Safeguarding Heights: Intrepid Industries OSHA Toeboards for Fall Protection and Drop Prevention

The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that there are more than forty thousand workplace accidents involving dropped or fallen objects in the workplace every year, and these are only the ones that are recorded by OSHA. That’s over 115 fallen object incidents every day!

Since OSHA was created with the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970, it has created an extensive rulebook to regulate industries and businesses in order to protect the health and welfare of workers around the country.

Rules and regulations concerning the prevention of dropped objects are covered thoroughly in Part Number 1917 of OSHA’s health and safety standards. According to this section of OSHA’s regulations, employers must supply workers with equipment to prevent objects from falling and potentially injuring other employees below.

In the case of a grated platform or walkway, employers need to provide OSHA-approved toeboards to enclose any gaps in these platforms, such as areas that have been cut away in order to allow pipes and tubes to penetrate the surface.

In this article, we will take a quick look at what OSHA’s requirements are for OSHA toeboard specifications. Then we will go over how Intrepid Industries OSHA toeboards surpass these regulations while providing an easy and adaptable installation process.

OSHA Toeboard Requirements

According to Section 1917.112(d), toeboards must be provided when employees below a work surface could be in danger of being struck by falling objects, such as tools. It goes on to state that an OSHA toeboard must be at least 3.5 inches tall from the top of the toeboard to the surface where it is installed, while being able to withstand at least 50 pounds of pressure applied from any direction.

Intrepid Industries OSHA Toeboards

As we mentioned above, Intrepid Industries OSHA toeboards far surpass these requirements, and they’re extremely easy to use and reuse. Our OSHA toeboards can be used to enclose any open space that objects could fall through, and they are ideal for grated steel platforms. Here are the features and specifications of our OSHA toeboards:

OSHA Toeboard Design

Our OSHA toeboards are a little taller than what is required by OSHA, standing at 4 inches tall from top to bottom, and they are 6.5 inches across. But they can also be any shape or length.

The OSHA toeboard is made from an extremely durable, UV-resistant, and non-corrosive polyurethane that is able to withstand over 2000 pounds of pressure from the top down without losing its shape. So if you ever need to lean a piece of heavy pipe or some other type of material on top of the Intrepid Industries OSHA toeboard for a minute to get your hand underneath it, you can trust the toeboard to carry the load without compromising its structural integrity.

Also, its UV-resistant properties will keep it from splitting or cracking even when exposed to direct sunlight for years on end.

In addition to its incredible strength and durability, our OSHA toeboard is dyed with yellow safety coloring throughout its mold, so it will never lose its color. If it is under direct sunlight for an extended period of time, its color may change slightly to an amber-ish color, but it will never turn white or gray like you may see with other types of molded plastic toeboards.

Lastly, toeboards are also flexible. They’re able to easily close any unwanted spaces and openings that are found around platforms that builders frequently walk on. OSHA toeboards are designed with flexibility in mind so they can easily encircle any opening to ensure your builders are safe during every aspect of the job.

OSHA Toeboard Installation

The Intrepid Industries OSHA toeboard can be installed almost anywhere it’s needed, and you can use multiple toeboards to create virtually any shape to create a custom enclosure.

The hardware included with our OSHA toeboard is ideal for installing on a grated surface. There are two models: the T5-L and the T5-J. For I-bar and T-bar grating, you will want to purchase the T5-L, which has an L-shaped bracket that holds each link in place.

On the other hand, the T5-J will work on nearly any type of grating that has vertical flat bars for both square and rectangular openings.

With the standard OSHA toeboard hardware, you can install each link without needing to access the hardware from below. Simply insert your L or J hook into the grate through the horizontal slot on the bottom of the toeboard, then turn it 90 degrees to hook it around the grating. Once your hook is in place, simply tighten the nut on top of the hook to secure it into place.

Each link is interlocking, which allows you to create a seamless configuration and enclose openings of any shape or size.

One of the best aspects of the OSHA toeboard installation is that it does not require any hot work. Rather than hiring a welder and buying hundreds or thousands of pounds of expensive steel, you can simply drop our OSHA toeboards into place and tighten them down. Installing our toeboards can be done in minutes from start to finish.

How Many Toeboards Do I Need?

The answer to this question depends on what you are using them for, but you’ll need at least 4 to create the smallest possible enclosure. In order to make our OSHA toeboards more cost-effective for all of our customers, we sell them in quantities of ten toeboards or more. Here’s a link to a document that shows some examples of what you can do with just ten of our OSHA toeboards.

Stay OSHA Compliant with Intrepid Industries

Our mission at Intrepid Industries is to keep your employees safe and productive. We provide a wide range of safety products to businesses all over the globe, but all of our products are made in the USA.If you have any questions about our OSHA toeboards or any of our other workplace safety products, click here to give us a call or send us a message!