Fall Prevention and Protection

Programs

Michael Ziskin, CHCM, CHMM, CBCP

Field Safety Corporation

Field Safety Corporation

 OSHA Standards

1910 General Industry

1915 Shipyard Employment
1917 Marine Terminals
1918 Longshoring
1926 Construction
 OSHA Letters of Interpretation

Ladders
Reinforcing steel, rebar caps
Wet floors due to weather conditions
 American National Standards
Institute/American Society of Safety
Engineers
ANSI/ASSE Z359.0-2012 - Definitions and
Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall
Arrest
ANSI/ASSE Z359.1-2007 - Safety Requirements
for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and
Components
ANSI/ASSE Z359.2-2007 - Minimum
Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall
Protection Program
ANSI/ASSE Z359.3-2007 - Safety Requirements
for Positioning and Travel Restraint Systems
ANSI/ASSE Z359.4-2013 - Safety Requirements
for Assisted-Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems,
Subsystems and Components
 American National Standards
Institute/American Society of Safety
Engineers
ANSI/ASSE Z359.6-2009 - Specifications and
Design Requirements for Active Fall Protection
Systems
ANSI/ASSE Z359.7-2011 - Qualification and
Verification Testing of Fall Protection Products
ANSI/ASSE Z359.12-2009 - Connecting
Components for Personal Fall Arrest System
ANSI/ASSE Z359.13-2013 - Personal Energy
Absorbers and Energy Absorbing Lanyards
ANSI/ASSE Z359.14-2012 - Safety
Requirements for Self-Retracting Devices For
Personal Fall Arrest and Rescue Systems
Recognizing fall hazards and how to
control them
Walking and Working Surfaces
Routine Work
Maintenance
Construction
Fall Rescue

Field Safety Corporation

 Back injuries
Strains and sprains
Contusions
Fractures
15% of all accidental deaths

After the fall.

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The consequences
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 Equipment Hazards
Improper footwear
Uneven surfaces
Foreign substances on surface (oil,
litter)
Unguarded sides and edges of elevated
platforms

Risk Analysis
Field Safety Corporation
 Human
Carelessness
Haste
Human error
Failure to follow instructions
Fatigue

Risk Analysis
Field Safety Corporation
 Environmental
Poor lighting
Weather-related conditions

Multiple factors
Increases risk
Example - Polished marble floor + wetness
from mopping or snow being tracked in =
higher risk and then we are in a rush! Even
higher risk

Risk Analysis
Field Safety Corporation
 Slips from
Floors or other working surfaces become
slippery due to
Wet or oily processes
Floor cleaning
Leaks
Materials and debris left in walkways

Risk Analysis
Field Safety Corporation
 Trips occur from
Uneven floor or working surfaces
Protruding nails and boards
Stretched carpet or bunched floor mats
Holes or depressions in working surfaces
Non-uniform step-risers on stairs

Risk Analysis
Field Safety Corporation
 Falls occur
Ladders not maintained or used properly
Stairways and elevated surfaces not
designed, maintained or used properly
Work at heights not properly planned or
executed

Risk Analysis Field Safety Corporation

Holes and Skylignts
Protect
from: falling through, tripping or
stepping into, and falling objects

15
Perception of Risk??????????

Field Safety Corporation

 Wet or oily processes
Maintain drainage
Provide false floors / platforms
Nonslip mats or floor surfaces
Dry standing places
Use non-skid waxes and anti-slip
floor treatments
Use slip-resistant footwear
Clean up promptly and frequently

Managing and Controling Hazards

Field Safety Corporation
 Use effective housekeeping procedures
Cleaning only one side of a
passageway at a time
Provide warning signs for wet floor
areas
Provide floor plugs for equipment
Tape or anchor temporary cords to
floor
Design and maintain aisles and
passageways to be wide enough for
the intended pedestrian and vehicular
traffic
Managing and Controlling Hazards
Field Safety Corporation
 Relay or stretch carpets that bulge
or have become bunched
Eliminate cluttered or obstructed
work areas
Keep file cabinet drawers closed
Provide good lighting for all halls and
stairwells (esp. night hours)

Managing and Controlling Hazards

Field Safety Corporation
 OSHA Construction Illumination Standard 1926
TABLE D-3 - MINIMUM ILLUMINATION INTENSITIES
IN FOOT-CANDLES
_________________________________________
Foot-Candles Area of Operation
5 General construction area lighting.
3 General construction areas,
5 Indoors: warehouses, corridors,
hallways, and exit ways.
5 Tunnels, shafts, and general
underground work areas
10 General construction plant and
shops
30 First aid stations, infirmaries, and
offices

Managing and Controlling Hazards

Field Safety Corporation
 Examples of industrial and office tasks and recommended light
levels are in the table below. Recommended Lighting Levels*

Type of Activity Lighting** (Lux)

Public spaces with dark surroundings 30
Simple orientation for short temporary visits 50
Working spaces where visual tasks are only occasionally
performed 100
Performance of visual tasks of high contrast or large scale 300
Performance of visual tasks of medium contrast or small
size 500
Performance of visual tasks of low contrast or very small
size 1000
Performance of visual tasks near threshold of
person's ability to recognize an image 3000-10000

* Modified from: IESNA Lighting Handbook. 9th ed. Illuminating Engineering Society
of North America, 2000. p. 10-13./Adapted with permission from the Canadian
Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (2011).
** The recommended range is +/- 10% of these values.

