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Walking-Working Surfaces
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Slips, trips, and falls are one of the leading causes of serious nonfatal workplace injuries, regularly accounting for hundreds of thousands of cases requiring time off work each year. They caused 844 worker fatalities in 2024, making them the second leading cause of fatal occupational injuries, after transportation incidents.
OSHA's Walking-Working Surfaces rule applies to all general industry employers and all the walking-working surfaces in their workplaces.
All general industry employers must:
- Conduct hazard assessments to determine their workplace fall and falling object hazards.
- Inspect all walking and working surfaces for fall or falling object hazards on a regular basis and as necessary.
- Train and retrain when necessary their employees on fall protection systems and equipment.
- Fall protection systems include:
- Personal fall protection,
- Safety nets,
- Ladder safety systems,
- Portable guardrail systems,
- Dockboard systems, and
- Designated areas.
- Equipment that requires training includes:
- All ladder types, and
- Personal fall protection equipment.
- Fall protection systems include:
EASY-TO-USE TOOLS MAKE WALKING-WORKING SURFACE COMPLIANCE SIMPLER
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Train Employees
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Complete Safety Audits
GET FREE CHECKLISTS >>Access ready-to-use inspection checklists for stairways, ladders and floors to catch potential hazards and violations.
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Track Incidents
START TRACKING FOR FREE >>Record slip, trip and fall incidents and near misses, analyze trends and auto-generate OSHA 300, 301A and 301 reports with our incident tracking tool.
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Find Regulatory Information Fast
SEARCH REG INFO >>Get word-for-word regulations, interpretations, state requirements, and answers to FAQs for walking-working surfaces — all in one place.
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Ask Your Compliance Questions
ASK A QUESTION >>Get direct access to our trusted team of compliance experts who are ready to answer your toughest compliance questions.
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Frequently asked questions about Walking-Working Surfaces
Walking-working surfaces are any horizontal or vertical surfaces that employees walk on, work from, or access as part of their job duties. These surfaces can be found throughout workplaces and include both ground-level and elevated areas.
Examples of walking-working surfaces include:
- Floors
- Stairs
- Ladders
- Roofs
- Elevated platforms
- Ramps
- Docks
- Mezzanines
OSHA's Walking-Working Surfaces requirements for general industry are primarily covered under 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D. These standards establish requirements for maintaining safe surfaces and access points to help prevent workplace injuries.
The standards address:
- Surface conditions
- Fall protection
- Ladders
- Stairs
- Safe access
Safe walking-working surfaces help prevent slips, trips, and falls, which are among the leading causes of workplace injuries. Proper maintenance of these surfaces supports a safer work environment and helps employers meet OSHA requirements.
Maintaining safe walking-working surfaces can help:
- Reduce accidents
- Improve productivity
- Support OSHA compliance
The Walking-Working Surfaces rule applies to all general industry employers and all walking-working surfaces within their workplaces. Most general industry employers are required to comply with OSHA walking-working surface regulations.
Industries commonly affected include:
- Manufacturing
- Warehousing
- Distribution
- Healthcare
- Retail
- Transportation
- Food processing
The rule generally does not apply to:
- Agriculture
- Construction
- Maritime
- Mining
- Transportation employers
However, the rule may apply to construction and transportation employers that have offices, maintenance shops, warehouses, or supply rooms.
Common walking-working surface hazards are conditions that increase the risk of slips, trips, falls, or other workplace injuries. Identifying and addressing these hazards helps improve employee safety.
Common hazards include:
- Wet or slippery floors
- Uneven walking surfaces
- Damaged flooring
- Cluttered walkways
- Unprotected floor openings
- Improper ladder use
- Inadequate lighting
- Missing handrails or guardrails
OSHA requires employers under 1910.22(d)(1) to inspect all walking-working surfaces regularly and as necessary to ensure they are safe for employee use. Employers are responsible for determining an inspection schedule that is adequate to identify hazards.
OSHA states that a "regular inspection" means an employer has a formal or informal inspection schedule that is sufficient to identify hazards on walking-working surfaces. Employers can determine how often inspections are performed, but inspections must occur according to the established frequency.
In addition to regular inspections, employers must conduct inspections "as necessary" when workplace conditions, circumstances, or events require an additional evaluation of walking-working surfaces.
These inspections are not performed on a fixed schedule because conditions can change at any time. For example, a parking lot may need to be inspected after snowfall to determine whether ice has created an unsafe walking-working surface.
The goal is to inspect walking-working surfaces often enough to identify and correct hazards in a timely manner.
