Requirements finder
What does your jurisdiction require you to write down?
Before you read the detail
Your obligations come from the regulation that applies where the work happens, not from any software. This page sets out, for each jurisdiction, what has to exist on paper and where that requirement comes from, so you can check it against the official text.
Only one jurisdiction on this page sets a number of years: New York City, at six. Everywhere else the duty is either to keep the latest record, to keep it for the duration of the job, or to keep it current and available at the work site with no end date. If you are setting a retention policy, do not assume a number applies.
Canada
Alberta
A written, dated hazard assessment; a fall protection plan that includes rescue procedures; and for rope access, a safe work plan naming the team plus a signed personal logbook for each worker.
The law
- Occupational Health and Safety Code, Alta Reg 191/2021 (consolidated to AR 210/2024, current as of 31 March 2025)
- Occupational Health and Safety Act, SA 2020 c O-2.2
Alberta’s Code uses running section numbers, not part-prefixed ones: Part 2 is ss. 7–11, Part 9 is ss. 138–161, Part 41 starts at s. 805. There is no “s. 9.1”.
What has to be written down
A written hazard assessment, dated, prepared before work begins
OHS Code s. 7(1)–(3)
The employer assesses the site before work begins and prepares a report of the results and the control methods, recording the date it was prepared or revised. Workers affected by the hazards must be involved (s. 8(1)).
The assessment repeated when things change
OHS Code s. 7(4)
At reasonably practicable intervals, when a new work process is introduced, when a process changes, and before significant additions or alterations.
Required plans and reports kept in writing and available to workers at the site
OHS Act s. 55(6)–(7)
The general duty that puts the paperwork on the job rather than at head office. Part 2 of the Code no longer carries this; the former s. 7(5) was repealed.
A fall protection plan where a worker may fall 3 m or more
OHS Code s. 140(1)–(2)
Required where workers are not protected by guardrails. The plan must state the fall hazards, the fall protection system to be used, the anchors, confirmation that clearance distances were checked, the procedures to assemble, maintain, inspect, use and disassemble the system, and the rescue procedures to be used if a worker falls.
The fall protection plan available on site and reviewed with workers before work starts
OHS Code s. 140(3)–(4)
It must also be updated when conditions affecting fall protection change.
A rope access safe work plan, available at the site before work begins
OHS Code ss. 808–810
Contents include the hazards and controls, a description of the rope access system, the procedures to assemble, maintain, inspect, use and disassemble it, each work team member by name with their duties, the personal protective equipment, and an emergency response plan.
Written safe work practices covering rescue of a suspended worker
OHS Code s. 811
They must incorporate the Part 2 hazard assessment, worker training, use of the system and rescue procedures.
A personal logbook for each rope access worker, signed by the supervisor
OHS Code s. 827
A chronological record with the date, the type of work and access method, the type of structure and the hours worked. Each entry is verified and signed by the rope access supervisor or worksite manager, and the worker keeps it current and available at the worksite for inspection.
Equipment inspected before use each shift as the manufacturer requires
OHS Code ss. 150.1, 815
Re-certification follows the manufacturer’s specification. Note that the Code does not require an inspection log — but clients, insurers and your own recall process usually do.
Equipment taken out of service stays out until certified
OHS Code s. 820(2)
A professional engineer or the manufacturer must certify it is safe before it goes back into use.
Not required: No training record is required by Part 9
OHS Code s. 141
Part 9 requires the training (ten listed topics) but does not require the employer to document it. Rope access training under s. 826 points to the skills and practical-experience hours in the standards the Code names.
How long you keep it
No retention period is stated. The duty is that records are current and available at the work site.
Where RopeDocs fits
The hazard assessment, rescue plan, equipment inspection and toolbox talk forms produce dated, signed PDFs for these records, and employee records hold each worker’s tickets and expiry dates.
RopeDocs does not make a company compliant and does not certify compliance. It helps you produce and keep the documentation these obligations require.
