Areas That Need Barriers or Guards

University employees and all contractors must use barriers and guards as necessary to protect employees, students and visitors from physical hazards. If you suspect a hazard is not sufficiently protected, notify the attending workers, The Facilities Department or the Risk Management & Safety Office immediately.

NOTE:
Barriers, guards, and warning signs are required to ensure safety against existing hazards.

Types of Barriers and Guards

Standard types of barriers and guards include the following:

• Guardrails and handholds
• Saw horses
• Tape
• Toe boards
• Cones
• Other physical barriers and solid separators (dust barriers, hazard barriers, temporary walkways, etc.)

NOTE:
Signs that state DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION are also important when barriers or guards are necessary. Remember to make signs legible, visible, and brief.

Areas that Need Barriers or Guards

Any area that poses a physical threat to workers and/or pedestrians requires barriers or guards. Areas that typically require permanent or temporary protection include the following:

• Stairways
• Hatches
• Chutes
• Open Manholes
• Elevated platforms
• Areas with moving machinery
• Excavation sites
• Construction sites
• Temporary wall or floor openings
• Using Barriers and Guards

The following list provides guidelines for using barriers and guards:

• When necessary, reroute pedestrian and vehicular traffic to completely avoid a construction site.
• Guard any permanent ground opening into which a person could fall with a guardrail, load-bearing cover, or other physical barrier.
• Ensure that temporary floor openings, such as pits and open manholes, are guarded by secure, removable guardrails. If guardrails are not available, have someone guard the opening.
• Ensure that all stairways, ladder ways, hatchways, or chute floor openings have handrails or hinged covers.
• Ensure that enclosed stairways with four or more steps have at least one railing, and that open stairways with four or more steps have two railings.
• Ensure that all platforms and walkways that are elevated or located next to moving machinery are equipped with handrails, guardrails, or toe boards.
• Barricade any wall openings through which a person or tools could fall. Use gates, doors, guardrails, or other physical barriers to block the opening.
• Mark and guard any excavation that is deeper than 12 inches.
• Mark and/or guard potholes and sidewalk damage as appropriate.
• Protect smoke detectors with some type of cover when construction work, such as dust or fume producing activities, may affect smoke detectors. Remove protectors immediately at the end of the activity or at the end of the each day.