FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

  • OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration): Enforces mandatory federal workplace safety and health standards (e.g., 29 CFR 1910 for General Industry and 29 CFR 1926 for Construction).
  • ANSI/ASSP (American National Standards Institute / American Society of Safety Professionals): Publishes voluntary consensus standards, such as the ANSI/ASSP Z359 Fall Protection Code. These are not legally mandatory (unless adopted by a regulator or contractually required), but they represent industry best practices and often exceed minimum OSHA requirements.
  • Cal-OSHA: Enforces California's state-specific workplace safety and health regulations, found in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. Cal-OSHA standards are often stricter or have lower trigger heights than federal OSHA.
  • WA-OSHA: Refers to Washington's State Plan for Occupational Safety and Health, which is the state's version of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It operates under the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) and is administered by the state's Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). WA-OSHA standards are also often stricter than federal OSHA.

No, OSHA does not require safety cages for fixed ladders over 20 feet, and they are not considered compliant for new installations. OSHA has phased them out in favor of more effective systems like a personal fall arrest system (PFAS) or a ladder safety system. New fixed ladders over 24 feet must use one of these systems, and all existing caged ladders must be retrofitted by November 18, 2036.

Visit: CAI Safety Systems Fixed Vertical Ladders

CAISS allows our clients to arrange their own freight service via their own shipping account or freight vendor.

When CAISS sends clients a quotation, CAISS will include "Client Arranged Shipping" at zero cost in the quotation to let the client know that they will be arranging their own freight service to pickup and deliver the items to the shipping address provided.

Please keep your shipper's contact/account information handy as CAISS will be requesting this information from our clients at the time of processing.

Freight rates are calculated based on the prevailing freight market value when the quotation is created.

When CAISS sends clients a quotation, freight cost is included to ship the items/material to the shipping address provided by the client.

Freight cost provided in the quotation is valid for 3 weeks from the delivery of the quotation to the client (via email). In this case, if you wish to convert the quotation into an order after 3 weeks have past, we will require to update the freight cost prior to processing the order.

For some items in our inventory, freight cost cannot be pre-determined due to the complexity of the packaging (Items are overweight, bundled individually, and/or exceeds dimensional limits). At this point, CAISS will include "**Freight To Be Determined when ready to Ship" at zero cost in the quotation to let you know that we will seek your approval for freight cost when the quotation is converted to an order.

For purposes of §1910.28(b)(9), the employer must measure the distance from the ground/lower level to the top of the fixed ladder. If that distance exceeds 24 feet, regardless of the length of the ladder, the employer must equip the fixed ladder with fall protection/fall arrest.

Visit: CAI Safety Systems Fixed Vertical Ladders | Vertical Ladder Fall Arrest Systems

The fall arrest system's top bracket or rigid rail track must extend at least 3 feet or 36 inches above the last rung of the fixed ladder to be OSHA compliant. This allows the user to transition onto the top platform while being tied off to the fall arrest system.

Visit: CAI Safety Systems Vertical Ladder Fall Arrest Systems

  • Federal OSHA: Annual inspection - A more thorough annual inspection must be conducted by a competent person.
  • Cal-OSHA: Bi-annual inspection - Fall arrest systems and their components must be formally inspected and documented twice a year by a competent person.

Visit: CAI Safety Systems Safety Inspection

CAISS provides the following payment terms to first time clients.

  • 50% upon order and 50% NET10 upon delivery
    • There is a 5% PO processing fee added to the order.
    • We will need a credit card on file and will verify availability of funds to cover the final 50% before processing the order.
    • Card will not be charged if final payment is received in a timely manner when invoiced 10 days after delivery of order.
    • CAISS does not collect Sales Tax on these orders, except for the state of California.
    • Credit references are not required, however, in some instances we may request this.

In summary, we invoice the first 50% of the order when order is placed. Once the order has been delivered, CAISS will invoice the remaining 50% 10 days after delivery.

Returning clients automatically qualify for 100% NET30 payment terms, provided an order is placed at least 2 years (24 months) from their last order with us. CAISS analyses this on a case-by-case basis.

