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Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Hazards for General Industry Workers
For general industry workers: spot and report surface hazards, recognize edges, holes and equipment that need fall protection, check guardrails and covers, and use dockboards safely.
Based on OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D (1910.22, 1910.26, 1910.28, 1910.29, 1910.30), general industry · about 5 min read
Need proof of training? The full course (20 min) adds practice questions, a job scenario, the final quiz and a certificate your employer can verify.
Work areas, passageways, storerooms and service rooms are kept clean, orderly and sanitary.
Workroom floors are kept clean and, as far as feasible, dry. Where wet processes are used, drainage is maintained and, as far as feasible, dry standing places such as false floors, platforms and mats are provided.
Surfaces are kept free of hazards such as sharp or protruding objects, loose boards, corrosion, leaks, spills, snow and ice.
Each surface can support its maximum intended load. Do not overload a mezzanine or platform.
There is a safe way on and off each surface, and you must use it.
Inspection and repair
Surfaces are inspected regularly and as necessary and kept safe.
A hazardous condition is corrected or repaired before anyone uses that surface again. If it cannot be fixed right away, it must be guarded so no one uses it until it is fixed.
Repairs that involve the structural integrity of the surface are done or supervised by a qualified person.
Your part: report spills, leaks, loose boards and other hazards as soon as you see them, and stay off a surface that has been guarded for repair.
Except where the rule provides otherwise, if you are on a surface with an unprotected side or edge 4 feet or more above a lower level, your employer must protect you with one or more of: guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall protection systems (such as personal fall arrest, travel restraint or positioning systems).
Holes
A hole (including a skylight) that is 4 feet or more above a lower level: you must be protected by covers, guardrail systems, travel restraint systems or personal fall arrest systems.
A hole less than 4 feet above a lower level: you must be protected from tripping or stepping into or through it by covers or guardrail systems.
Dangerous equipment
Less than 4 feet above dangerous equipment: a guardrail system or travel restraint system, unless the equipment is covered or guarded to eliminate the hazard.
4 feet or more above dangerous equipment: guardrail systems, safety net systems, travel restraint systems or personal fall arrest systems.
If you find an open edge, an uncovered hole or a missing guard, stay back and report it.
Top rail height: 42 inches, plus or minus 3 inches, above the walking-working surface. The top edge may be higher than 45 inches if the guardrail system meets all the other guardrail criteria.
In between: midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, solid panels or equivalent, when there is not a wall or parapet at least 21 inches high. Midrails sit midway between the top edge and the surface.
Strength: the system withstands at least 200 pounds applied downward or outward within 2 inches of the top edge, at any point along the top rail.
Smooth: no surfaces that can puncture or cut you or snag clothing.
Access openings (such as ladderways) in a guardrail have a self-closing gate that slides or swings away from the hole and has a top rail and midrail or equivalent, or are offset so you cannot walk or fall into the hole.
Hole covers
Each cover supports at least twice the maximum intended load that may be put on it at any one time.
Each cover is secured so it cannot be accidentally moved.
Do not lean on, sit on or hang loads from a rail that looks bent, loose or low. Do not pull up or slide a cover. Report it.
A portable dockboard must be secured by anchoring it or by devices that keep it from moving out of a safe position. Only when the employer shows securing it is not feasible may it rely on enough contact between the board and the surface to keep it in a safe position.
Portable dockboards have handholds or other means for safe handling. Use them.
Your employer must train you to place and secure a dockboard so it cannot move unintentionally.
The vehicle
Wheel chocks, sand shoes or similar measures must keep the truck, trailer or rail car from moving while anyone is on the dockboard.
Falls from the dockboard
If you are on a dockboard where you could fall 4 feet or more, you must be protected by a guardrail system or handrails. They are not required only when all three are true: the dockboard is used solely for materials handling with motorized equipment, those employees are not exposed to falls greater than 10 feet, and they have been trained in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.30.
Fact-checked against the regulation text on October 09, 2026. This certificate records completion of awareness training based on OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D. It is not an OSHA card or license, and it does not by itself meet the training requirements of 29 CFR 1910.30. Your employer must still provide, as applicable, fall hazard training by a qualified person covering the fall hazards in your work area, training in the proper care, inspection, storage and use of the equipment you use (including placing and securing dockboards), and retraining when required.
This guide explains the rule in plain words. Always read the regulation itself and your employer's site-specific procedures.