1926.502(h)(1): Safety Monitor Duties
The employer must name a competent person as safety monitor. The monitor must recognize fall hazards, warn workers, stay on the same surface within sight and earshot of them, and have no other duties that distract from monitoring.
Official text: 29 CFR 1926.502(h)(1)
(1) The employer shall designate a competent person to monitor the safety of other employees and the employer shall ensure that the safety monitor complies with the following requirements:
111 citations(ii) The safety monitor shall warn the employee when it appears that the employee is unaware of a fall hazard or is acting in an unsafe manner;
Open (h)(1)(ii) 5 citations(iii) The safety monitor shall be on the same walking/working surface and within visual sighting distance of the employee being monitored;
Open (h)(1)(iii) 19 citations(iv) The safety monitor shall be close enough to communicate orally with the employee; and
Open (h)(1)(iv) 1 citations(v) The safety monitor shall not have other responsibilities which could take the monitor's attention from the monitoring function.
Open (h)(1)(v) 56 citationsSource: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1926.502.
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Injuries linked to this rule
2 injury cases in the last 3 years came from inspections where OSHA cited 1926.502(h)(1), including 2 deaths.
At 4:15 p.m. on January 9, 2025, Employee #1 was working as a roofer for a general contractor and was working on a new construction low-slope commercial roof. Employee #1 was was installing plastic membrane material to the flat roofsurface in close proximity to the…
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 | 8 |
| 2024 | 49 |
| 2025 | 25 |
| 2026 | 29 |
Top states: IL (12), PA (11), OH (11), NY (9), NJ (9)
Largest penalties
| Employer | Location | Penalty for this rule |
|---|---|---|
| KAPILI CONSTRUCTION LLC | HONOLULU, HI | $17,735 |
| EMBREE CONSTRUCTION GROUP INC | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $16,554 |
| BOAK AND SONS INC. | INDEPENDENCE, OH | $16,550 |
| KEMPSVILLE ROOFING INC. | CHESAPEAKE, VA | $16,287 |
| INTERSTATE ROOFING & WATERPROOFING, INC. | WINDSOR, WI | $14,068 |
OSHA interpretation letters
Related parts of this rule
- 1926.502(h) Safety monitoring systems 112 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(v) 56 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(iii) 19 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(ii) 5 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(i) 4 citations
- 1926.502(h)(1)(iv) 1 citations
- 1926.502(h)(2) 1 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.