Video: 4 Ways to Stop Falls From Height and Improve Fall Protection

Fall protection is the top cited violation from OSHA year in and year out.

With good reason. 

Fatal falls have been on the rise. According to 2016 Census data, there were 849 fatalities. And, deaths increased 25 percent total from 2011 to 2016.

To reduce fatalities, OSHA has a separate standard for fall protection training—and it is enforcing this standard. Training citations cracked the OSHA Top 10 list at Number 9 in 2017 and jumped up to the 8th in 2018.

Do you need to improve your fall protection program quickly? 

Here are four simple ways to help educate you and your team—right now. 

# 1: Memorize and Promote Height and Weight Minimums 

Distance matters. The closer to protection from gravity at free fall, the better. 

Make sure everyone knows the height and weight fall protection requirements.

When working from heights with unprotected sides, there are two minimum protection heights: 

• 4’ for general manufacturing and 
• 6’ for construction

But weight is of equal importance. 

Why? Because of the need to support a worker’s weight—and protect against a harness’ impact on the body during a fall.

For weight and weighted force, you have two anchorage options: 

• Either … your personal fall arrest system must support 5,000 pounds for each worker.
• Or … your anchor must have a safety factor of two as determined by a qualified safety professional … This means it needs to reinforce double the weight that it can support.

Plus, there’s one more important rule: The maximum force that can be transmitted to a worker in a full body harness is 1,800 pounds.

#2: Get to Know Personal Fall Arrest Systems Intimately

There are three different but interconnected parts of a personal fall arrest system. And when we say “interconnected,” we literally mean parts that link together—the A … B … Cs of fall protection: anchoring, body harnesses and connecting devices.

A: Anchoring

There are two types: Permanent are fixed, such as D-rings, and temporary, such as anchorage straps.

B: Body Harnesses

The whole point of the full-body harness—which wraps around legs and shoulders—is to help distribute force to different parts of the body. 

There are many harness sizes—and for good reason: They need to be snug but also simultaneously allow for movement. 

A harness that falls off the shoulders, for example, is a really bad idea.

Use size charts to help map your harnesses to each worker’s body type—and read the specs on harness tags to make sure you use the right one for the job.

C: Connecting Devices

These link the anchorage connectors to the harness through either a lanyard or lifeline. 

There are other connectors—to the lanyards and lifelines themselves, including snap hooks, pelican hooks and carabiners.

#3: Don’t Forget Guardrails, Safety Net Systems and Safety Belts 

When working from platforms, scaffolding and other standing work areas, make sure to use guardrails, safety nets and belts where needed.

But even so, your workers should always include a personal fall arrest system.

#4: Inspect, Test and Document

With all safety processes, you have to document and verify. 

So, here are a few other quick, repeatable ways you can make your worksite a safer place immediately: 

Inspect your work environment daily for changes to conditions that could affect falls—then determine correctly weighted anchor points.

• Test your fall arrest systems during training with employees in a safe practice setting. And then set a plan to do this periodically.
• Document both your fall protection and your training plans. It might take a bit of time, but you can start right away.
• Your documentation will likely be one of the first items OSHA asks to review during a surprise inspection. 

For more expert advice on how to ensure your shop’s safety, visit: MSCdirect.com/BetterMRO/safety