Beyond hybrid: create shared guardrails to keep flexible work ...

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This is the second part of a two-part series on how to lead your organization through a flexible work transformation. In part one, we laid out how to establish your purpose and principles for flexible work. In this post, you’ll learn how to establish guardrails to keep your flexible work transformation on track. 

In Part 1 of this series we talked about the importance of principles in guiding executive decision-making. But principles set at the executive level are not enough — you also need guardrails to make sure that departments and teams across your organization can translate those principles consistently and equitably.

This playbook is for leaders who want to:

• Align an organization behind shared guardrails for flexible work 
• Translate flexible work principles into day-to-day habits and practices that support your flexible work strategy

What are guardrails?

Guardrails are just what they sound like: they’re the protective railings that keep you from veering off course. They create a framework for your flexible work principles by preventing double standards from developing across employee groups. 

They also guard against what we call faux flexibility — policies that appear to be flexible, but don’t give people the freedom and autonomy they are asking for (i.e. you have the flexibility to work from home, but only three days a week and you still need be available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Or, the term can describe behaviors that run counter to flexibility (i.e. executives who still come back into the office full-time, five days a week, implicitly signaling that to succeed, people should abandon flexible options).

“Think of it this way: If your purpose is to unlock the power of talent in your organization, then guardrails are there to ensure that actually happens. Because if you’re not intentional about how you implement flexible work, you could end up having the opposite effect — by falling prey to proximity bias and creating a greater opportunity- and growth-divide between those who choose more flexibility and those who don’t.” 

Helen Kupp, Senior Director of Future Forum

Research from Nicholas Bloom at Stanford showed that, in one company, people working from home had lower promotion rates than their in-office counterparts — a full fifty percent lower — despite being as or more productive. It’s not clear from the study if the company was aware of the risk of uneven experiences, or if they did anything to avoid it. But that kind of proximity bias is still a potential pitfall that you should work to actively manage against.

How to set your flexible work guardrails

At Future Forum, we recommend setting guardrails for three main areas:

• Leadership guardrails
• Workplace guardrails
• Culture guardrails

Leadership guardrails to ensure your leaders walk the talk

An executive in a real estate firm once described to us how, during an important meeting, most participants dialed in, but all the senior executives could clearly be seen on one tile, indicating that they were together in the boardroom. They assumed no one would notice, but everyone did. It sent a signal that the office was where people needed to be, even though that wasn’t their intention. The company wanted to promote flexibility, but the behavior of their leaders undermined the concept. This is a classic case of failing to lead by example.

If you, as a leader, are still coming into the office on a typical 9-to-5 schedule every day, then you’re sabotaging your flexible work strategy and undermining its principles (even if you don’t mean to). No matter what you say, no matter what your official policy states, if employees see you in the office regularly, they will believe they need to do the same if they want access to growth and opportunities.

At Slack, leading by example meant adopting what we call our “executive speed limits.” CEO Stewart Butterfield went around the room and asked each of his direct reports what commitments they would make to set an example. One that emerged was everyone committing to leaders to spending three days a week or fewer in the office. There was further guidance on how that limited time should be spent: on team events and customer interactions. In other words, the office is for those things that really require people to be present. That was the message Butterfield wanted leaders to communicate through their actions.

Take symbolic actions

A great way to lead by example is to take symbolic actions. Find ways to highlight flexible work across your organization. They can be simple actions, like when all executive team members at Telstra, Australia’s leading telecommunications company, changed their public profile pictures to show them working from home.

At IBM, CEO Arvind Krishna shared The IBM Work From Home Pledge early in the pandemic — not just to the organization, but on social media for all the world to see. 

The Pledge grew out of the experience an IBM consultant was having as she tried to balance working from home with having a ten-month-old baby who couldn’t go to daycare. One day her baby fell just before she had to get on a video call. Her child was okay, but her team could tell she was flustered with everything she had to manage. That got them talking about their new work situation and the new set of needs that came with it. They started challenging the usual norms of doing business and asking questions like, “If we’re working from home, do we really have to be camera ready for every meeting?”

