Fall protection

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A video on the value of fall protection measures

Fall protection is the use of controls designed to protect personnel from falling or in the event they do fall, to stop them without causing severe injury. Typically, fall protection is implemented when working at height, but may be relevant when working near any edge, such as near a pit or hole, or performing work on a steep surface. Many of these incidents are preventable when proper precautions are taken, making fall protection training not only critical, but also required for all construction workers. Fall Protection for Construction identifies common hazards and explains important safety practices to help ensure every team member is prepared to recognize fall hazards on the job and understand how to keep themselves and others safe.

Contents

There are four generally accepted categories of fall protection: fall elimination, fall prevention, fall arrest and administrative controls. [1] According to the US Department of Labor, falls account for 8% of all work-related trauma injuries leading to death. [2] The American Society of Safety Professionals stated that falls account for 80.1% of the slips, trips, and falls fatalities category. [3] According to the World Health Organization, falls are the second leading cause of death and unintentional injuries worldwide. [4] statutes, standards and regulations in the United States pertaining to the requirements for employers to provide fall protection are administered by OSHA. [5]

Falls in the workplace

Falls from elevations were the fourth leading cause of workplace death from 1980 through 1994, with an average of 540 deaths per year accounting for 10% of all occupational fatalities. 42% of all construction workers' deaths occur from falling. [6]

Falls are a concern for oil and gas workers, many of whom must work high on a derrick. A study of falls over the period 2005–2014 found that in 86% of fatal falls studied, fall protection was required by regulation, but it was not used, was used improperly, or the equipment failed. Many of the fatalities were because, although the workers were wearing harnesses, they neglected to attach them to an anchor point. [7]

Additionally, falls are the leading cause of death among construction workers in the United States. [8] Moreover, Hispanics face a disproportionate burden of fatalities from falls, as well as small business contractors. [9] Nevertheless, falls can be preventable through trainings, correct use of personal protective equipment and the implementation of hierarchy of controls. [10]

Types of fall protection

In most work-at-height environments, multiple fall protection measures are used concurrently.

Fall elimination

Fall elimination is often the preferred way of providing fall protection. This entails finding ways of completing tasks without working at heights. Although this solution is highly recommended, job performance may have an impact on whether this route is even possible or would be affected enough for the employees. One example of elimination is to moving equipment to a lower location, this will make it easier for any employee that needs to use the equipment for repairs or maintenance without having possession of a lift or ladder. [11] The main challenge with using elimination for fall protections is figuring out what change is need for the practice, procedures, or location of the equipment that is exposed to fall hazards. [12]

Fall prevention

Fall prevention will be used when working from elevated areas are unavoidable, the most efficient way to protect employees from fall injuries or casualties is to prevent them from being able to fall from the start. There are passive and safety systems that are put in place to aid fall prevention, some examples are listed down below. Aside from having elevated locations, hazardous machinery and open holes install fall prevention equipment around and in them, OSHA also required that all workplace apply the following: [11]

Passive Fall Prevention

This is a system that is stationary, non-dynamic, and can't move, change, or adapt when it is being used. [13]

Active Fall Prevention

This system involves the worker to be active participating and either for it to function or do its job to protect the worker. [13]

Fall arrest

Fall arrest is a active form of fall protection which main purpose is to stop a person from falling and the fall impact on the ground after they had fallen. These fall arrest assist of harness, single or multiple anchor points, and a self- retracting lifeline or safety lanyard. [11]

Full Body Safety Harnesses Exemplar NYONair supplemental harness.jpg
Full Body Safety Harnesses

Administrative controls

Administrative controls are used along with other measures, but they do not physically prevent a worker from going over an edge. [15] Examples of administrative controls include placing a safety observer or warning line near an edge, or enforcing a safety policy which trains workers and requires them to adhere to other fall protection measures, or prohibiting any un-restrained worker from approaching an edge.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemical, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter. Protective equipment may be worn for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, as well as for sports and other recreational activities. Protective clothing is applied to traditional categories of clothing, and protective gear applies to items such as pads, guards, shields, or masks, and others. PPE suits can be similar in appearance to a cleanroom suit.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. The United States Congress established the agency under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which President Richard M. Nixon signed into law on December 29, 1970. OSHA's mission is to "assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance." The agency is also charged with enforcing a variety of whistleblower statutes and regulations. OSHA's workplace safety inspections have been shown to reduce injury rates and injury costs without adverse effects on employment, sales, credit ratings, or firm survival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational injury</span> Bodily damage resulting from working

