Fall Protection: Safety Gate Applications

Handrail or Guard Rail

Fall Protection: Safety Gate Applications

A common cause of industry injuries and fatalities is falls according to OSHA. Because falls are a common cause of injury and death, providing fall protection is important. One consideration for OSHA compliant fall protection is the use of safety gate fall protection. Fall protection safety gates are useful in minimizing fall risks and preventing workplace accidents. To avoid employee injuries and fatalities in the workplace, here are three key safety gate fall protection installation areas:

(1) Handrail or Guard Rail openings or Roof Access Points
Self-closing safety gates are used at entryways through safety guard railings or installation into railings which surround equipment or machinery. Safety gates allow access yet provide fall protection.

A self-closing gate protects access points to a roof. The safety gate fall protection systems are useful for ladder openings, stairs, walkway access, catwalks, and transition points to a different level roof.

Handrail or Guard Rail
Ladder Safety Gates

(2) Ladder Safety Gates
Protecting the entrance of a ladderway is key to preventing falls in your facility. One way to do this is with single side openable swing gates that attach to the guardrail system used to protect the elevated surface the ladder leads to. In fact, a self-closing gate is the preferred method of protecting ladder entrances in most facilities.

Ladder safety gates and other types of self-closing gate must meet the general requirements per OSHA 1910.29.

(3) Mezzanines or Other Industry Platforms: Pallet safety gate
Certainly, protecting personnel working above and working below a mezzanine must be done without impeding the loading area. A mezzanine safety gate allows access to move materials and yet provide safe restriction to the loading area.
Pallet gates open from the outside and allows pallets and other items to enter the mezzanine or platform with a forklift.

Pallet safety gate

Are Safety Gates Required by OSHA?

OSHA’s new rule (November 2016) on walking-working surfaces and fall protection, OSHA states, “OSHA believes that double chains do not fully protect workers from falls at hole entrances, and therefore, is adopting the existing and proposed requirements that entrances to ladderway floor and platform holes have a self-closing gate or be offset to prevent workers from falling.” Therefore, according to OSHA, a gate is required at the top of all ladders. Below is the new OSHA code reflecting this requirement:

1910.28(b)(3)(iv) – Each employee is protected from falling into a ladderway floor hole or ladderway platform hole by a guardrail system and toe boards erected on all exposed sides, except at the entrance to the hole, where a self-closing gate or an offset must be used.

EnduGate safety gates meet and exceed OSHA regulations for fall protection. Preventing falls by using safety gates is beneficial to your bottom line. If you have questions about safety gate fall protection systems, please reach out to us.



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