That conversation resulted in the team coming up with a list of new norms for the work-from-home, lockdown era. They started sharing the list with others, and word about it spread quickly. Within about a week it came to the attention of senior leadership, and that’s when Krishna put it out on social media, to signal his support. 

This was early in the pandemic, when the company was navigating the sudden switch to working remotely for nearly all of their more than 250,000 employees. Since then, IBM has broadened its definition of flexible work to well beyond just working from home, encompassing schedule flexibility and hybrid (sometimes in, sometimes out of office) arrangements. As a result, team members are working on a new pledge to support their new style of work.

Model vulnerability

IBM’s example highlights another way leaders can reinforce their flexible work principles: by modeling vulnerability. Change can be uncomfortable, and it can make people feel like they’re on shaky ground. In those early days of the pandemic, IBM Chief Human Resources Officer Nickle LaMoreaux remembers CEO Arvind Krishna saying often to their leadership team: “Remember, every day you are now being invited into somebody’s home. It’s important to act as guests with the kind of courtesy that’s expected from them.” 

It was a great way to frame the sort of attitude leaders can bring to everyday situations to normalize flexibility. You can do this by saying hi to the kid who accidentally interrupts a video call — or, better yet, by bringing your own family on to wave a quick hello. When taking time in your flexible schedule for an exercise class or to see your daughter’s school play, let people know not just when you will be unavailable, but why. Spell it out in your status message — spending time with mom for her birthday! — or however you communicate with your team.

Workplace guardrails to reimagine the role of the office

A successful flexible work strategy requires leaders to redesign the role of the workplace. What that looks like exactly will depend on the needs of your organization, but doing so effectively will require you to be intentional about setting guardrails to keep people from reverting back to old habits.

Shared space is for teamwork first

In our digital-first culture at Slack, showing up to the office is no longer the default; it’s the exception. As our CEO Stewart Butterfield explained, “Getting teams together in person should have a purpose, such as team-building, project kick-offs, and other events that are planned in advance, pairing flexibility with predictability.” Being intentional about the role of the office in this way creates a more structured view of what flexible work can be.

We also got rid of the “executive floor.” Before moving to a digital-first strategy, Slack’s corporate headquarters in San Francisco had a tenth floor that was tricked-out with a large boardroom and executive briefing center and a ninth-floor C-suite where the CEO and other executives had offices. If there was an important meeting happening at Slack, it was always on one of those two floors. They were known as the place to hang out to show you were around. To get people to think differently about the use of office space, we dismantled that and don’t believe there will ever again be a need for an executive floor. Per our new guardrails, when leaders are in the office, they’ll most likely be there to meet with their teams. For other interactions, as our executives frequently say, “Slack is our headquarters.”

It’s likely that you, too, will need to redesign the way you use your office space. Instead of plans for cubicles and corner offices, companies like MillerKnoll have focused on thoughtfully designed social commons that foster collaboration and connection. There may be more emphasis on creating zones for different kinds of work — quiet floors for concentrated work, for example, paired with social floors for team gatherings. If your “workplace” is no longer a building, that opens up a whole range of new possibilities for how you use your physical space.

“To achieve our vision of a ‘virtual mindset,’ we created workplace ecosystem guidelines and asked teams to establish norms that fit their unique needs and wants. These actions have led to healthy conversations and changes that are creating a culture in which everyone can feel included, respected, and supported in our new ways of working. From a physical standpoint, we evolved our workspaces to encourage collaboration and our teams have the freedom to choose if and when they need to come into the office.” 

Julie Anding, Vice President, Inclusive Stakeholder Management, Harley-Davidson Motor Company

Keep a level playing field

In order to level the playing field, leaders need to drive a consistent experience and avoid “proximity bias,” or the risk that in-office workers will receive preferential treatment simply by being physically closer to their managers. 

