Does "Subpart E - Scaffolds, Ladders and Other Working Surfaces" Apply to You?
Subpart E provides the requirements for scaffolds and staging, ladders, guarding deck openings and edges, access to vessels, access to and guarding of dry docks and marine railways, access to cargo spaces and confined spaces, and other working surfaces.
Do employees use scaffolds or ladders? Are employees exposed to deck openings or edges? Do you have vessels, dry docks, or marine railways? Do you have cargo spaces or confined spaces? Do you have other working surfaces (i.e., restricted quarters, working from small boats or floats, working five feet or above)? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then click on the appropriate tabs below for more information.
Subpart E - Scaffolds, Ladders and Other Working Surfaces
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on scaffolds or staging. Note: (a): Some paragraphs do not apply to shipbreaking. It provides general requirements (i.e., supporting the load, lumber material, maintained, competent person) for scaffolding and supports including lumber, steel or other material. It also provides specific requirements for independent pole wood scaffolds, independent pole metal scaffolds, wood trestle and extension trestle ladders, painters' suspended scaffolds, horse scaffolds, other types of scaffolds, scaffold or platform planking, backrails and toeboards and access to staging.
Competent person means a person who is capable of recognizing and evaluating employee exposure to hazardous substances or to other unsafe conditions and is capable of specifying the necessary protection and precautions to be taken to ensure the safety of employees as required by the particular regulation under the condition to which it applies. For the purposes of confined and enclosed spaces and other dangerous atmospheres in shipyard employment, the competent person must also meet the additional requirements contained in the competent person standard (i.e., designation, skills, knowledge, recordkeeping).
Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for scaffolds.
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on ladders as it applies to ship repairing, shipbuilding and shipbreaking. It provides general requirements (i.e., use of ladders, strength, securing) along with the construction of portable wood cleated ladders up to 30 feet in length and the construction of portable wood cleated ladders from 30 to 60 feet in length.
Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for stairways and ladders.
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on guarding of deck openings and edges. Note: (a) It applies to ship repairing and shipbuilding operations but not to shipbreaking. This standard provides the requirements for guarding the following: manholes and other small openings; open hatches; edges of decks; platforms, flats and other similar flat surfaces; decks of vessels afloat (i.e., use of floatation devices); sections of bilges from which floor plates or gratings have been removed (i.e., guardrails); and gratings, walkways and catwalks from which sections or ladders have been removed (i.e., guardrails).
Floatation devices must meet the requirements of lifesaving equipment and guardrails must meet the requirements found in (j)(1) - (j)(2) of scaffolds or staging.
Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for personal protective equipment and stairways and ladders.
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on access to vessels. This standard provides the requirements for access to vessels afloat, access to vessels in drydock or between vessels, access to barges and river towboats, and using jacob's ladders.
A Jacob's ladder is a marine ladder made of rope or chain with wooden or metal rungs.
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on access to and guarding of dry docks and marine railways. It applies to ship repairing, shipbuilding and shipbreaking and provides requirements for maintaining gangways, ramps and other permanent stairways between floating dry docks and pier or bulkhead, providing railings with midrails, use of portable stanchions, and criteria for use of catwalks.
It also requires guardrails to meet the requirements found in (j)(1) - (j)(2) of scaffolds or staging and ladders must meet the requirements of the standard on ladders.
Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for stairways and ladders.
If yes, then you must comply with the standard on access to cargo spaces and confined spaces. Note: This section applies to ship repairing, shipbuilding and shipbreaking except one paragraph applies only to ship repairing. This standard provides specific requirements for cargo spaces and additional requirements for confined spaces. Also reference subpart B - confined and enclosed spaces and other dangerous atmospheres in shipyard employment for more requirements pertaining to cargo spaces and confined spaces.
Confined space means a compartment of small size and limited access such as a double bottom tank, cofferdam, or other space which by its small size and confined nature can readily create or aggravate a hazardous exposure.
Enclosed space means any space, other than a confined space, which is enclosed by bulkheads and overhead. It includes cargo holds, tanks, quarters, and machinery and boiler spaces.
Space means an area on a vessel or vessel section or within a shipyard such as, but not limited to: cargo tanks or holds; pump or engine rooms; storage lockers; tanks containing flammable or combustible liquids, gases, or solids; rooms within buildings; crawl spaces; tunnels; or accessways. The atmosphere within a space is the entire area within its bounds.
Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for confined spaces.
If yes, then you may need to comply with the standard on working surfaces. Note: (a) Some paragraphs do not apply to shipbreaking. This standard provides the requirements for use of planking to remove tripping hazards related to firebox floors, use of work platforms in restricted quarters (i.e., boilers, machinery units, piping), and use of floatation devices when employees are boarding, leaving or working from small boats or floats. It also provides requirements for the use of scaffolds, ladders or safety belts and lifelines when employees are working 5 feet or more above a solid surface.
Floatation devices must meet the requirements of lifesaving equipment. Ladders must meet the requirements of the standard on ladders and scaffolds must meet the requirements of the scaffolds or staging standard. In addition, safety belts and lifelines must meet the requirements of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) and positioning device systems.
Additional information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for stairways and ladders, scaffolds, fall protection, and personal protective equipment.