Does "Subpart O - Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations" Apply to You?
Subpart O provides the standards for motor vehicles, material handling equipment, pile driving equipment, site clearing, and marine operations and equipment. Do your employees use motor vehicles, material handling equipment, or pile driving equipment? Do your employees do site clearing? Do you have marine operations? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then subpart O applies to you. The subpart also provides definitions applicable to this subpart including:
Apron - area along the waterfront edge of the pier or wharf.
Bulwark - side of a ship above the upper deck.
Coaming - raised frame, as around a hatchway in the deck, to keep out water.
Jacob's ladder - marine ladder of rope or chain with wooden or metal rungs.
Click on the appropriate tabs below to see which standards apply to you.
Subpart O - Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations
If yes, then the standard on equipment applies to you. It provides general requirements for equipment left unattended; heavy machinery, equipment or parts suspended or held aloft; use of parking brakes; cab safety glass; work conducted near power lines or energized transmitters; use, care and charging of batteries; and rolling railroad cars. It also references the standard on batteries and battery charging for more information related to batteries.
Additional related information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for highway work zone safety, electrical safety, acids and bases, cranes and derricks, aerial lifts and materials handling and storage,
If yes, then the standard on motor vehicles applies to you as it covers vehicles that operate within an off-highway jobsite, not open to public traffic. It provides general requirements related to brake systems, headlights and taillights, audible warning devices, windshields, seatbelts, dump trucks, fenders, mud flaps, and inspections. Note: These requirements do not apply to material handling equipment.
Additional related information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for highway work zone safety.
The material handling equipment standard applies to the following types of earthmoving equipment: scrapers, loaders, crawler or wheel tractors, bulldozers, off-highway trucks, graders, agricultural and industrial tractors, and similar equipment. Do your employees use these types of equipment? If yes, then you need to comply with this standard.
It provides requirements for seat belts, access roadways and grades, brakes, fenders, rollover protective devices (ROPS), audible alarms, and scissor points. It also provides specific requirements for excavating and other similar equipment, lifting and hauling equipment, powered industrial truck (PIT) operator training and references consensus standards. The PIT operator training is identical to those required by the general industry standard for powered industrial trucks.
Additional related information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics pages for powered industrial trucks, cranes and derricks, aerial lifts, materials handling and storage, and excavation and trenching. The NCDOL Library is available for assistance regarding access to consensus standards (i.e., ANSI, ASME, NFPA, IEEE).
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on pile driving equipment. It provides general requirements related to boilers and piping systems, pressure vessels, overhead protection, stop blocks, blocking devices, guards, use of signalmen, pile driving from boats and barges, and keeping clear of piling.
Pile drivers are devices used to drive poles into the soil.
Additional related information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for machine guarding.
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on site clearing. It provides general requirements related to the hazards of irritant and toxic plants, first aid treatment, and rollover guards.
Additional related information can be found on the A-Z safety and health topics page for powered industrial trucks, medical services and first aid, and personal protective equipment.
If yes, then you need to comply with the standard on marine operations and equipment. It provides requirements pertaining to access to barges, walking surfaces of barges, first aid and lifesaving equipment, and commercial diving operations. Commercial diving operations must meet the general industry requirements found in subpart T - commercial diving operations.
Note: Operations fitting the definition of material handling (below) shall be performed in conformance with applicable requirements of safety and health regulations for longshoring.
Longshoring operations means the loading, unloading, moving, or handling of construction materials, equipment and supplies, etc. into, in, on, or out of any vessel from a fixed structure or shore-to-vessel, vessel-to-shore or fixed structure or vessel-to-vessel.
Material handling is loading, unloading, moving, or handling of equipment, supplies and other materials.
Related best practice information for non-commercial diving operations can be found in our publication, A Guide to Public Safety Diving. Additional related information can be found on the A-Z topics pages for medical services and first aid and materials handling and storage.