Outside of intentional time together, meetings should be structured to enable remote participants to be equally present and part of the discussion. To ensure that was happening at Slack, we adopted the guardrail of “one dials in, all dial in,” meaning that either everyone gets together in a room for a meeting or everyone participates remotely, even if that means logging on to a video conference from a desk in the office.

It’s also important to think about the variety of methods you can use to encourage participation. Not everything requires a calendared meeting via video conference, which can disadvantage some groups, like those in different time zones, parents who are wrangling kids, or introverts who are unlikely to speak up on a crowded video chat. 

Don’t get us wrong: video conferencing is a great tool, one that has been a lifeline for so many, but it’s not the only tool you have. Sometimes communications platforms, chat, voice, and even asynchronous video — pre-recorded videos that people can watch on their own schedules — can work even better. 

There are a wide variety of tools out there for things like virtual whiteboarding, asynchronous brainstorming, or collaborating virtually on written documents. Be conscious of which tools you use and don’t just default to yet another meeting that crowds people’s schedules.

Rethink the role of offsites

Instead of focusing on which days of the week people should come into the office — the approach many companies have taken — leaders should be thinking about enabling teams to organize regular events that meet their own needs for team-building and productivity. That will likely mean equipping team leaders with new insights and tools.

For example, in a flexible model where team members are working from different places and at different times, people need to be given sufficient notice of events well in advance. Team leaders also need to be intentional about how their offsites are run. Priya Parker writes convincingly on this subject in her book, The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters: “Gatherings crackle and flourish when real thought goes into them, when (often invisible) structure is baked into them, and when a host has the curiosity, willingness, and generosity of spirit to try.” 

Leaders can answer four key questions to make sure they are being intentional about making their gatherings effective:

• How can I be sure attendees will be comfortable and motivated?
• What’s the topic and what do we need to achieve and produce?
• Who will facilitate the event and how?
• What tools will we need?

Executives need to think about how they can support team leaders in creating more effective gatherings, ones that are not only productive but also foster a sense of belonging. In the past, many companies have focused on in-office perks like free meals, coffee bars, or massages to do this, but those perks won’t work for a flexible, distributed team. 

Instead leaders need to give people better tools for both in-person and digital “offsites,” like team-level budgets for events as well as a menu of options (pre-approved items like food and swag and pre-approved vendors to provide them) they can easily pick from. 

Leaders also need to provide people to support these kinds of efforts, like facilitators who can help team leaders conceive of and plan the right sort of gatherings to meet their needs.

Culture guardrails to break old habits and norms

A flexible work culture is going to be different than an in-office one, naturally. But more than that, creating a new flexible work strategy provides companies with the opportunity to address some challenges that have long been part of traditional workplace cultures.

Moving beyond meetings

It’s a ubiquitous complaint in corporate culture: practically everyone is overwhelmed by meetings. And there are real questions about whether meetings are necessary to get things done, or if they are getting in our way far too often. In a survey of managers across a wide range of industries, researchers Leslie Perlow, Constance Hadley, and Eunice Eun found that more than 70 percent of people believed meetings were unproductive and inefficient, and 65 percent said meetings keep them from completing their work.

This doesn’t mean you should eliminate all meetings. But leaders should get a lot more intentional about the time you’re taking up on people’s calendars. So many meetings can be eliminated or broken up into parts. For example, your monthly sales meeting might start with a status update. Why not send that out beforehand? Presentations can be shared as decks or asynchronous video so people can review them in their own time. 

Tactics like these can lessen your meeting time considerably, and then time together can be more meaningfully spent on meaty discussions or team building. Dropbox uses what they call their “3D” model for planning meetings: debate, discuss, decide. We would add a fourth D for develop — time spent focused on honing individual skills or other professional development opportunities. If a meeting doesn’t meet at least one of those four objectives, then don’t meet. 

