Working a leading edge
Falls 5 min 29 CFR 1926.501
Why it matters
A leading edge moves forward as you build the floor, the roof, or the form, and the side ahead of you stays open. The 6-foot fall rule still applies. Fall arrest there has to be gear made for a leading edge, because that edge can cut a regular lanyard.
The talk
Each sheet or form panel you set pushes the open side forward. That unprotected side of a floor, a roof, or a form is the leading edge. You carry the next piece facing the work, and the drop sits beside you or behind your heels. One step back to line the sheet up puts a boot over nothing. Below that edge the fall is 6 feet or more to the next level. A regular lanyard trails across the sharp corner of the deck or the form. If you go over, that corner can cut the lanyard while it is trying to catch you. The edge is not a finished wall, and it will not stay where it was an hour ago.
A leading edge is the unprotected side of a floor, roof, or form that moves forward as you build it. The 6-foot fall-protection rule still applies. If you can fall 6 feet or more, you need fall protection before you work that side. If you use a personal fall arrest system at a leading edge, it has to be equipment made for a leading edge, because the edge can cut a regular lanyard. A lanyard that is fine over a beam can fail when it saws on a sharp deck edge. Do not treat this like a side that already has a wall. Do not back toward the edge while you work. You cannot watch your heels, and the edge keeps moving with the work. Know where it is before you take the next step.
Before this leading-edge work starts, name the open side and confirm the drop. If it is 6 feet or more, put fall protection in place before the first sheet or the first form goes down. If the plan is personal fall arrest, use gear made for a leading edge, not a regular lanyard the edge can cut. Work so you are not walking backward toward the drop. Set the material in front of you. If you need to step back, look first, or have a partner tell you where the edge is. Stop if the leading-edge gear is not on the job. Tell the foreman. Do not keep building and hope the open side stays far enough from your feet.
Key points
- A leading edge is the unprotected side that moves forward as you build.
- The 6-foot fall-protection rule still applies.
- Fall arrest at a leading edge must be equipment made for a leading edge.
- A regular lanyard can be cut by the edge.
- Do not back toward the edge while you work.
- Know where the edge is before you step.
- Stop if the right gear is not on the job.
Do this
- Treat the moving open side as a leading edge.
- Use fall protection when the drop is 6 feet or more.
- Use leading-edge fall arrest gear if you tie off there.
- Set material so you are not walking backward.
- Stop and tell the foreman if the right gear is missing.
Do not do this
- Do not use a regular lanyard where the edge can cut it.
- Do not back toward the leading edge.
- Do not skip fall protection because the edge keeps moving.
- Do not work with the drop behind your heels.
- Do not keep building if the leading-edge gear is not here.
Talk about it
- Where is the leading edge on this floor, roof, or form today?
- Is our fall arrest gear made for a leading edge, or is it a regular lanyard?
- How will we keep people from backing toward that edge while they set material?
Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.
Send to the crew
The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.
Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.