Does "Subpart N - Materials Handling and Storage" Apply to You?

Subpart N provides the standards for handling materials and storage which includes powered industrial trucks (forklifts), overhead and gantry cranes, crawler locomotive and truck cranes, derricks, helicopters and slings. This subpart also provides the standards for servicing multi-piece and single piece rim wheels. 

Do employees service multi-piece or single piece rim wheels? Do employees operate powered industrial trucks? Do employees use overhead and gantry cranes? Do employees operate crawler locomotive and truck cranes? Do employees operate derricks? Do employees fly helicopters? Do employees use slings for materials handling? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this subpart applies to you. The standard on handling materials, general, applies to all materials handling and storage. It provides requirements for clearance, housekeeping, secure storage, and guarding. In addition, appendix A provides information on trajectory. For the requirements based on the type of materials handling equipment, click on the appropriate tab below. 

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for materials handling and storage.

 

Subpart N - Materials Handling and Storage

Tab/Accordion Items

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard for servicing multi-piece and single piece rim wheels. This standard applies to the servicing of multi-piece and single piece rim wheels used on large vehicles such as trucks, tractors, trailers, buses and off-road machines. Note: This standard does not apply to the servicing of rim wheels used on automobiles, or on pickup trucks and vans utilizing automobile tires or truck tires designated "LT". This standard does not apply to employers and places of employment regulated under the longshoring standards, construction standards, or agriculture standards.

It provides the requirements pertaining to employee training, tire servicing equipment, wheel component acceptability, and safe operating procedures. It also provides definitions such as:

Multi-piece rim wheel means the assemblage of a multi-piece wheel with the tire tube and other components. 

Multi-piece wheel means a vehicle wheel consisting of two or more parts, one of which is a side or locking ring designed to hold the tire on the wheel by interlocking components when the tire is inflated. 

Single piece rim wheel means the assemblage of single piece rim wheel with the tire and other components. 

Single piece wheel means a vehicle wheel consisting of one part, designed to hold the tire on the wheel when the tire is inflated. 

 

If yes, you need to comply with the standard for powered industrial trucks (forklifts) as it contains safety requirements relating to fire protection, design, maintenance, and use of fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks, and other specialized industrial trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines. Note: This standard does not apply to compressed air or nonflammable compressed gas-operated industrial trucks, nor to farm vehicles, nor to vehicles intended primarily for earth moving or over-the-road hauling.

This standard provides requirements pertaining to designations, designated locations, converted industrial trucks, safety guards, fuel handling and storage, changing and charging storage batteries, lighting, control of noxious gases and fumes, dockboards, trucks and railroad cars, operator training (i.e., certification, refresher), truck operations, traveling, loading, operation of truck, and maintenance. In addition, appendix A provides guidance on stability. 

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for powered industrial trucksnoise and materials handling and storage.

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard for overhead and gantry cranes. It includes semigantry, cantilever gantry, wall cranes, storage bridge cranes, and others having the same fundamental characteristics. These cranes are grouped because they all have trolleys and similar travel characteristics.

This standard provides general requirements (i.e., modifications, wind indicators, load markings, clearances), cabs,  footwalks and ladders, stops, bumpers, rail sweeps, and guards, brakes, electric equipment (reference subpart S - electrical), hoisting equipment, inspections, warning devices, testing, maintenance, rope inspection, handling the load, and other requirements (i.e., ladders, cabs, fire extinguishers). It also provides definitions such as:

A crane is a machine for lifting and lowering a load and moving it horizontally, with the hoisting mechanism an integral part of the machine. Cranes whether fixed or mobile are driven manually or by power.

Gantry crane means a crane similar to an overhead crane except that the bridge for carrying the trolley or trolleys is rigidly supported on two or more legs running on fixed rails or other runway.

Overhead crane means a crane with a movable bridge carrying a movable or fixed hoisting mechanism and traveling on an overhead fixed runway structure.

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for overhead and gantry craneselectrical safety and materials handling and storage.

 

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard for crawler, locomotive and truck cranes. It applies to crawler cranes, locomotive cranes, wheel mounted cranes of both truck and self-propelled wheel type, and any variations thereof which retain the same fundamental characteristics. It includes only cranes of the above types, which are basically powered by internal combustion engines or electric motors and which utilize drums and ropes. Note: Cranes designed for railway and automobile wreck clearances are excepted.

This standard provides general requirements (i.e., designated personnel), load ratings, inspection classification, testing, maintenance procedures, rope inspections, handling the load, and other requirements (i.e., rail clamps, ballast, counterweights, refueling, fire extinguishers), and operations near overhead lines (reference the standard on selection and use of work practices, paragraph (c)(3)). It also provides definitions such as:

A crawler crane consists of a rotating superstructure with power plant, operating machinery, and boom, mounted on a base, equipped with crawler treads for travel. Its function is to hoist and swing loads at various radii.

A locomotive crane consists of a rotating superstructure with power-plant, operating machinery and boom, mounted on a base or car equipped for travel on railroad track. It may be self-propelled or propelled by an outside source. Its function is to hoist and swing loads at various radii.

A truck crane consists of a rotating superstructure with powerplant, operating machinery and boom, mounted on an automotive truck equipped with a powerplant for travel. Its function is to hoist and swing loads at various radii.

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for cranes and derrickselectrical safetynoise and materials handling and storage.

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard for derricks. It applies to guy, stiffleg, basket, breast, gin pole, Chicago boom and A-frame derricks of the stationary type, capable of handling loads at variable reaches and powered by hoists through systems of rope reeving, used to perform lifting hook work, single or multiple line bucket work, grab, grapple, and magnet work. Derricks may be permanently installed for temporary use as in construction work. It also applies to any modification of these types which retain their fundamental features, except for floating derricks.

This standard provides the requirements pertaining to load ratings, inspections, testing, maintenance, rope inspections, operations (designated person), handling the load, guards, hooks, fire extinguishers, refueling, cabs, and operating enclosures. It also includes definitions such as: 

A derrick is an apparatus consisting of a mast or equivalent member held at the head by guys or braces, with or without a boom, for use with a hoisting mechanism and operating ropes.

Designated means selected or assigned by the employer or employer's representative as being qualified to perform specific duties.

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for cranes and derricks and materials handling and storage.

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard for helicopters. This standard has requirements pertaining to briefings, personal protective equipment, housekeeping, weight limitations, ground lines, use of slings, approach distances, visibility, signal systems, fires, use of ground personnel and communications.

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for personal protective equipmentnoise and materials handling and storage.

If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on slings. This standard applies to those used in conjunction with other material handling equipment for the movement of material by hoisting, in employments covered by the general industry standards.  The types of slings covered are those made from alloy steel chain, wire rope, metal mesh, natural or synthetic fiber rope (conventional three strand construction), and synthetic web (nylon, polyester, and polypropylene).

This standard covers specific sling types and includes requirements pertaining to safe operating practices, inspections, sling identification, attachments, proof testing, repairs, reconditioning, deformed attachments, effects of and abnormal wear, minimum sling lengths, markings, handles, removal from service, splicing, use, environmental conditions, and fittings. It also includes definitions such as: 

A sling is an assembly which connects the load to the material handling equipment.

Rated capacity or working load limit is the maximum working load permitted by the standard.

Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for materials handling and storage.