CAISS does not provide NET30, NET60, NET90, or any other payment terms to first time clients.

All quotations and orders includes the following Processing Fees:

  • Credit Card Processing Fee: 2.9%
    • This fee is associated with the credit card company that CAISS is in partnership with.
  • ACH/Bank Transfer Processing Fee: $0.00
  • Check Payment Processing Fee: $0.00
  • PO Processing Fee: 5%
    • This fee is associated with manual order processing by CAISS staff for orders on Payment Terms.

Note: If your bank requires an additional transfer fee, please do not include this fee as part of the order total amount.

All quotations issued by CAISS are valid for 30 days from the date the quotation was sent to the client (via email).

After 30 days of receiving the quotation, pricing on items may be subject to change without prior approval, and may require to be requoted.

The validity of the quotation has been mentioned in the quotation email and PDF provided to the client.

  • Quotation created on: XXX Date
  • Quotation valid until: XXX Date

Cal-OSHA fall protection guardrails are subject to strict requirements, primarily outlined in the California Code of Regulations. Key standards include a top rail height of 42–45 inches above the walking surface, a requirement for a midrail or equivalent, and a minimum strength of 20 pounds per linear foot for a live load. Posts must be spaced no more than 8 feet apart on center.

  • Title 8, Section 3209: Standard Guardrails. More strict than the federal rules for guardrails and roof fall protection systems.
  • Title 8, Section 1620: Design and Construction of Railings. More strict than the federal rules for guardrails and roof fall protection systems.

Visit: CAI Safety Systems Guardrail Fall Prevention Systems

An anchorage used for a PFAS must be capable of supporting:

  • 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) per employee attached OR
  • Be designed, installed, and used as part of a complete PFAS to maintain a safety factor of at least two.

  • 29 CFR 1910.29: General industry standard for fall protection systems and falling object protection.
  • 29 CFR 1926.502: Criteria and practices for fall protection systems in construction.
  • 29 CFR 1926.501: Duty to have fall protection, including when working at the edges of excavations or over dangerous equipment.

Both OSHA and Cal-OSHA require that employers provide for prompt rescue of employees in the event of a fall, or ensure that employees are able to rescue themselves. Relying on emergency services (like calling 911) is generally not considered a compliant rescue plan. These rescue and descent devices used to lower a fallen or injured worker to safety or to retrieve a worker from a confined space.

Both terms are defined in OSHA and Cal-OSHA regulations and require fall protection training and experience:

  • Competent Person: Someone capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. This person typically performs daily equipment inspections and site monitoring.
  • Qualified Person: Someone who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated the ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, work, or project. This person typically designs fall protection systems, calculates anchor strength, or develops fall protection plans.

Visit: CAI Safety Systems Fall Protection Training Courses

This is the height at which fall protection is legally required. It varies significantly by industry and regulator:

  • Federal OSHA - Construction (29 CFR 1926.501): 6 feet or more above a lower level for most activities.
  • Federal OSHA - General Industry (29 CFR 1910.28): 4 feet or more above a lower level, or when working over dangerous equipment regardless of height.
  • Cal-OSHA - General Industry (Title 8): Generally 7 1/2 feet from the perimeter of a structure, unprotected sides, and edges for most work, though some specific tasks may have lower limits.
  • Cal-OSHA - Construction (Title 8): Generally 6 feet for most work. Note: Cal-OSHA has recently aligned its residential construction height with the 6-foot federal standard for all residential work 6 feet or more as of July 1, 2025.

The intent of OSHA’s Walking-Working Surfaces standard, 29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart D & I, is to increase the protection of general industry employees and employers from hazards associated with walking-working surfaces. The rulemaking will significantly reduce the number of worker deaths and injuries that occur each year resulting from workplace slip, trip, and fall hazards. The final rule was published on November 18, 2016, and became effective on January 17, 2017.

The employer is responsible for creating a safe work environment and providing the necessary fall protection equipment.