HSE Professionals : Fall Protection and Prevention

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HSE Professionals

Though it's obvious that anyone who works high above the ground runs the risk of falling,
a surprising number of workers seem to think it can't happen to them. This is a par cular
problem in construc on, where several workers die each day from falls and many more
are injured.

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Emergency Planning

Iden fying Hazards

The OSHA standard iden es situa ons with fall hazards as those where employees work
six feet or more above the ground or a lower level on:
Walking and working surfaces, including ramps and runways
Unprotected leading edges of oors, roofs, oor formworks, and other surfaces
not ac vely and con nuously under construc on
Faces of formwork or reinforcing steel
Hoist areas
Areas above holes, including skylights
Edges of excava ons
Roofs of various pitches
Precast concrete structural members that are being put up
Areas where overhand bricklaying and related work are performed
Residen al construc on
Wall openings
Areas above equipment, such as machinery, electrical equipment, degreasing
units, or anything that could create a hazard if you fall on or in it.

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Though it's obvious that
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Protec on against Fall Hazards

To be safe, you have to know more than which situa ons present fall hazards. You also
have to know what protec on to use to prevent falls. In most cases, OSHA standard
expects employers to provide one or more of these basic protec ons: guardrail, safety
net, and/or personal fall arrest systems.
Let's look at the three basic protec ons.
Guardrails are a barrier between you and an open upper level edge. OSHA is very
specic about guardrails' design and construc on. They're generally about 42
inches high. If there's no wall 21 inches or higher, you have to have mid-rails,
screens, or something similar between the guardrail's top and bo om to prevent a
fall. Guardrails must be made of materials strong enough to stand up against a force
of at least 200 pounds. They can't be made of materials that could puncture the
skin or snag your clothes.

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Safety net systems are designed to catch you if you do fall. They are made with
strong border ropes and mesh openings no more than 36 square inches or 6 inches
on any side, and placed 30 feet or less under the walking or working surface. Of
course, nets have to be strong enough to save a falling person. If they're not
cer ed, employers test them by dropping a 400-pound bag of sand about 30
inches in diameter from the highest walking/working surface. As added protec on,
OSHA requires us to inspect the nets at least weekly for wear, damage, and
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Personal fall arrest systems are a very valuable form of protec on when you work
aboveground. You wear a body harness connected to a xed anchor by a lanyard,
lifeline, or decelera on device that can hold your weight so you don't crash to the
ground.

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Harness straps a ach in the center of your back near your shoulders or over your
head; they distribute the fall arrest forces around the mid-body. A body belt goes
around the waist, but is prohibited for use a er January 1, 1998. If you start to fall,
a personal fall arrest system goes into ac on by the me you've fallen six feet and
before contact with any lower level. Once it comes into play, it must bring the falling
person to a complete stop a er falling no more than 3 1/2 feet.

The only purpose of a personal fall arrest system is to keep you from falling. Don't use one
to hoist materials. You must also inspect the equipment before each use to make sure
there's no damage or deteriora on. If you spot any problems, you turn the system in and
get a new one. Any equipment is only as good as its parts. With personal fall arrest
systems, the connectors that link the parts together are especially vital. The regula on
details what materials meet its standards and how much they have to be able to hold
without breaking.
People who work on walls or other elevated ver cal surfaces get special fall arrest
systems known as posi oning devices. They allow you to lean and have both hands free
to perform your job. These devices must support at least twice the poten al load of an
employee's fall and assure that you can't fall more than two feet before they kick in. They
need especially tough connectors.
Those are the three fall protec on systems OSHA prefers. But, as I men oned earlier, the
agency permits other forms of protec on in certain situa ons.
Warning line systems are rope, wire, or chain barriers that alert employees to an
unprotected roof side or edge. Alone, they're not enough protec on. We must use them
with guardrail, safety net, and/or personal fall arrest systems or with a safety monitoring
system.

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Warning lines are at least six feet from the roof edge and go around all sides of the roof
work area. Needless to say, no one can work between the roof edge and warning line
unless they're roong in that area. Controlled access zones are areas where certain work
like overhand bricklaying can be performed without guardrail, safety net, or personal fall
arrest systems. As the name indicates, these areas are o limits to all but specially
authorized people. Lines of rope, wire, tape, etc. set o these zones. The lines are at least
six feet from the unprotected edge10 feet for overhand bricklaying. They run the full
length of that edge, and connect to a guardrail system or wall on each end. Safety
monitoring systems are another alterna ve form of fall protec on OSHA permits in
certain situa ons. With safety monitoring, you place a trained person with the workers on
the elevated walking/working surface. This person's job is to look for fall hazards and
warn employees when they're approaching danger. The monitor has to be in a spot
where his or her spoken warning can be heard. And when you hear that warning you'd
be er follow orders!
We can use safety monitoring along with a warning line system on low-slope roofs or
alone on roofs less than 50 feet wide. Employers may also use it in situa ons where they
demonstrate that they can't use guardrails, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems or
that those systems would create a greater hazard than they prevent.
Covers can keep people from falling through holes in oors, roofs, etc. The covers are
color-coded or marked HOLE or COVER so you know there's a hazard. They have to be