An occupational injury is bodily damage resulting from working. The most common organs involved are the spine, hands, the head, lungs, eyes, skeleton, and skin. Occupational injuries can result from exposure to occupational hazards, such as temperature, noise, insect or animal bites, blood-borne pathogens, aerosols, hazardous chemicals, radiation, and occupational burnout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health</span> US federal government agency for work-related health and safety

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Construction site safety is an aspect of construction-related activities concerned with protecting construction site workers and others from death, injury, disease or other health-related risks. Construction is an often hazardous, predominantly land-based activity where site workers may be exposed to various risks, some of which remain unrecognized. Site risks can include working at height, moving machinery and materials, power tools and electrical equipment, hazardous substances, plus the effects of excessive noise, dust and vibration. The leading causes of construction site fatalities are falls, electrocutions, crush injuries, and caught-between injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confined space</span> Space with limited entry and egress and not suitable for human inhabitants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety harness</span> Equipment designed to protect from falling

A safety harness is a form of protective equipment designed to safeguard the user from injury or death from falling. The core item of a fall arrest system, the harness is usually fabricated from rope, braided wire cable, or synthetic webbing. It is attached securely to a stationary object directly by a locking device or indirectly via a rope, cable, or webbing and one or more locking devices. Some safety harnesses are used in combination with a shock-absorbing lanyard, which is used to regulate deceleration and thereby prevent a serious G-force injury when the end of the rope is reached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational hazard</span> Hazard experienced in the workplace

An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. This encompasses many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards (biohazards), psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards. In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conduct workplace investigations and research addressing workplace health and safety hazards resulting in guidelines. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes enforceable standards to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. In the EU, a similar role is taken by EU-OSHA.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall arrest</span> Equipment which safely stops a person already falling

Fall arrest is the form of fall protection which involves the safe stopping of a person already falling. It is one of several forms of fall protection, forms which also include fall guarding and fall restraint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roof edge protection</span> Rails installed on roofs to protect construction and roofing workers

Roof edge protection is fall protection equipment most commonly used during the construction of commercial buildings or residential housing. They can be used along with timber, steel, or concrete structures. It often consists of a toe board, a main guard rail and an intermediate rail.". Roof edge protection can take the form of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS), fall restraint systems, guardrail systems, warning line systems, safety monitors, or ladders. Since construction is one of the most dangerous professions in the world, roof edge protection offers much-needed protection against falls from heights which is one of the primary causes of fatalities for workers.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational safety and health</span> Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workplace robotics safety</span>

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References

  1. ↑ Ellis, J. Nigel (2011). Introduction to fall protection (4th ed.). American Society of Safety Engineers. p. 28. ISBN   9781885581587.
  2. ↑ Bickrest, Ed. "Fall Protection: Failure is Not an Option". EHS Today. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Work-Related Fatalities Up Nearly Six Percent in 2022". American Society of Safety Professionals. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  4. ↑ "Falls". www.who.int. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  5. ↑ "Duty to have fall protection. 1926.501". Occupational Safety & Health Administration. United States Dept. of Labor. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Worker Deaths by Falls: A Summary of Surveillance Findings and Investigative Case Reports". U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health : xi. 2000. doi: 10.26616/NIOSHPUB2000116 . Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  7. ↑ Mason, Krystal L.; Retzer, Kyla D.; Hill, Ryan; Lincoln, Jennifer M. (28 April 2017). "Occupational Fatalities Resulting from Falls in the Oil and Gas Extraction Industry, United States, 2005–2014". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 66 (16): 417–421. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6616a2. PMC   5657637 . PMID   28448481.
  8. ↑ "Welcome to OSHA's Fall Prevention Campaign". OSHA-Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  9. ↑ "Construction Statistics". NIOSH Directory of Construction Resources. CDC-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "Hierarchy of Controls". NIOSH-The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 17 January 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 WRSadmin (2021-01-19). "The 4 Methods of Fall Protection | Webb-Rite Safety". WRS - Fall Protection Systems and OSHA Training - Webb-Rite Safety. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  12. ↑ "Hierarchy of Fall Protection". Gravitec Systems Inc. 2016-06-07. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  13. 1 2 3 "Passive and Active Fall Protection Systems – Environmental Health and Safety" . Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  14. ↑ "Fall Protection Harnesses". FallProtectionPros.com, Inc. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  15. ↑ "Fall Protection". United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
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