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Keep the walkway clear

Keep the walkway clear

Housekeeping 5 min 29 CFR 1926.25

Why it matters

Scrap, cords, and loose material in a walk, on a stair, or at a ladder base are how people fall with a load in their hands. A dark stair with a coil of cord hides the trip. The person who made the mess picks it up before the next crew comes through.

The talk

Keep scrap, cords, and loose material out of walking paths, out of stairs, and out of ladder bases. 1926.25 is the housekeeping rule that covers this. A path with a curl of wire and a cutoff in it is how someone goes down with their hands full. They cannot watch their feet and the load at the same time. Look at the walk you just used. If you had to step over something, it does not belong there. Move it before the next person comes through with a sheet or a bucket. A clear path is part of the work, not a favor you do at the end of the day.

A dark stair with a coil of cord is how people fall. The cord disappears against the tread. A boot catches it, and the stair does the rest. Do not run a cord down a stair that people are using. If a cord has to cross a walk, get it flat and tight or up out of the steps, and do not leave a loose loop at the landing. Do not store material on a stair. A bundle of studs on the steps is a trip for everyone above you and everyone below you. Stairs stay empty so a person can put a foot on every tread.

When you strip form boards, pull the nails or bend them over. A board with nails sticking up goes into a pile, and the next person grabs it. The nail goes through a glove or a boot. Bend it flat or pull it out before the board leaves your hands. The person who made the mess picks it up before the next crew walks through. Do not leave your offcuts, your cord, and your nails for the crew behind you. If you cut it or dropped it, you clear it. That is how the path stays open for the whole shift, including the people who were not in this huddle.

Key points

  1. Keep scrap, cords, and loose material out of walks, stairs, and ladder bases.
  2. 1926.25 is the housekeeping rule for this.
  3. A dark stair with a coil of cord is a fall waiting.
  4. Do not store material on a stair.
  5. Pull nails or bend them over when you strip form boards.
  6. The person who made the mess picks it up.
  7. Clear it before the next crew walks through.

Do this

  • Keep walks, stairs, and ladder bases clear of scrap and cords.
  • Move a cord off a stair people are using.
  • Pull nails or bend them over before form boards go on the pile.
  • Pick up the mess you made before the next crew comes through.
  • Look at the path you just walked and move what you had to step over.

Do not do this

  • Do not leave offcuts in the walk.
  • Do not coil a cord on a dark stair.
  • Do not store studs, buckets, or bundles on the steps.
  • Do not toss form boards on a pile with nails still up.
  • Do not leave your mess for the next crew.

Talk about it

  1. Which walk, stair, or ladder base is cluttered right now?
  2. Where are cords crossing a path or running down a stair?
  3. Who strips form boards today, and where do the nails get pulled or bent?

This is a short crew briefing. It does not replace a competent person, training, or the law.

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