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secured so they won't move accidentally and able to support at least twice the weight of
employees, equipment, and materials that could be on them at once.
Safety Procedures
It's not easy to remember all these fall hazards and protec on systems. Fortunately, you
don't have to decide what to use and when. OSHA makes that an employer responsibility.
It's your responsibility to take these hazards seriously and to use any protec ons
provided properly. Otherwise, you put yourself or others at risk.
One important employee responsibility is to inspect the personal fall arrest system before
you use it. Turn in anything that has:
Cuts, tears, or abrasions
Undue stretching
Mold
Deteriora on
Distorted hooks or faulty hook springs
Nonfunc oning parts
Loose or damaged moun ngs
Tongues that don't t the shoulder of buckles
Contact with re, acid, or other corrosives
Altera ons or addi ons that limit its eec veness.
For a personal fall arrest system to protect you, you need a proper and secure anchorage.
Some mes anchorages are designed into a structure. Then window washers and others
can use them later. Other op ons include a steel member or I-beam; steel eye-bolts,
guardrails or railings designed for anchor use; and certain masonry or wood pieces.
Someone with technical knowledge will determine if possible anchors are strong and
secure enough for the task.
You want to be just as sure that the anchor connec ons are strong. If you use a knot to
e-o, it can reduce the strength of the lifeline or lanyard by 50 percent or more - no
ma er how strong the anchor it's ed to. To oset that loss, we use a stronger lanyard or
lifeline to compensate.
Try not to e-o over a rough or sharp edge, which can also weaken the line. If you e o
to an "H" or "I" beam, you have to use lanyards made of webbing or lifelines with wire
cores because they're stronger and less likely to be damaged by the edge. Some types of
knots also limit the system's strength and fall protec on ability. Never use a one-and-one
sliding hitch knot, and try to avoid using any hitch knot.
Other Fall Preven on Techniques
We've talked about how OSHA-required systems and equipment can prevent
construc on fallsand deaths and injuries. But as you know, equipment and procedures
are never quite enough. You need a cau ous, safety-oriented a tude and must take
precau ons to reduce the chance that you'll fall.
Here are some safety procedures that will help you prevent falls on any levelbut
especially from heights:
Wear sturdy shoes with nonskid soles. Be sure the shoes have either short laces or
buckles or snaps.
Avoid wearing long, loose pants you could trip over.
Walk slowly and watch where you're goingdon't run.
Clean up all spills promptly.
Take special care on wet or icy surfaces.
Don't carry a stack of materials you can't see over.
Carry only the tools and materials you need to upper levels.
Keep all materials as far away from the edge as possible.
Dispose of trash regularly and properly.
Stay away from edges, even if they're guarded, unless you're performing a specic
task there.
Obey verbal warnings, signs, and barriers. Don't enter a controlled access zone
without authoriza on.

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Wrap-Up
No one wants to end up like Humpty Dumpty and take a big and fatal fall. OSHA's
construc on fall protec on standard was created to make that a lot less likely. By
requiring protec on when you're at least six feet up, OSHA believes it can really cut the
number of falls and related deaths and injuries. The systems, plus the required training
programs, are an eort to get all involved par es on the same safety wavelength. The
OSHA standard we've been discussing today has a lot of details. It is very specic about
when fall protec on is required and what equipment is tough enough to do the job.
The standard's careful eorts to prevent falls emphasizes how serious these accidents
are. It demonstrates that we can and should prevent falls whenever any jobnot just
construc oninvolves work aboveground.

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6 Comments

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Add a comment...

Sajid Hussain HSE Safety Officer at Saudi Makamin

Thanks alot for sharing such info
Like Reply 13 October 2015 22:35

Azizi Hhah EHS Officer at Tg. Bin IV

Always Check Your ABCDE..
Anchorages, Body Harness, Connectors, Decender-Rescue, Extra (including Personal Limiting
Device)
Like Reply

4 10 March 2014 13:18

Tarek Adly Ahmed Farid Chairman HSE Consultant at Egyptian Bahraini Gas Derivatives
Company (EBGDCO)
Excellent information.
Like Reply 8 March 2014 10:42

Aaz Ahmad Zubir Works at KNM Process Systems Sdn Bhd

Very good .. TQVM for sharing.
Like Reply 5 March 2014 18:54

Menad Belkadi Dlgu mdical at Dlgu mdical

good
Like Reply 4 March 2014 13:39

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