1926.1426: Boom Free Fall and Controlled Load Lowering
Free-fall (live) booms are prohibited when anyone is in the fall zone, an employee is being hoisted, the load or boom is over or near a power line per Table A, the load is over an occupied shaft or cofferdam fall zone, or lifts are in a refinery or tank farm. Otherwise they are allowed only on equipment made before October 31, 1984, or floating cranes/derricks. Where prohibited, the boom hoist needs a secondary device to stop boom fall.
Key takeaways
- 1926.1426 is part of OSHA's construction standards (29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart CC).
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In this article
What this rule covers
29 CFR 1926.1426, "Free fall and controlled load lowering", is an OSHA construction standard (Part 1926, Subpart CC). It has 25 numbered paragraphs. The official text below is copied word for word from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). The numbers, injury cases and training on this page show how OSHA enforces it on real job sites.
Official text
Show the full text of 1926.1426 (25 paragraphs)
(a) Boom free fall prohibitions.
(1) The use of equipment in which the boom is designed to free fall (live boom) is prohibited in each of the following circumstances:
(i) An employee is in the fall zone of the boom or load.
(ii) An employee is being hoisted.
(iii) The load or boom is directly over a power line, or over any part of the area extending the Table A of § 1926.1408 clearance distance to each side of the power line; or any part of the area extending the Table A clearance distance to each side of the power line is within the radius of vertical travel of the boom or the load.
(iv) The load is over a shaft, except where there are no employees in the shaft.
(v) The load is over a cofferdam, except where there are no employees in the fall zone of the boom or the load.
(vi) Lifting operations are taking place in a refinery or tank farm.
(2) The use of equipment in which the boom is designed to free fall (live boom) is permitted only where none of the circumstances listed in paragraph (a)(1) of this section are present and:
(i) The equipment was manufactured prior to October 31, 1984; or
(ii) The equipment is a floating crane/derrick or a land crane/derrick on a vessel/flotation device.
(b) Preventing boom free fall. Where the use of equipment with a boom that is designed to free fall (live boom) is prohibited, the boom hoist must have a secondary mechanism or device designed to prevent the boom from falling in the event the primary system used to hold or regulate the boom hoist fails, as follows:
(1) Friction drums must have:
(i) A friction clutch and, in addition, a braking device, to allow for controlled boom lowering.
(ii) A secondary braking or locking device, which is manually or automatically engaged, to back-up the primary brake while the boom is held (such as a secondary friction brake or a ratchet and pawl device).
(2) Hydraulic drums must have an integrally mounted holding device or internal static brake to prevent boom hoist movement in the event of hydraulic failure.
(3) Neither clutches nor hydraulic motors must be considered brake or locking devices for purposes of this subpart.
(4) Hydraulic boom cylinders must have an integrally mounted holding device.
(c) Preventing uncontrolled retraction. Hydraulic telescoping booms must have an integrally mounted holding device to prevent the boom from retracting in the event of hydraulic failure.
(d) Load line free fall. In each of the following circumstances, controlled load lowering is required and free fall of the load line hoist is prohibited:
(1) An employee is directly under the load.
(2) An employee is being hoisted.
(3) The load is directly over a power line, or over any part of the area extending the Table A of § 1926.1408 clearance distance to each side of the power line; or any part of the area extending the Table A of § 1926.1408 clearance distance to each side of the power line is within the radius of vertical travel of the load.
(4) The load is over a shaft.
(5) The load is over a cofferdam, except where there are no employees in the fall zone of the load.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15.
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OSHA interpretation letters
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Frequently asked questions
When is a free-fall (live) boom prohibited?
When an employee is in the fall zone of the boom or load, an employee is being hoisted, the load or boom is over or near a power line per Table A, the load is over an occupied shaft or cofferdam fall zone, or lifting is in a refinery or tank farm.
When can a live boom be used?
Only when none of the prohibited circumstances exist and the equipment was made before October 31, 1984, or is a floating crane/derrick or a land crane/derrick on a vessel or flotation device.
What must friction drums have to prevent boom free fall?
A friction clutch plus a braking device for controlled boom lowering, and a secondary braking or locking device to back up the primary brake.
About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1926.1426 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly
3-year window. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.