucks. It’s necessary for our employees to work on top of the trailers, which are about 14 feet high, but the work only takes about five minutes to accomplish on each trailer. Our employees use ladders to access the tops of the trailers. Is fall protection required for this short-duration work?
Yes; there is no exception for short duration work. You must ensure that your employees are protected from fall hazards when they work on motor and rolling stock vehicles [437-002-0134(5)] more than 10 feet above a lower level.
Examples of fall protection systems include guardrails, personal fall arrest systems, positioning systems, and travel restraint systems. You must also ensure that the fall protection systems are provided, installed, and used according to the criteria in 1910.140 (Personal Fall Protection Systems).
An Oregon OSHA consultant can recommend appropriate fall protection options for this work if you are not sure what fall protection system to use. To request a free, confidential consultation contact Oregon OSHA Consultation Services.