Oregon enacts tougher fall protections for builders

EUGENE, Ore. — A state regulation that took effect Jan. 1 requires Oregon construction contractors to make sure workers are protected from falls if work is done six or more feet above a surface.

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division said the new rule will primarily affect home builders because many commercial contractors already require the protections, reported The Register-Guard. The previous state OSHA regulation required the protections for work at 10 or more feet off a surface but at six or more feet off established floors, mezzanines, balconies and walkways with unprotected sides.

OSHA said Oregon construction firms were cited last year for violating rules about fall protection.

“We’ve come a long way in Oregon in reducing injuries and deaths from falls, particularly in construction, but we still have a ways to go,” said Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood in a written statement.

Ed McMahon, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Lane County, said the group’s members will need to figure out how to comply with the rule for some tasks, like when workers install roof trusses.

He said the extra time and expense of creating such structures will increase the cost of new homes.