Canada
British Columbia
A written rope access plan with prescribed contents, documented training with a valid certificate, a signed personal log per worker, and documented annual inspection and testing of permanent anchors.
The law
- Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 296/97 (consolidation current to 8 September 2026)
What has to be written down
A written rope access plan, available at the workplace before the system is installed or used
OHS Regulation s. 34.3(1)–(2)
The contents are prescribed: the hazards; how they will be eliminated or controlled; a description of the system; the types and locations of anchorages; procedures to assemble, maintain, inspect, use and disassemble it; the name and duties of each work team member; the personal protective equipment; and the emergency response, evacuation and rescue procedures.
Documented training, and a valid certificate available at the workplace
OHS Regulation s. 34.4(1)–(3)
The employer must ensure and document that the person has the required training and holds a valid certificate from one of the schemes the section names, and must also document training in the rope access plan itself and the person’s duties under it. The certificate must be produced for inspection on request.
A personal log for each rope access worker, signed daily by the supervisor
OHS Regulation s. 34.7
Chronological, with the date, type of work, type of rope access system, type of building or structure and hours worked. Each day’s entry is verified and signed by the rope access supervisor or the manager in charge, and the log is kept current and available at the workplace.
Permanent anchors inspected and tested annually, with the results documented
OHS Regulation s. 34.12(2)–(3)
Through CSA Z91: the anchor must be inspected at least once a year and tested, and the results of the inspection and testing must be documented. The anchor and its installation must be certified by a professional engineer.
A written fall protection plan where a fall of 7.5 m (25 ft) or more may occur
OHS Regulation s. 11.3(1)–(2)
Also required where s. 11.2(5) applies — that is, where work procedures are used because guardrails, restraint, arrest and rope access are all impracticable. The plan must be available at the workplace before work with a risk of falling begins.
Not required: Part 11 does not prescribe what the fall protection plan must contain
OHS Regulation s. 11.3
The commonly quoted list of contents comes from OHS Guideline G11.3, which is guidance, not regulation. Compare s. 34.3(2) for rope access, which does prescribe contents. Rescue is not covered in Part 11 at all.
Engineer certification for permanent anchors, multi-point anchors, permanent horizontal lifelines and safety net supports
OHS Regulation s. 11.8
Equipment inspected before use on each workshift
OHS Regulation ss. 11.9(a), 34.10
By a qualified person, or by the intending user for rope access equipment. No inspection record is required by the regulation.
How long you keep it
No retention period is stated. Plans, logs and certificates must be current and available at the workplace for inspection.
Where RopeDocs fits
Equipment inspection forms cover the pre-shift checks and the annual anchor inspection results; the rescue plan and hazard assessment forms produce the site records; employee records hold certifications and their expiry dates.
RopeDocs does not make a company compliant and does not certify compliance. It helps you produce and keep the documentation these obligations require.
Read the official text
Canada
Ontario
Written rescue procedures before any fall arrest system is used, a signed training and instruction record for each worker, and a separate working-at-heights training record that expires after three years.
The law
- O. Reg. 213/91, Construction Projects (consolidation period 20 April 2026)
- O. Reg. 297/13, Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training
What has to be written down
Written rescue procedures, before any use of a fall arrest system or safety net
O. Reg. 213/91 s. 26.1(4)
The worker’s employer develops written procedures for rescuing a worker whose fall has been arrested. Commonly miscited as s. 26.3 or s. 26.6 — it is 26.1(4).
A written training and instruction record for each worker, signed by whoever gave it
O. Reg. 213/91 s. 26.2(2)–(4)
It must include the worker’s name and the dates on which training and instruction took place, and be available to an inspector on request.
Working at heights training from an approved provider, valid for three years
O. Reg. 297/13 ss. 7, 8(1)
The program and the provider must both be approved by the Chief Prevention Officer. Training completed between 28 February 2017 and 31 August 2017 was valid for four years.
