# Walking/working surfaces not otherwise addressed · 1926.501 Duty to have fall protection — OSHA fall protection trigger height by standard

For Walking/working surfaces not otherwise addressed · 1926.501 Duty to have fall protection, hazard situation is Walking/working surfaces not otherwise addressed; standard is 1926.501 Duty to have fall protection; trigger height is 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels; required protection once triggered is a guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system; subpart is Subpart M —Fall Protection, recorded from its source on 2026-08-25; source re-checked 2026-09-14.

- **Hazard situation:** Walking/working surfaces not otherwise addressed _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Standard:** 1926.501 Duty to have fall protection _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Trigger height:** 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Required protection once triggered:** a guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Subpart:** Subpart M —Fall Protection _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **CFR paragraph:** 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(15) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> (15) Walking/working surfaces not otherwise addressed. Except as provided in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.500#p-1926.500(a)(2)> § 1926.500(a)(2) or in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.501#p-1926.501(b)(1)> § 1926.501 (b)(1) through <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.501#p-1926.501(b)(14)> (b)(14) , each employee on a walking/working surface 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by a guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system.

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1926/subpart-M/section-1926.501

Last verified: 2026-09-14. Review by: 2027-08-25.
Part of [OSHA fall protection trigger height by standard](https://referencesource.org/osha-fall-protection-trigger-height-by-standard/).