Roll-Over Protective Structures

In 1996, OSHA published a technical amendment revising the construction and agriculture standards that regulate testing of roll- over protective structures ("ROPS") used to protect employees who operate wheel-type tractors. This revision removed the original ROPS standards and replaced them with references to national consensus standards for ROPS-testing requirements. The Agency believed that the national consensus standards essentially duplicated the ROPS standards they replaced, and that any differences between them were not substantive. Subsequently, OSHA identified several substantive differences between the national consensus standards and the original ROPS standards. Therefore, the Agency is reinstating the original ROPS standards by issuing this direct final rule. The reinstated ROPS standards for both construction and agriculture also contain a number of minor revisions that OSHA believes are not substantive and will improve comprehension of, and compliance with, the standards.