Guardrails can also be put in place to counter the assumption that people need to be available eight hours a day, five days a week for meetings. Tactics that we’ve seen work include Levi Strauss & Co.’s “No Meetings Fridays,” which aims to reduce internal meeting load and provide a day dedicated to focus time. Google adopted “No Meeting Weeks” years ago for some teams, and similarly Salesforce has adopted “Async Weeks” as a way to not only give people a respite, but also get meeting owners to think about whether each meeting is needed or could be cut in terms of frequency, attendance, or both. Slack’s Product, Design and Engineering team has “Maker Weeks” and “Maker Hours” — two-hour blocks, three days a week, where people can turn off notifications and do focused work.

Challenge the role of the brainstorm

One common concern about flexible work is that it will stifle creativity and innovation. After all, how can we come up with new ideas and solve tricky problems unless we gather together in a room and hash it out on a whiteboard? People often have trouble imagining other ways because they simply haven’t tried them. And in fact, there’s good evidence to suggest that they should. Numerous studies show that the often-lauded brainstorming session is a waste of time, at best; at worst it can lead to the dreaded groupthink and even harm productivity.

So-called ”brainwriting” has been shown to be a better way to generate new ideas, and it requires a kind of hybrid approach that flexible work is particularly well suited for. In fact, the best-known way for groups of people to generate new ideas is to work individually before working together.

Brainwriting starts with individual work, allowing time and space for people to think deeply and freely about ideas without fear of judgment or the influence of louder or more senior voices in the room. You ask everyone to commit their ideas to paper, and only then are they shared and debated — an approach that has been shown to elicit better results. 

According to the Harvard Business Review: “A meta-analytic review of over 800 teams indicated that individuals are more likely to generate a higher number of original ideas when they don’t interact with others.” By contrast, the old way of brainstorming “is particularly likely to harm productivity in large teams, when teams are closely supervised, and when performance is oral rather than written.”

One of the reasons the brainwriting approach works so well is because it gets more people involved. By allowing ideas to be generated ahead of review, you help create psychological safety for diverse teams and involve more voices that might normally go unheard in rooms where senior and more extroverted voices tend to dominate. It also helps guard against remote workers becoming alienated from such processes. 

Checklist for establishing your flexible work guardrails

OSHA’s General Industry standard covers a lot of different applications, from loading docks to rooftop skylights. In each of these scenarios, the requirement for fall protection is anything 4 feet in height or more. 

There is an exception to this rule. If you are working above dangerous equipment, then you need protection regardless of the height difference. OSHA defines dangerous equipment as anything that can cause harm to an employee that falls into or onto it. Examples could be a vat of chemicals or electrical equipment. 

OSHA even addresses the situations that they don’t specifically call out. The number remains the same. Any surface 4 feet or more above another level needs protection.  

Important Note: There are multiple options available in certain situations, like personal fall protection systems or safety netting. Safety netting is typically only used for construction and personal fall protection systems require a qualified person for installation, design, and use. 

The following is an excerpt from OSHA .29 (b) that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

.29(b) 
Guardrail systems. The employer must ensure guardrail systems meet the following requirements: 

.29(b)(1) 
The top edge height of top rails, or equivalent guardrail system members, are 42 inches (107 cm), plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm), above the walking-working surface. The top edge height may exceed 45 inches (114 cm), provided the guardrail system meets all other criteria of paragraph (b) of this section (see Figure D-11 of this section). 

.29(b)(2) 
Midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, solid panels, or equivalent intermediate members are installed between the walking-working surface and the top edge of the guardrail system as follows when there is not a wall or parapet that is at least 21 inches (53 cm) high: 

.29(b)(2)(i)
Midrails are installed at a height midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking-working surface; 

.29(b)(2)(ii) 
Screens and mesh extend from the walking-working surface to the top rail and along the entire opening between top rail supports; 

.29(b)(2)(iii) 
Intermediate vertical members (such as balusters) are installed no more than 19 inches (48 cm) apart; and 

.29(b)(2)(iv) 
Other equivalent intermediate members (such as additional midrails and architectural panels) are installed so that the openings are not more than 19 inches (48 cm) wide. 

