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Fall protection during steel connecting work

Summary A construction safety director asked when steel connectors had to tie off while receiving a piece flown in by crane. OSHA said a connector did not have to tie off during actual receipt, but had to use fall protection once enough bolts secured the piece. OSHA now archives the letter as potentially outdated.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1989-11-14-0
Date issued
November 14, 1989
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA archives this letter and says it may no longer represent OSHA policy.
Status last verified October 10, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1926 Fall Protection Steel Erection
Source
View the official document

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OSHA archives this letter and says it may no longer represent OSHA policy.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 Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
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NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

November 14, 1989

F.W. Lundy
Safety Director
BE & K Construction Company
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Lundy

This is in response to your request of September 25, 1989 asking for a written confirmation of an interpretation of the fall protection provision for iron workers during "connecting" activities.

Your interpretation is correct. The OSHA regulations state that the connector is not required to have his safety belt/lanyard tied off during the actual receiving of the piece of iron being flown in by crane. However, once sufficient bolts are in place to secure the iron (usually one or two, hand tightened), the connector must then employ his fall protection.

If we can provide additional assistance feel free to contact our office.

Sincerely,
Gerald P. Reidy, Director
Office of Construction and Maritime
Compliance Assistance

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