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Fall restraint on narrow billboard platforms

Summary A billboard company asked whether a safety belt, four-foot lanyard, and low safety line adequately protected workers on a narrow elevated platform. OSHA said the described setup did not meet the rule's intent, but a system that actually prevented workers from backing off the front edge could. OSHA archives the letter.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1980-06-18
Date issued
June 18, 1980
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy.
Status last verified October 10, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1910 Fall Protection Billboards Guardrails
Source
View the official document

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OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
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NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.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 18, 1980

Mr. Paul B. Osborne
General Operations Manager
Eller Outdoor Advertising Co. of Colorado
[Recipient address omitted]

Dear Mr. Osborne:

This is in response to your inquiry concerning the positioning of the safety line on billboards for the protection of employees.

The method of protecting employees working on elevated billboard platforms two to three feet wide, with a safety belt and lanyard 4 feet long attached to a safety line approximately 12 inches above the platform does not comply with the intent of 29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1). However, a system designed (such as shorting the lanyard) so as to prohibit employees from backing off the front edge of the platform, thereby preventing any fall possibility would appear to comply with the intent of the standard.

If I may be of further assistance, please feel free to call or write.

Sincerely,

John K. Barto Chief,
Division of Occupational Safety Programming

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