What are the main regulatory and standards bodies for fall protection?
  • 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.