A maintained record of that training with four specific items
O. Reg. 297/13 s. 10
The worker’s name, the name of the approved training provider, the date of successful completion and the name of the approved program. The proof of completion issued by the Chief Prevention Officer counts as the record. Available to an inspector on request.
Both training records are required, not one or the other
O. Reg. 297/13 s. 9
Section 26.2(1) of O. Reg. 213/91 applies in addition to the working-at-heights training requirement.
Safety net installations inspected and tested by an engineer, documented, and the document kept at the project
O. Reg. 213/91 s. 26.8(3)–(5)
A copy is kept at the project for as long as the safety net is in service.
Equipment inspected by a competent worker before each use
O. Reg. 213/91 ss. 26.4(3), 26.5(3), 26.6(6)
No inspection record is required. After an arrested fall, the system is removed from service and cannot be reused unless all components are certified by the manufacturer as safe for re-use (s. 26.6(8)).
How long you keep it
No retention period is stated. The training records must be maintained and produced for an inspector on request; the safety net document stays at the project while the net is in service.
Where RopeDocs fits
The rescue plan form produces the written rescue procedures for the job; toolbox talks record the instruction given; employee records hold each worker’s training, provider, completion date and the three-year expiry.
RopeDocs does not make a company compliant and does not certify compliance. It helps you produce and keep the documentation these obligations require.
Read the official text
United States
United States — construction
A written fall protection plan only in three specific situations, and a training certification record naming the employee, the dates and the trainer. Only the latest certification has to be kept.
The law
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M, Fall Protection (2025 annual edition)
In the United States this pre-job assessment is a JHA (job hazard analysis), or JSA. OSHA does not require a JHA by name in Subpart M; clients and contracts usually do.
What has to be written down
A written, site-specific fall protection plan — in three situations only
29 CFR 1926.502(k)
Available only for leading edge work, precast concrete erection and residential construction, where the employer can demonstrate that conventional fall protection is infeasible or creates a greater hazard. It is not a general alternative to guardrails, nets or personal fall arrest.
What that plan must contain
29 CFR 1926.502(k)(1)–(10)
Prepared by a qualified person and developed for the specific site; kept up to date, with changes approved by a qualified person; a copy maintained at the job site; the documented reasons conventional systems are infeasible or a greater hazard; a written discussion of other measures considered; each location where conventional methods cannot be used, which then become controlled access zones; and a statement identifying each employee designated to work in those zones. After any fall or near miss the employer must investigate and change the plan if needed.
A written training certification record
29 CFR 1926.503(b)(1)
The name or other identity of the employee trained, the date or dates of the training, and the signature of the person who did the training or of the employer. If the employer is relying on training given by a previous employer, the record shows the date the employer determined that training was adequate.
Personal fall arrest systems inspected prior to each use
29 CFR 1926.502(d)(21)
Defective components are removed from service. No inspection record is required by the standard.
How long you keep it
Only the latest training certification has to be kept — the standard says so in one sentence and names no number of years (1926.503(b)(2)).
Where RopeDocs fits
The JHA covers the pre-work assessment, the rescue plan records the rescue arrangements, and equipment inspection forms give you the inspection history the standard does not require but clients ask for.
RopeDocs does not make a company compliant and does not certify compliance. It helps you produce and keep the documentation these obligations require.
Read the official text
United States
United States — general industry
Before anyone uses a rope descent system, the building owner must give the employer written confirmation that the anchorages are identified, tested, certified and maintained. The employer keeps that document for the duration of the job.
The law
- 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D, Walking-Working Surfaces (2025 annual edition)
Two intervals get mixed up here: the annual inspection by a qualified person, and re-certification at least every 10 years. Both sit in 1910.27(b)(1)(i).
What has to be written down
Written information from the building owner about the anchorages
29 CFR 1910.27(b)(1)(i)
Before a rope descent system is used, the owner must inform the employer in writing that each anchorage has been identified, tested, certified and maintained as capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) in any direction, for each employee attached. That information must be based on an annual inspection by a qualified person, and certification of each anchorage by a qualified person as necessary and at least every 10 years.
