Fall Protection

Types of falls:

Falls from same level:

• Slips
• Trips
• High frequency rate
• Low injury severity rate
• Falls from an elevation
• Relatively low frequency rate
• High injury severity rate

Common fall protection systems:

• Guardrail systems and toe boards
• Handrail and stair rail systems
• Designated areas
• Hole covers
• Safety net systems
• Ladder cages
• Ramps and bridging devices
• Slip-resistant floors
• Effective housekeeping

What happens during a fall?

• Person loses his/her balance
• Body unintentionally moves from an upright position to a prone, or semi-prone position
• Free-fall velocity at impact when falling 12 feet is nearly 20 M.P.H.
• Person hits the ground in less than one second from this distance

Why falls are dangerous:

• Falls are dangerous because of three primary elements:
• The free-fall distance the worker falls
• The shock absorption at impact
• The body weight of the worker

Free-fall distance:

• The uncontrolled length of travel before a worker hits the floor, ground, or before fall arrest equipment activates
• Measured from the foot level before the fall, to the foot level after the fall
• Free-fall distance should be limited to a few feet so as to prevent injury from:
• collisions with grade level
• collisions with obstructions near the work site
• pendulum-like swings that result in collision with objects

Shock absorption at impact:

• Varies according to the types of fall protection equipment used
• Shock-absorbing lanyards reduce the probability of injury

Body weight of the worker:

• Falls have more severe impact on heavy workers
• “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
• Heavy workers may have larger waistlines, preventing fall arrest equipment from fitting properly.

Fall Arrest Systems:

• Used when working at a height of 4 feet or greater
• Used when engineering controls are not feasible or sufficient to eliminate the risk of a fall
• Fall arrest systems should match the work situation
• Fall arrest systems should:
• prevent a worker from falling more than 4 feet
• prevent a worker from contacting any lower level during arrest of a fall

Fall arrest systems should:

• limit the maximum arresting force on an employee to 1800 pounds when a worker uses a body harness
• bring a worker to a complete stop
• limit the deceleration distance a worker travels to 3 1/2 feet
• have sufficient strength to withstand twice the potential energy impact of a worker
falling a distance of 4 feet - or- have sufficient strength to withstand the free-fall distance permitted by the system, whichever is less

Personal fall protection:

• Personal fall arrest systems
• Positioning device system
• Personal fall protection system for climbing activities

Training:

• Equipment inspection
• Application limits
• Methods of use
• Donning, doffing, adjusting equipment
• Anchoring and tie-off techniques
• Emergency rescue plans and implementation
• Maintenance procedures
• Storage techniques

Reporting fall hazards:

• Employees will not experience repercussions from reporting hazards
• Employees should report unsafe equipment, conditions, procedures
• Reporting fall hazards
• Equipment repair receives top priority
• Under no circumstances will defective equipment be used
• When fall conditions exist:
• Take short steps
• Keep toes pointed out
• Walk on the whole foot when crossing rough or slippery surfaces
• Avoid making sharp turns
• If you fall, protect your head and neck
• Disciplinary actions for failure to use equipment

Housekeeping:

• Effective housekeeping prevents falls
• Keep high work areas free from:
  • Tools
  • Materials
  • Debris
  • Liquids