12 2 2013
Fall Protection – The Problem
• Falls are a serious
safety concern in
the jobsite.
• Falls are the leading
cause of worker
deaths in
construction.
Scaffold in Dupage
County
Dec 2013
• MD
• A man working in the
garage level of a row
of town houses under
slipped on a small
patch of ice, fell and
struck his head and
died.
September 2013
Jan 2013
• Three story
• Roofer fell off edge
• Saved by fall arrest
Falls
• New OSHA standards
in 1995
• 1954 ANSI Standards
• Fatal injuries
involving falls
increased by 20 from
the preliminary count
to 700 cases.
Fall Sources
Heights Falling?
Region V fatality data
2007-2011
What is Fall Protection?
• Fall protection protects
workers from fall
hazards. Fall protection
doesn’t mean bulky or
cumbersome
equipment. It doesn’t
interfere with work tasks
and it doesn’t get in the
way of coworkers –
when used properly
Unguarded open-sided
floor
Planning
• Sometimes it takes a
lot of work to do
things wrong.
• Elimination of fall
hazards using the
hierarchy of controls
should be performed
by all companies.
Hierarchy of Fall Protection
• Elimination – such as
Cameras to monitor work.
Elimination through
design
• Passive Fall Protection –
Guardrails, Covers
• Travel Fall Restraint
• Administrative Control –
such as climber training,
warning systems
• Fall Arrest
Cameras used to monitor
locations.
Safety Program
• 1926.20(b)(1) requires all
construction companies to
have an effective accident
prevention program.
• Identify where falls can
occur to workers through
Job Safety Analysis
• Discuss the method of
protection the worker
must use.
What Is Job Safety Analysis?
• Method used to break a job task into separate and
distinct steps
• Four basic stages in conducting a JSA are:
• selecting the job to be analyzed
• breaking the job down into a sequence of steps
• identifying potential hazards
• determining preventive measures to overcome
these hazards
• http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/jobhaz.html has usefull examples of JSA’s
Training
Train workers:
- When to use fall arrest
- How to wear fall arrest
- Inspection of
anchorages, lanyards,
and harnesses
Inspections
• Conduct periodic
inspections
• Is fall arrest is worn?
• Is fall protection is
place?
• Take pictures of
people doing it right
Inspection
• All fall protection equipment and anchorages must
be inspected at the beginning of each eight-hour
shift by an authorized person
• At least once per year (or more frequently if
required by manufacturer) by a competent person
or a competent rescuer as appropriate to verify
equipment is safe for use.
• Written or electronic records of inspection should
be kept on file for service life of product.
Enforcement
• If people are not
wearing the fall
arrest, what is the
consequence?
Passive Fall Protection
•
•
•
•
•
Guardrails
Strength =
Top rail height =
Mid-rail height =
Wire rope/chain
deflection of 2 inches
Covers
• Hold twice the weight
• Secured
• Marked
Violation: 4' x 8' sheets of plywood covering a stairway
opening to the basement of a house. Only four nails hold
the two covers. The cover is not marked.
Fall Arrest
• Personal fall arrest
system means a system
used to arrest an employee
in a fall from a working
level. It consists of an
anchorage, connectors, a
body belt or body harness
and may include a
lanyard, deceleration
device, lifeline, or suitable
combinations of these.
Free fall of 30 inches needs
fall arrest not positioning
Travel Restraint
• 1000 lb anchorage
• Cannot free fall to
lower level
• On flat surfaces.
Work Positioning
•
•
•
Positioning device system means a
body belt or body harness system
rigged to allow an employee to be
supported on an elevated vertical
surface, such as a wall, and work
with both hands free while leaning.
Work Positioning free fall cannot
exceed 24 inches
Max fall arrest force is 900 lbs.
• Lanyards and harnesses used
• Equipment must have minimum
breaking strength of
• 5,000 lbs.
Fall Arrest Components
• Definition
• Body Harness
• Energy Absorbing
Lanyard
• Anchorage
Fall Arrest
• Fall Arrest Force
Maximum Allowed
• Harness = 1800 lbs.
• Belt = 900lb (banned)
Workers wearing a body
harness in an aerial lift
Fall Arrest
• Harness are required
for fall arrests
• Belts are only for
work positioning
• Maximum Fall Arrest
Force should be less
1800 lbs for a harness.
One employee is not
wearing fall arrest.
Lanyards
• Use energy absorbing
lanyards or retractable
lanyards.
• Check for ANSI
Z359.1 or OSHA
1926.502 marking
• Calculate free fall
distance
Harness
•
•
Labeled meeting
ANZI Z359 or
OSHA 1926.502
Use D-ring in back
•Lanyard is not an energy
absorbing lanyard.
•This is a chest waist
harness for work
positioning. Not designed
for fall arrest.
Anchorages
• A secure point of
attachment for lifelines,
lanyards or deceleration
devices
• 5000 lbs or 2:1 Safety
factor is calculated by a
qualified person.
