1. Fall Protection MIOSHA Part 45 OSHA 1926 Subpart M Holes and Covers
MIOSHA Const - Part 45 Fall Protection
Revised 05/11/09
Fall Protection MIOSHA Part 45 OSHA 1926 Subpart M Holes and Covers

2. MIOSHA Const - Part 45 Fall Protection
Revised 05/11/09
Falls in Construction
Falls are the leading cause of death in construction
Falls from as little as 4 to 6 feet can cause serious lost-time accidents and sometimes death
Falls from 11 feet result in death 50% of the time
Every worker on a job site is at risk of a fall

3. MIOSHA Const - Part 45 Fall Protection
Revised 05/11/09
Types of Fall Protection
Guardrails
Safety nets
Personal fall arrest system
Covers/ Holes
Conventional
Fall Protection Systems
Positioning device systems
Warning line systems
Controlled access zones
leading edge, precast concrete, overhand bricklaying
Safety monitoring
Fall protection plans
These 4 systems should be used for most situations
The other 5 systems are for:
Unique situations have unique fall protection methods
When and if conventional fall protection is infeasible
This slide show different types of fall protection. This presentation will focus on Guardrails.

4. MIOSHA Const - Part 45 Fall Protection
Revised 05/11/09
Floor Holes
All holes must be covered or have guardrail around them
Left picture shows a hole that is not covered properly
Middle picture shows ladder opening that has no guardrails around it. It must be guardrailed.
Right picture shows a common violation in residential – a basement opening with no guardrails around it.
MIOSHA Standard Requires
Cover completely and securely and mark with the words “Hole” or “Cover”
Capable of supporting 2 times
If no cover, guard with a guardrail

5. MIOSHA Const - Part 45 Fall Protection
Revised 05/11/09
Skylights and Roof Openings
Top left picture shows a picture of a skylight that appears to have had a worker fall through.
Top right picture is a building in Michigan A maintenance worker fell through one of these skylights and died, prompting the owner to install the guards over the lights. Over 200 skylights on the building. Photo.
Bottom left photo shows a ventilation opening that is not properly covered or guarded. These types of improvised covers are all-too-common on roofs.
Covers, guardrails, or PFAS

6. Hoist areas
"Each employee in a hoist area shall be protected from falling 6 feet or more to lower levels by guardrail systems or personal fall arrest systems. If guardrail systems, or portions thereof, are removed to facilitate the hoisting operation and an employee must lean through the access opening or out over the edge of the access opening (to receive or guide equipment and materials, for example), that employee shall be protected from fall hazards by a personal fall arrest system.

7. Fall Protection Required When Cutting Holes and/or Removing Covers.
Many falls have taken place when employees are cutting a hole or removing a cover from an existing hole. In order to prevent falls and falling object hazards, the following requirements will apply:
A cover must not be removed unless the work operation does not allow for it to be in place.
When cutting a hole and/or removing an existing cover, employees must be protected from falling into the hole with a personal fall arrest system or restraint system unless the hole is in the immediate process of being permanently filled or covered with the equipment for which it was intended

8. Fall Protection Required When Cutting Holes and/or Removing Covers.
A cover must be readily available when cutting a hole. Immediately after completing the cut, the cover shall be secured over the hole and properly marked. Under no circumstances shall an employee walk away from a newly created hole, a re-exposed hole, or a partially cut hole without properly covering it.
To prevent being struck by falling objects, precautions shall be taken to prevent workers from walking underneath an area where a hole is actively being cut or where a cover has been removed. This can be accomplished by barricading the area below the hole and having a spotter keep others from entering the area.

9. Fall Protection Required When Cutting Holes and/or Removing Covers.
Covers may only be removed on the hole that is actively being worked on. Multiple uncovered holes are not allowed. Exception: During roofing work when workers are actively working on multiple holes, additional precautions must be implemented to prevent access to the other holes.
MIOSHA CSHD-COM-04-2R SUBJECT: Fall Protection – General Interpretations

10. More Information
MIOSHA Fact Sheets
MIOSHA CSHD-COM-04-2R2