The employer must hold that information before work, and keep it
29 CFR 1910.27(b)(1)(ii)
No employee may use an anchorage until the employer has the written information, and it must be kept for the duration of the job.
Rope descent systems not used above 300 feet unless justified
29 CFR 1910.27(b)(2)(i)
Equipment inspected before each work shift; prompt rescue available
29 CFR 1910.27(b)(2)(iv), (viii)
Defective equipment is removed immediately. No inspection record and no written rescue plan are required by this section.
Not required: No written training certification is required in general industry
29 CFR 1910.30
Training is required — before exposure, by a qualified person, and specifically in the rigging and use of a rope descent system — but unlike construction there is no certification-record requirement and no retention period. Many employers keep one anyway.
How long you keep it
The owner’s written anchorage information must be kept for the duration of the job. Nothing else has a stated period.
Where RopeDocs fits
Equipment inspection forms record the pre-shift checks, and the JHA and rescue plan forms record the assessment and rescue arrangements for each job. The owner’s anchorage letter is a document to file, not a form to complete.
RopeDocs does not make a company compliant and does not certify compliance. It helps you produce and keep the documentation these obligations require.
Read the official text
United States
New York City (FISP)
Buildings over six storeys get a close-up facade examination every five-year cycle by a qualified inspector, who files a report classifying every condition and keeps the inspection records for at least six years.
The law
- 1 RCNY § 103-04, Periodic Inspection of Exterior Walls and Appurtenances (Local Law 11 / FISP)
- NYC Administrative Code Title 28, Article 302
The rule text above was read from the Department’s own published PDF. That document carries no amendment stamp, so check the Department’s rules page for anything adopted since.
What has to be written down
A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector performs the examination
1 RCNY § 103-04(a), § 101-07
A registered design professional — a New York State licensed and registered architect or professional engineer — with at least seven years of relevant experience with facades over six storeys. The examination is done by, or under the direct supervision of, that inspector.
Applies to buildings greater than six storeys
1 RCNY § 103-04(c)(1)
A written report filed with the Department, with a copy to the owner
1 RCNY § 103-04(c)(3)
The required contents run from (A) to (O), ending with the seal and signature of the inspector. Filing runs on a five-year cycle with a two-year filing window, staggered by the last digit of the building’s block number.
Every condition classified Safe, SWARMP or Unsafe
1 RCNY § 103-04(c)(3)(iii)(N)
A building with any unsafe condition is classified unsafe. A condition previously reported as SWARMP (safe with a repair and maintenance program) that was not corrected must be reported as unsafe, and the same condition at the same location cannot be filed as SWARMP for two consecutive cycles.
Unsafe conditions corrected within 90 days, then re-inspected
1 RCNY § 103-04(c)(5)
An extension of up to 90 further days may be granted. The inspector re-inspects within two weeks of completion and files an amended report.
Inspection and test records kept for at least six years
1 RCNY § 103-04(b)(2)
The inspector maintains them and makes them available to the Department on request.
The conditions certificate posted in the lobby within 30 days
1 RCNY § 103-04(f)
How long you keep it
Six years for the inspector’s records of inspections and tests — the only fixed retention period among the jurisdictions on this page.
Where RopeDocs fits
FISP filings are the inspector’s work, not something an app files. What RopeDocs records is the work around them: the JHA for each drop, equipment inspections, the rescue plan, and the photographic paper trail a building owner asks for between cycles.
RopeDocs does not make a company compliant and does not certify compliance. It helps you produce and keep the documentation these obligations require.
Read the official text
About this page
Every section number on this page was read in the official text on , and each jurisdiction links to the source so you can check it yourself. Where a rule people commonly assume exists does not exist, we say so.
This is a plain-language summary for people planning work, not legal advice, and it is not a complete statement of your duties. Regulations are amended. Before you rely on it, read the current official text or ask someone qualified to advise on your jurisdiction.
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