Before reaching the work location
NOM-009-STPS-2011 is Mexico’s specific standard for safe conditions during work at height. The official catalogue confirms its current status. It requires prior assessment of the work area and its hazards, together with Spanish-language instructions based on manufacturer information.
The general work at height entry explains fall hazards. The standard adds specific duties concerning the systems used, personnel preparation and workplace documentation. Providing a harness does not resolve every elevated task or establish that the selected arrangement is suitable.
Select the system and check the surroundings
The standard distinguishes personal systems, scaffolds, platforms, ladders and nets. Their conditions are not interchangeable. Restraint or positioning equipment should not automatically be treated as equipment capable of arresting a fall.
Assessment also includes electricity, falling objects, sharp edges, substances that damage components and weather. For example, a repair near electrical lines needs the electrical hazard addressed alongside fall protection. Height-work authorisation does not remove that separate risk or justify an unassessed approach to the lines.
People, equipment and authorisations
Work must be performed by trained and authorised personnel. Authorisation identifies the person, task, location, measures and intended period. It must rely on verified conditions rather than act as an indefinite permit for any future location.
Equipment is checked before use and under the appropriate periodic programme, following manufacturer requirements. Defective parts must be removed from service and controlled to prevent reuse. The standard requires inspection and maintenance records to be retained for at least one year.
Prepare for emergencies before starting
The workplace needs an emergency response plan, resources and personnel prepared for the work scenarios. Relevant medical examination forms part of preventive organisation and requires professional assessment, not an informal supervisor declaration.
Contractors must also be supervised. Work must be avoided or interrupted when unsafe equipment or weather conditions arise. Working faster does not compensate for an unassessed situation. This entry does not teach rescue techniques or configure anchor systems: those decisions require specific training and a design appropriate to the actual location, equipment and people involved.
