In the working environment act there are rules as to the obligations of the employer and other personnel responsible for safety in regard to preventing illness and accidents at the working site. In this law it is established that the employer should provide a complete edge protection program at the working site for everyone doing work at a height where a risk of falls is present. This means that we have to identify the risks of falling at the working site, select products that are suitable to the task, and provide training of the personnel in correct operation methods. When the employer has carried out the above, the worker is obliged to use the equipment provided, as there is a risk of falling in connection with carrying out certain duties.
Laws and norms differs between countries. The Swedish Work Environment Authority publishes regulations that in detail mentions the requirements and responsibilities that apply to the working environment. For building and construction work regulation AFS 1999-3 applies, and this regulation describes when edge protections should be used and generally how they should be designed.
In the European standard EN-13374 technical requirements and testing methods are given as to temporary guardrail systems when building or maintaining buildings. In this standard you will find detailed requirements on how the edge protection should be designed and the loads they are intended for.