• Anchorages may weaken
over time due to weather
or environment
Rescue
• Must be planned
• Following a fall, a worker
may remain suspended in
a harness. The sustained
immobility may lead to a
state of unconsciousness
• http://www.osha.gov/dts/s
hib/shib032404.html has
more info on suspension
trauma
Fall Prevention Techniques
•
•
•
•
•
Handrails
Slip resistant threads
Slip resistant shoes
Fall restraint systems
Enclosed barriers
• Eliminate exposure for
routine checks by
cameras or
instrumentation
• Build scaffold for long
term exposure
Scaffolds
•
•
•
•
•
OSHA 1926.451
Training specific for erectors and users.
Inspections before use
Fall protection required above 10 feet.
Suspended scaffolds need independent fall
arrest from the scaffold
Scaffold Footing
• Baseplates always
required.
• Mudsills needed if on
earth.
Scaffold Planking
• Scaffolds must be
fully planked, secured
and overlapped.
• Falling object
protection required.
• Inspect planks for
damage or
overloading.
Scaffold Guardrails
• Guardrails must be
provided on all
working platforms.
Scaffold Access
• Stairs are
recommended
• Scaffold access
ladders must be
secured
Metal Bracket Scaffold
• What questions would
you ask the scaffold
erector for this job.?
Step Ladders
• Used on stable surface
• Not used as a ext.
ladder
• Inspected for defects
• Never used on a
scaffold
Extension Ladder
• 4:1 Pitch
• 3’ extension above
landing
• No defects
• Not near electrical
• Secured from slipping
Fixed Ladder
• Stairs should be in
place if used everyday.
1910.24
• Use fall arrest
• Keep lanyard short to
12 inches if possible.
• Inspect ladder for
looseness and proper
rails to roof
Flat Roofs
• Inspect for damaged or
rotten roof deck and
components.
• Parapet must meets
guardrail requirements
• Lifting at edge requires
guardrail protection
• Warning lines and monitor
required if not using
conventional fall
protection
Skylights
• Must cover them if
working by them.
• Will not hold a
person’s weight
Opensided Floors
• Need two rails or
cables
• Fall height of 6 or
more
• Cable rails allowed 2
inch deflection.
• Several falls into
improperly guarded
elevator shafts
Floor Holes
• Guardrails
• Covers
• Holes over 2”x2” are
covered under the std.
• Beware covers that are
loose place over a
hole.
Forklift Platforms
• Platform slides off
• Improper rails
• Pushes worker into
fixes object
• Pallet unacceptable
• Scissors point on
many carriages
• Platform construction
Sloped Roofs
• Shinglers in residential
must use fall arrest
above 25’ or 8/12+
pitch
• Slideguards is required
otherwise above 6 feet
Residential
• One of the most cited standards in
construction
• 1926.503 requires specific training
• Falls from roofs, sheathing, truss erection,
openings to basement are among many of
the falls.
Sloped Roof
• Sheathers can use a
Controlled Access
Zone, Monitor, and
Slideguards in lieu of
fall arrest.
• Shinglers should use
fall arrest and
slideguards
• OSHA
1926.501(b)(13)
Extensible Boom Aerial Lifts
• Wear fall arrest
• Must have smooth
surface to operate
• Many flip in mud
• Train operator in
manual instructions
Scissor Lifts
• Workers must be
trained in the
operation manual
• Full guardrails needed
• Inspect area for holes
that could flip the lift
• Ensure proper lighting
End chain is missing
Stairs
• Guardrails on side
with both top and midrails
• Handrails
• Evenly spaced threads
• Foot clearance
• Required if climbing
daily
One handrail needed if both
sides are enclosed
Steel Erection
• Ironworkers
connecting out of an
aerial lift.
• Fall Protection
required at 15/30 feet
when decking or
connecting.
Safety Nets Used for Decking
Decking is the most common
activity that historically killed
iron workers
Nets used to protect deckers
Suspended Platforms
• Must follow 1926.550
(g) requirements
• Often not wearing fall
arrest
• Platform must be
proof tested
Metal Grating
• Must be secured with
clips
• Guardrails provided
on both sides.
Working Adjacent to Water
•
•
•
•
Fall Protection
Life vests
Ring Buoys
Skiff or boat
Rebar Walls
• Work positioning
• Rebar wall must have
spacing similar to a
ladder to climb
• Rebar Walls must be
adequately braced
Other Fall Surfaces
• Tail gates
• Riding equipment
such as front end
loaders and forklifts
Rescue
• The employer shall
provide for prompt
rescue of employees in
the event of a fall or
shall assure that
employees are able to
rescue themselves.
• 1926.502(b)(20)
Quick Quiz
• Anchorages must be _____ lbs.
• Fall arrest forces for harnessing shall not exceed
_____ lbs.
• What is the best in the hierarchy of fall protection?
_____________
• Covers must hold _____ times the anticipated
load.
• Free fall over ____ inches is not allowed in work
positioning.