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Audible warning horns on construction equipment

Summary A contractor asked whether older construction equipment was exempt from horn requirements. OSHA said motor vehicles and bidirectional equipment such as bulldozers and loaders needed operable audible warnings under the cited rules. It said there was no grandfather clause.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1981-06-30
Date issued
June 30, 1981
Status
Active
Status last verified October 10, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1926 Mobile Equipment
Source
View the official document

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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.

June 30, 1981

Rennes Bowman
Equipment Manager
John Driggs Company, Inc.
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Bowman:

This is in response to your letter of June 22, 1981, concerning a grandfather clause for horns on construction equipment.

29 CFR 1926.601(a)(3) requires all motor vehicles to be equipped with an adequate audible warning device at the operator's station and in an operable condition. 29 CFR 1926.602(a)(9)(i) covers material handling equipment and requires all bidirectional machines, such as rollers, compactors, front-end loaders, bulldozers, and similar equipment, to be equipped with a horn, distinguishable from the surrounding noise level, which shall be operated as needed when the machine is moving in either direction. The horn is required to be maintained in an operative condition.

The construction standards do not contain a grandfather clause for the use of horns.

If we may be of further assistance, please call or write.

Sincerely,
John K. Barto Chief,
Division of Occupational Safety Programming

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