Fall Protection: The 6-Foot Rule Is Not One Rule

Six feet is the general construction trigger, and it is wrong for scaffolds, wrong for steel erection, and wrong twice over for holes and dangerous equipment, where there is no minimum height at all.

The trigger height, by what you are doing

General construction	6 feet. 1926.501(b)(1) to (b)(15)
On a scaffold	MORE THAN 10 feet. Subpart L, 1926.451(g)(1)
Steel erection	MORE THAN 15 feet. Subpart R, 1926.760(a)(1)
Steel erection connectors	More than two stories or 30 feet, whichever is LESS. 1926.760(b)(1)
Above dangerous equipment	NO MINIMUM. Protection is required below 6 feet as well as above it. 1926.501(b)(8)
Holes, including skylights	NO MINIMUM for covers. 1926.501(b)(4)(ii) and (iii)

The two rules with no minimum height, in full

DANGEROUS EQUIPMENT. 1926.501(b)(8)(i): each employee LESS THAN 6 feet above dangerous equipment shall be protected from falling into or onto it by guardrails or equipment guards. Above 6 feet, (b)(8)(ii) adds fall arrest and safety nets. So a two-foot drop onto a rebar cage or a running machine is covered.
HOLES. 1926.501(b)(4)(i) requires fall protection for holes more than 6 feet above a lower level. But (ii) requires covers to stop anyone tripping in or stepping through, and (iii) requires covers to stop objects falling through, and NEITHER states a height. A hole is a hole at ankle level.
Skylights count as holes throughout 1926.501(b)(4). They are named in the regulation.

Where Subpart M hands you to a different rulebook

Scaffolds	Subpart L
Cranes and derricks	Subpart CC
Steel erection, except towers and tanks	Subpart R
Tunneling equipment	Subpart S
Erecting tanks, communication and broadcast towers	1926.105
Aerial lifts, poles, towers and similar	Subpart V

Two conditions people miss

EXCAVATION EDGES: 1926.501(b)(7)(i) applies at 6 feet deep AND where the excavation is not readily seen because of plant growth or another visual barrier. Wells, pits and shafts at 6 feet are covered outright by (b)(7)(ii).
LOW-SLOPE ROOFS 50 FEET OR LESS IN WIDTH get an extra option under 1926.501(b)(10): a safety monitoring system used alone. Wider than 50 feet and that option is gone.

Read from the eCFR text of 29 CFR 1926 Subparts M, L and R, edition dated 2026-01-01. These are the FEDERAL OSHA minimums. State-plan states run their own programs and several set stricter rules, so check your state before relying on a federal number. This card states what the regulation says; it is not a substitute for a competent person assessing the actual job.

Sources: ecfr.gov · osha.gov

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