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Perimeter rail installation on decked steel floors

Summary A steel contractor asked when to install a perimeter safety railing on a decked floor. OSHA agreed that installation before adjacent decking was in place would be hazardous. A later correction directs readers to OSHA's 2002 steel-erection directive for current policy.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1975-06-26
Date issued
June 26, 1975
Status
Superseded
OSHA's June 20, 2005 correction directs readers to Directive CPL 02-01-034, published March 22, 2002, for current steel-erection policy.
Status last verified October 10, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1926 Steel Erection Fall Protection Guardrails
Source
View the official document

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This document has been superseded
OSHA's June 20, 2005 correction directs readers to Directive CPL 02-01-034, published March 22, 2002, for current steel-erection policy. It no longer reflects the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

June 26, 1975
Mr. Donald F. Marr
Daniel Marr & Son Co.
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Marr:
Your interpretation of the installation of a peripheral safety railing for decked floors is correct. Section 1926.750(b)(1)(iii) requires the "½-inch wire rope or equal" around planked or decked floors, and we agree that it would be hazardous to install the peripheral safety railing until the decking adjacent to the unprotected outside edge of the floor is in place.
Sincerely,
Gerald M. DuWors
Associate Assistant Regional Director
[Directorate of Science, Technology, and Medicine]
[Correction 6/20/2005. See OSHA Directive CPL 02-01-034 "Inspection policy and procedures for OSHA's steel erection standards for construction" published on 3/22/2002 for the current policy.]

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