29 CFR 1926.502: Fall protection systems criteria and practices
The official text is on the eCFR. This page maps how the section is organized, quotes the paragraphs our ASP, CHST practice questions are built on, and gives free questions you can try. Text below is quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; the section was last amended 2016-09-01.
How 29 CFR 1926.502 is organized
- (a) General2 paragraphs
- (b) Guardrail systems21 paragraphs
- (c) Safety net systems16 paragraphs
- (d) Personal fall arrest systems39 paragraphs
- (e) Positioning device systems16 paragraphs
- (f) Warning line systems14 paragraphs
- (g) Controlled access zones17 paragraphs
- (h) Safety monitoring systems10 paragraphs
- (i) Covers6 paragraphs
- (j) Protection from falling objects13 paragraphs
- (k) Fall protection plan11 paragraphs
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 26 live PassCited questions built on this section. This reflects our question bank, not the real exam.
“(i) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(4)(ii) of this section, safety nets and safety net installations shall be drop-tested at the jobsite after initial installation and before being used as a fall protection system, whenever relocated, after major repair, and at 6-month intervals if left in one place. The drop-test shall consist of a 400 pound (180 kg) bag of sand 30 ±2 inches (76 ±5 cm) in diameter dropped into the net from the highest walking/working surface at which employees are exposed to fall hazards, but not from less than 42 inches (1.1 m) above that level.”
“(19) Personal fall arrest systems and components subjected to impact loading shall be immediately removed from service and shall not be used again for employee protection until inspected and determined by a competent person to be undamaged and suitable for reuse.”
“(iv) When the path to a point of access is not in use, a rope, wire, chain, or other barricade, equivalent in strength and height to the warning line, shall be placed across the path at the point where the path intersects the warning line erected around the work area, or the path shall be offset such that a person cannot walk directly into the work area.”
“(4) Where tools, equipment, or materials are piled higher than the top edge of a toeboard, paneling or screening shall be erected from the walking/working surface or toeboard to the top of a guardrail system's top rail or midrail, for a distance sufficient to protect employees below.”
“(i) Materials and equipment shall not be stored within 6 feet (1.8 m) of a roof edge unless guardrails are erected at the edge.”
Free practice questions on 29 CFR 1926.502
Question 1
A worker on a wall-form platform is using a positioning device system, with a lanyard connecting a body harness to the form's rebar, so that both hands are free while leaning back. During a pre-use check, the competent person finds that the slack in the lanyard and the position of the anchor would let the worker drop about 3 feet before the system engages. What is the correct determination?
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Answer: A. Not acceptable; the system must be re-rigged so the worker cannot free fall more than 2 feet
The standard requires positioning devices to be rigged so an employee cannot free fall more than 2 feet, so a 3-foot drop fails regardless of other features. Connector strength does not cure excess free fall, and the limit is not tied to proximity to an edge.
Answer A rests on
29 CFR 1926.502(e)(1)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Positioning devices shall be rigged such that an employee cannot free fall more than 2 feet (.6 m).”
Question 2
A steel erection deck has a ladderway hole that workers use to climb between levels. The crew is installing a guardrail system around it. Workers approach the hole walking directly along the deck toward the ladder. Which arrangement meets the requirements for guardrails around a hole used as a point of access?
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Answer: D. Guardrails on all sides, with a self-closing gate across the side where workers step onto the ladder
A hole used as an access point must have a gate, or the guardrail must be offset so a person cannot walk directly into the hole. A gate on the access side satisfies this. The chain option is the arrangement the guidance allows at hoisting areas, not at access holes, and leaving an open side or removing only the top rail does not prevent someone walking directly into the hole.
Answer D rests on
29 CFR 1926.502(b)(13)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“When guardrail systems are used around holes which are used as points of access (such as ladderways), they shall be provided with a gate, or be so offset that a person cannot walk directly into the hole.”
Question 3
A drywall crew will work on a flat roof edge with no parapet wall. Guardrails with the top rail 44 inches above the roof surface are already installed. A foreman then has two workers do the edge work on stilts that add 8 inches to their height. The foreman says the 44-inch rails are within the normal range, so no changes are needed. What is the correct determination?
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Answer: C. The guardrail is not compliant for stilt use; the top edge height must be increased by an amount equal to the height of the stilts.
The standard requires the top rail height to be increased by the height of the stilts when employees use them, so the 44-inch rail no longer provides the required protection. Being within the normal 42 ±3 inch range applies only when no stilts are used, and a midrail does not fix the top-rail height.
Answer C rests on
29 CFR 1926.502(b)(1)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“When employees are using stilts, the top edge height of the top rail, or equivalent member, shall be increased an amount equal to the height of the stilts.”
Question 4
On an elevated slab, a crew covers a floor hole with a sheet of plywood. The hole is in an interior work area where only workers and a small hand-propelled material cart travel. No vehicles use the area. A foreman inspects the cover and finds that it is strong enough to carry well over twice the combined weight of the workers, cart, and materials that could be on it at once. The cover sits loosely in place over the hole and is marked with the word "HOLE." Which statement best describes the cover's compliance?
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Answer: D. It is not compliant, because the cover is not secured against accidental displacement by wind, equipment, or employees when installed.
The standard requires all covers, whatever the location, to be secured when installed to prevent accidental displacement. This cover meets the strength criterion and the marking criterion, but it sits loose, so it fails. The vehicle axle-load rule applies only to roadways and vehicular aisles, and marking with "HOLE" is an acceptable alternative to color coding.
Answer D rests on
29 CFR 1926.502(i)(3)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(3) All covers shall be secured when installed so as to prevent accidental displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees.”
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