1926.501(b)(13): Residential Construction Fall Protection
Workers doing residential construction 6 feet or more above lower levels must be protected by guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems. A site-specific fall protection plan under 1926.502(k) is allowed only when the employer can prove conventional protection is infeasible or creates a greater hazard; OSHA presumes it is feasible.
Official text: 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13)
(13) Residential construction. Each employee engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected by guardrail systems, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system unless another provision in paragraph (b) of this section provides for an alternative fall protection measure. Exception: When the employer can demonstrate that it is infeasible or creates a greater hazard to use these systems, the employer shall develop and implement a fall protection plan which meets the requirements of paragraph (k) of § 1926.502.
There is a presumption that it is feasible and will not create a greater hazard to implement at least one of the above-listed fall protection systems. Accordingly, the employer has the burden of establishing that it is appropriate to implement a fall protection plan which complies with § 1926.502(k) for a particular workplace situation, in lieu of implementing any of those systems.
15,470 citationsSource: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1926.501.
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Injuries linked to this rule
50 injury cases in the last 3 years came from inspections where OSHA cited 1926.501(b)(13), including 50 deaths.
An employee working as a framer was completing a job in an attic at a new residential construction site. A few minutes after the employee entered the attic, he fell through the attic door opening to the floor below causing multiple fatal injuries.
Full case list with employer, penalty, filters and download is part of OSHA Data (Purple Belt).
Unlock with Purple BeltWhere and how often it was cited
| Year | Citations |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,208 |
| 2024 | 5,783 |
| 2025 | 5,437 |
| 2026 | 3,042 |
Top states: FL (1,593), TX (1,534), IL (1,406), OH (944), GA (920)
Largest penalties
| Employer | Location | Penalty for this rule |
|---|---|---|
| ADRIAN CONSTRUCTION GROUP LLC | FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ | $806,615 |
| J.S ALDO'S CONSTRUCTION CO, INC. | MAYWOOD, NJ | $331,028 |
| BLUE CONTRACTOR CORP. | LANCASTER, PA | $266,163 |
| ASH ROOFING AND REMODELING LLC | CINCINNATI, OH | $182,064 |
| ABEL CUNYAS CABRERA | MANDAN, ND | $165,514 |
OSHA interpretation letters
- Residential Contruction; 1926.501(b)(3), fall protection or metal stud walls around stairwells. (2011-05-25)
- Alternative procedures under STD 3-0.1A for employees performing roofing work on roof slopes of 6 in 12 or less during residential construction. (2005-06-03)
- Whether under STD 03-00-001 an employee, in absence of interior walls is permitted to climb the lower chords of the roof trusses to brace them. (2005-02-28)
- Residential fall protection: safety monitors; walking top plate of braced walls in installation; warning line; plating exterior walls; height limitation; non-roofer PPE; slide guards (2004-11-30)
- Employees are not permitted to erect roof trusses/rafters while working from the exterior top plate. (2004-08-23)
- Construction of homes with masonry walls is not considered "residential construction" in applying STD 03-00-001. (2004-05-17)
- The predominant use of structural steel would not be considered "residential construction" (2004-03-01)
- Clarification on several issues regarding OSHA's construction industry standards for fall protection (2003-12-18)
- Clarification of several residential construction and fall protection issues. (2003-12-17)
- Fall protection requirements for construction workers doing work while on a roof (2003-12-15)
- Review residential construction scenarios for alternative fall protection procedures. (2003-12-08)
- Fall protection requirements for installing first three rows of roofing or for removing slide guards from a completed roof with a slope 6-in-12 or less. (2003-11-17)
- Compliance of using warning lines and/or control access zones for fall protection on roofs with a slope greater than 4:12. (2003-09-26)
- Requirements for fall protection when ladder jack scaffolds are used for residential and commercial construction (2003-07-07)
- Fall protection requirements for homes built of block and masonry construction. (2003-06-30)
- Alternative fall protection procedures for residential construction. (2002-11-20)
- Fall protection requirements for employees, other than roofers, working on low-slope roofs (2002-11-15)
- Fall protection requirements for workers engaged in "roof blocking." (2001-05-03)
- Requirements of Interim Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction for guardrails and fall protection during roofing work. (2001-04-10)
- Acceptable use of warning lines as fall protection for roofers and other trades. (2000-08-01)
- Clarification of residential construction's use of slide guards and other fall protection (2000-05-25)
- Use of roof jacks (slide guards) for residential and commercial construction. (2000-02-23)
- Fall protection on concrete formwork in residential construction. (1999-07-01)
- Fall protection for exposure to unfilled swimming pools. (1998-06-08)
- Definition of residential construction; use of slide guards. (1998-04-24)
Related parts of this rule
- 1926.501(b) 23,489 citations
- 1926.501(b)(1) Unprotected sides and edges 2,860 citations
- 1926.501(b)(10) Roofing work on Low-slope roofs 1,827 citations
- 1926.501(b)(11) Steep roofs 1,554 citations
- 1926.501(b)(4) Holes 1,119 citations
- 1926.501(b)(4)(ii) 670 citations
- 1926.501(b)(4)(i) 423 citations
- 1926.501(b)(14) Wall openings 271 citations
- 1926.501(b)(15) Walking/working surfaces not otherwise addressed 148 citations
- 1926.501(b)(2) Leading edges 117 citations
- 1926.501(b)(2)(i) 80 citations
- 1926.501(b)(3) Hoist areas 47 citations
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About this page
Official text from the eCFR. Citation and injury numbers from public U.S. Department of Labor enforcement and accident records, copied nightly; 3-year window; data as of 2026-10-18. 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.