Want more information on guardrail accessories? Feel free to contact us.

OSHA guardrail has a standard height of 42 inches. This is measured from the walking or working surface to the top edge of the guardrail. There is some flexibility in this measurement. The height can be 3 inches higher or lower as long as it complies with the rest of the code. 

Every guardrail needs a midrail unless there is a wall or parapet adjacent to it that is 21 inches in height or more. The midrail should be placed midway between the surface and the top edge of the guardrail. It’s important to note that there shouldn’t be a gap of more than 19 inches between the horizontal members. So, if you have a 45-inch height guardrail, then you may need additional midrails to accommodate this. 

You can use vertical members to provide the barrier underneath the top rail that you may see with picket fences. If you choose to do this, then there should be a maximum of a 19-inch gap between two members. 

In summary: 

42-inch height for the top rail, give or take 3 inches 

Midrails midway between the surface and the top rail, unless you have a 21-inch wall 

No gaps greater than 19 inches in between your middle members 

The following is an excerpt from OSHA .29 (b) that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

.29(b)(3) 
Guardrail systems are capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) applied in a downward or outward direction within 2 inches (5 cm) of the top edge, at any point along the top rail. 

.29(b)(4) 
When the 200-pound (890-N) test load is applied in a downward direction, the top rail of the guardrail system must not deflect to a height of less than 39 inches (99 cm) above the walking-working surface. 

.29(b)(5) 
Midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, solid panels, and other equivalent intermediate members are capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 150 pounds (667 N) applied in any downward or outward direction at any point along the intermediate member. 

The following is an excerpt from OSHA .29 (b) that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

.29(b)(6) 
Guardrail systems are smooth-surfaced to protect employees from injury, such as punctures or lacerations, and to prevent catching or snagging of clothing. 

.29(b)(7) 
The ends of top rails and midrails do not overhang the terminal posts, except where the overhang does not pose a projection hazard for employees. 

.29(b)(8) 
Steel banding and plastic banding are not used for top rails or midrails. 

.29(b)(9) 
Top rails and midrails are at least 0.25-inches (0.6 cm) in diameter or in thickness. 

.28(c) 
Protection from falling objects. When an employee is exposed to falling objects, the employer must ensure that each employee wears head protection that meets the requirements of subpart I of this part. In addition, the employer must protect employees from falling objects by implementing one or more of the following: 

.28(c)(1) 
Erecting toeboards, screens, or guardrail systems to prevent objects from falling to a lower level; 

Here are a few more details you need to know about your OSHA compliant guardrail. 

Guardrails should be designed so that there is no opportunity for lacerations and punctures to the user. User’s clothing should not be able to get snagged on the railing either. Top and mid rails should terminate into the post, wall, or surface so that they aren’t projection hazards for users. This can happen during an incomplete installation, broken handrail due to rust, or other design mistakes. 

There are a lot of materials that you can use for your handrail, like galvanized steel, aluminum, or wood. However, you cannot use steel banding or plastic banding for your rails. Whatever material you do choose, there needs to be a minimum of ¼-inch in diameter or thickness. Don’t forget to make sure that there are no gaps greater than 19 inches when making this decision. 

The following is an excerpt from OSHA .28 (b) that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

.28(b)(11)(i) 

Each employee exposed to an unprotected side or edge of a stairway landing that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected by a guardrail or stair rail system; 

.28(b)(11)(ii) 

Each flight of stairs having at least 3 treads and at least 4 risers is equipped with stair rail systems and handrails as follows: (Table D-2: Stairway Handrail Requirements) 

.29(b)(14) 

Guardrail systems on ramps and runways are installed along each unprotected side or edge. 

.29(b)(15) 

Manila or synthetic rope used for top rails or midrails are inspected as necessary to ensure that the rope continues to meet the strength requirements in paragraphs (b)(3) and (5) of this section. 

