A worker is on an unprotected walking/working surface 8 feet above the ground. Which is an acceptable form of conventional fall protection?

Explanation

Section 1670(a) requires an approved personal fall arrest, fall restraint or positioning system for work exposing an employee to falling in excess of 7 1/2 feet from unprotected sides and edges, so a worker 8 feet up on an open surface is covered; guardrails and safety nets are the passive equivalents. A warning line is a roofing device from section 1730(b), installed 34 to 45 inches above the roof surface and placed no closer than 5 feet from the roof edge - the six-foot setback is the federal low-slope figure, and in any case a warning line warns rather than arrests and has no application on an open walking surface. A safety monitor is likewise a low-slope roofing concept (federally 29 CFR 1926.502(h)); California relies instead on warning lines and close supervision by a qualified person. A body belt may be worn in a positioning device system under 1670(c), where no free fall exceeds 2 feet, or in restraint under (d); since 1 January 1998 section 1670(b) has forbidden it as part of a fall ARREST system.