Field Safety Corporation

 Stairs with proper handrails
treads and risers maintained
treads slip-resistant
Use handrail on stairs
avoid undue speed
view stairs ahead of path
team up to manage bulky loads
Eliminate uneven floor surfaces

Managing and Controlling Hazards

Field Safety Corporation
 Elevated work areas
Guardrails
toe boards
means of access that is
permanent
Floor drains, pits, other
floor openings are
covered or protected
with guardrails
Ladders
Properly maintained
Rungs uniformly spaced
Non-slip safety feet

Managing and Controlling Hazards

Field Safety Corporation
 Do not use
Stools
Chairs
boxes or
other objects as substitutes for ladders
Specialplanning and job safety
analysis for non-routine work tasks

Managing and Controlling Hazards

Field Safety Corporation
 Follow
manufacturer
recommendations
when using
Scissor or aerial lifts
Scaffold systems
Personal fall arrest
systems
Rescue plans for
working at heights

Managing and Controlling HazardsField Safety Corporation

26
27
An unapproved modification!
 Fixed Ladders
Catwalks
Platforms
Mobile Ladders

Case Study.Boiler Room

Field Safety Corporation
 Design and use of Fixed Industrial Stairs,
Portable Ladders, Fixed Ladders,
Scaffolding, and the Guarding of Wall and
Floor Openings.
Fixed Ladders 1910.27
Guarding Floor and Wall Openings 1910.23
Walking-Working Surfaces General
Requirements 1910.22
Manually Propelled Mobile Ladder Stands and
Scaffolds 1910.29

OSHA SUBPART D WALKING AND

WORKING SURFACES
Field Safety Corporation
 General Duty Clause
Access to the ladder
Protection for floor openings
Fixed Ladders Specific Features
Minimum Ladder Clearances
Clearance (Side-to-Side, Overhead,
Obstructions)
Work Practices
Manually Propelled Mobile Ladder Stands

OSHA SUBPART D WALKING AND

WORKING SURFACES
Field Safety Corporation
Field Safety Corporation
Field Safety Corporation
 Preparing For the Fall

Starts
on the
ground!
 Procedures for:
Preventing prolonged suspension
Performing rescue and treatment as
quickly as possible
Identifying orthostatic intolerance signs
and symptoms
Communication between suspended
worker and rescuers

Fall Rescue Plan

 Procedures for:
Crane Man Basket
Mobile Elevating Work Platform
Rope Access Rescue
Third Party Rescue Systems
Practicing the Procedure

Fall Rescue Plan

 Who is working at height and where?
Communication between suspended
worker and supervisor / rescue team
Emergency contact for rescue and first aid
assistance/emergency hospital
Which floor / how high up is casualty
Safety of rescuers

Fall Rescue Plan

 Access to casualty
Equipment needs to minimize suspension
trauma 5 min. window
Casualty injured, 5 min. rescue?
Protection of others traffic control
Accident scene protection

Fall Rescue Plan

 Working alone provisions
Unusual features of building
Weather conditions
Proximity to emergency services / hospital
Language barriers

Fall Rescue Plan

 Professional Rescue
Trained rescue personnel will:

Safety you with a rated

rescue rope
Ask if you are injured, and if
you are, treat as best as
possible
Remove you from your fall
arrest system and attach you
the rescue system
Raise or lower you to safety
 Factors that can Affect the Degree of Risk of
Suspension Trauma
Inability to move legs Hypothermia
Pain Shock
Injuries during fall Cardiovascular disease
Fatigue Respiratory disease
Dehydration Blood loss

Suspension Trauma
 Amount of time worker is suspended
affects the manner in which he or she is
rescued

Moving a worker to a horizontal position

after extended period of time in vertical
position could lead to a large volume of
deoxygenated blood to move to the heart

Heart may be unable to cope with the

increase in blood flow leading to cardiac
arrest

Rescue Considerations
OSHA Recommendations
OSHA recommends the following
general practices/considerations:

Rescue as quickly as possible

Be aware the worker is at risk of orthostatic
intolerance and suspension trauma
Signs and symptoms of orthostatic
intolerance
Factors that can increase the risk of
suspension trauma
 Thank you!

Michael Ziskin, CHCM, CHMM, CBCP

Field Safety Corporation
[email protected]
Office 203- 483- 6003
Cell 203-430-9817
www.fieldsafety.com Field Safety Corporation