The following is an excerpt from OSHA .29 (f) that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

.29(f)(1) 
Height criteria. 

.29(f)(1)(i)
Handrails are not less than 30 inches (76 cm) and not more than 38 inches (97 cm), as measured from the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the handrail (see Figure D-12 of this section). 

.29(f)(1)(ii) 
The height of stair rail systems meets the following: 

.29(f)(1)(ii)(A) 
The height of stair rail systems installed before January 17, is not less than 30 inches (76 cm) from the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the top rail; and 

.29(f)(1)(ii)(B) 
The height of stair rail systems installed on or after January 17, is not less than 42 inches (107 cm) from the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the top rail. 

.29(f)(1)(iii) 
The top rail of a stair rail system may serve as a handrail only when: 

.29(f)(1)(iii)(A) 
The height of the stair rail system is not less than 36 inches (91 cm) and not more than 38 inches (97 cm) as measured at the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the top rail (see Figure D-13 of this section); and 

.29(f)(2) 
Finger clearance. The minimum clearance between handrails and any other object is 2.25 inches (5.7 cm). 

.29(f)(3) 
Surfaces. Handrails and stair rail systems are smooth-surfaced to protect employees from injury, such as punctures or lacerations, and to prevent catching or snagging of clothing. 

.29(f)(4) 
Openings in stair rails. No opening in a stair rail system exceeds 19 inches (48 cm) at its least dimension. 

.29(f)(5) 
Handhold. Handrails have the shape and dimension necessary so that employees can grasp the handrail firmly. 

.29(f)(6) 
Projection hazards. The ends of handrails and stair rail systems do not present any projection hazards. 

.29(f)(7) 
Strength criteria. Handrails and the top rails of stair rail systems are capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) applied in any downward or outward direction within 2 inches (5 cm) of any point along the top edge of the rail. 

OSHA handrails should be between 30 inches and 38 inches. The stair rail system should be 42 inches in height. However, the top rail of a stair rail system can be the handrail as long as the height is between 36 and 38 inches. All these heights should be measured from the nose of the step. 

If your current handrail was installed before , then your height can be 30 inches or more. Any modifications or replacements will require you to adhere to the aforementioned standards. 

The clearance of your handrail should be 2-¼ inches from any obstruction. It should be smooth so that there is no risk of injury or snagging of clothes. Handrails should be designed so that they are easy to grasp firmly. 

Stair rail systems shouldn’t have gaps of 19 inches or more in their least dimension. If you are using horizontal rails, then the gap would be measured vertically. If you are using vertical balustrades like pickets, then the gap would be measured horizontally. 

The following is an excerpt from OSHA .501 that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

.501(b)(1) 
"Unprotected sides and edges." Each employee on a walking/working surface (horizontal and vertical surface) with an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level shall be protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems. 

.501(b)(9)(ii) 
Each employee reaching more than 10 inches (25 cm) below the level of the walking/working surface on which they are working, shall be protected from falling by a guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system. 
Note: Bricklaying operations performed on scaffolds are regulated by subpart L - Scaffolds of this part. 

The following is an excerpt from OSHA .502 that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

.502(b)(9) 
Top rails and midrails shall be at least one-quarter inch (0.6 cm) nominal diameter or thickness to prevent cuts and lacerations. If wire rope is used for top rails, it shall be flagged at not more than 6-foot intervals with high-visibility material. 

.502(d)(23)
Personal fall arrest systems shall not be attached to guardrail systems, nor shall they be attached to hoists except as specified in other subparts of this Part. 

There are a few differences between OSHA’s General Industry standards and their Construction standards. You can review the full applicable codes for guardrail in the Construction code for .500, .501, and .502. Here are the major differences that you need to know about. 

The height requirement for guardrail changes from 4 feet to 6 feet. This is the most notable difference. Just like with general industry, these codes apply to all the various parts of the construction code, from holes in the roof to leading edges. 

