Who is protected by OSHA’s powered platforms standard?
Thousands of window washers and building maintenance workers in the United States, who mostly work on powered platforms outside highrise buildings, are protected from injury by OSHA’s standard on powered platforms for building maintenance found in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations ( CFR) Part 1910.66.

What types of platforms does the standard cover?
The standard covers powered platform installations permanently dedicated to interior or exterior building maintenance of a specific
structure or a group of structures. Building maintenance includes, but is not limited to, such tasks as window cleaning, caulking, metal polishing, and reglazing. The standard does not apply to suspended scaffolds (swinging scaffolds) used to service buildings temporarily (see 29 CFR Part 1910 Subpart D) nor to suspended scaffolds used for construction work (see 29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart L).

What are the engineering requirements of the standard?
Structural supports, tie-in guides, anchoring devices, and any affected parts of the building included in the installation must be designed by, or under the direction of, a registered professional engineer experienced in such design. 

What are the requirements for personal fall protection?
Employees on working platforms must be protected by a fall arrest system meeting requirements of Appendix C of the standard.

What requirements must employers follow for stabilization systems?
All building stabilization systems must be one of the following:

• A continuous stabilization system using tie-in guides such as indented mullions, T-rails, or other equivalent guides;
• An intermittent stabilization system in which the maximum vertical interval between building anchors is three floors or 50 feet (15.3 meters) whichever is less;
• A button guide stabilization system;
• A system using angled roping and building face rollers if the suspended platform is not more than 130 feet (or 39.6 meters) above a safe working surface; and
• An alternative stabilization system if a registered professional engineer designs the building and equipment installation. (The professional engineer must demonstrate that the proposed method of suspending and securing the powered platform will provide a degree of safety equal to or greater than one of the above methods.) 

Are employers required to have emergency plans?
Yes. Employers must develop and implement a written emergency plan that describes procedures for their employees to follow during power failures, equipment failures, or other emergencies. Employers must also review with their employees those parts of the plan necessary to protect workers in emergencies. 

What training must employers provide?
Employers must have a competent person train their employees who operate powered platforms to do the following:

Recognize and prevent safety hazards.

Use personal fall arrest systems.

Follow safe work procedures for operating, using, maintaining, and inspecting platforms. Note: A competent person is someone who can identify health and safety hazards in the workplace and has the authority to correct them.

How can you get more information on safety and health?
OSHA has various publications, standards, technical assistance, and compliance tools to help you, and offers extensive assistance through workplace consultation, voluntary protection 2002 programs, grants, strategic partnerships, state plans, training, and education. OSHA’s Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines ( Federal Register 54:3904-3916, January 26, 1989) details elements critical to the development of a successful safety and health management system. This and other information are available on OSHA’s website.

For one free copy of OSHA publications, send a self-addressed mailing label to OSHA Publications Office, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W., N–3101, Washington, DC 20210; or send a request to our fax at (202) 693-2498, or call us at (202) 693-1888.

To order OSHA publications online at www.osha.gov, go to Publications and follow the instructions for ordering.

To file a complaint by phone, report an emergency, or get OSHA advice, assistance, or products, contact your nearest OSHA office under the “U.S. Department of Labor” listing in your phone book, or call toll-free at (800) 321-OSHA (6742). The teletypewriter (TTY) number is (877) 889-5627.

To file a complaint online or obtain more information on OSHA federal and state programs, visit OSHA’s website. This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies, or standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. The voice phone is (202) 693-1999. See also OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.