Regardless of height, if an employee is reaching 10 inches below the walking or working surface they are on, then fall protection, like a guardrail, is required. The thickness is the same, but a caveat about using wire rope is added. If you use wire rope, then you need to have some form of flagging to make these wires easily seen by workers. These flags shall be placed no more than 6 feet apart. 

The following is an excerpt from California Code Title 8 Section that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

Guardrails at Elevated Locations 
(a) Buildings. Guardrails shall be provided on all open sides of unenclosed elevated work locations, such as: roof openings, open and glazed sides of landings, balconies or porches, platforms, runways, ramps, or working levels more than 30 inches above the floor, ground, or other working areas of a building as defined in Section of the General Industry Safety Orders. Where overhead clearance prohibits installation of a 42-inch guardrail, a lower rail or rails shall be installed. The railing shall be provided with a toeboard where the platform, runway, or ramp is 6 feet or more above places where employees normally work or pass and the lack of a toeboard could create a hazard from falling tools, material, or equipment. 

The following is an excerpt from California Code Title 8 Section that covers the responsibility for fall protection on working and walking surfaces. Please review the full code for further information. 

Standard Guardrails
(a) A standard guardrail shall consist of top rail, midrail or equivalent protection, and posts, and shall have a vertical height within the range of 42 inches to 45 inches from the upper surface of the top rail to the floor, platform, runway, or ramp level. (Note: the permissible tolerance on height dimensions is one inch). The top rail shall be smooth-surfaced throughout the length of the railing. The midrail shall be approximately halfway between the top rail and the floor, platform, runway, or ramp. The ends of the rails shall not overhang the terminal posts, except where such overhang does not constitute a projection hazard. (Title 24, Part 2, Section 2-(a)).  
(b) All guardrails and other permissible types, including their connections and anchorage, shall be designed for a live load of 20 pounds per linear foot applied either horizontally or vertically downward at the top rail. Dimensional details of railing members of a few types of construction which comply with this strength requirement are given hereinafter in subsection (c).  
(c) The following are some acceptable guardrail specifications: other combinations will be accepted as long as equivalent strength and protection are maintained.  

For more information, please visit bridge guardrails.

1. In wooden construction, the posts to be of at least 2-inch by 4-inch nominal material spaced not to exceed 6 feet, the top rails to be smooth with corners rounded and not less than 2-inch by 4-inch nominal material. The posts may be spaced on 8-foot centers if the top rails consist of double 1-inch by 4-inch nominal boards, provided that 1 board is fastened in a flat position on top of the posts and the other is fastened in an edge-up position to the inside of the posts and the side of the top board. Single midrails, where permitted, shall be not less than 2-inch by 4-inch nominal material and installed on the contact side of the guardrail.  
2. If constructed of standard metal pipe, the top rails and single midrail, where permitted, to be 1 1/2-inch outside diameter or larger. The posts to be 1 1/2-inch outside diameter or larger, the spacing not to exceed 8 feet.  
3. Guardrails installed on or before May 26, . If constructed of structural metal, the top rails to be angle iron of at least 2-inch by 2-inch by 1/4-inch angles or other metal shapes of equivalent bending strength; and the single midrail, where permitted, to be iron or steel of at least 2-inch by 2-inch by 1/4-inch angles or other metal shapes of equivalent strength. The posts to be angle iron of at least 2-inch by 2-inch by 1/4-inch stock, the spacing not to exceed 8 feet.   
4. Guardrails installed after May 26, . If constructed of structural metal, the top rails to be angle iron of at least 2-inch by 2-inch by 3/8-inch angles or other metal shapes of equivalent bending strength; and the single midrail, where permitted, to be iron or steel of at least 2-inch by 2-inch by 3/8-inch angles or other metal shapes of equivalent strength. The posts to be angle iron of at least 2-inch by 2-inch by 3/8-inch stock, the spacing not to exceed 8 feet.