Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry and eight feet in longshoring operations.
In addition, OSHA requires that fall protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance. Fall protection is addressed in specific OSHA standards for construction. Provides fall protection information related to construction.
More ». Fall protection, for activities not in the construction industry is addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry, and maritime. Controlled access zones : Overhand bricklaying and related leading-edge construction work only. Guardrails, parapets : in. Warning line systems : Low slope roofs only. Engineered anchor may be 3, lb. Ladder climbing devices : Maximum 9-in. Must limit fall distance to 2 ft or less.
Rescue planning : Prompt rescue—danger of suspension trauma. Even a well planned fall protection program will fail if personnel on the job do not use the equipment or do not use it correctly. For general industry, the proposed changes to 29 CFR Subparts D and I incorporate fall restraint as restraint line systems.
When an employee is tethered, restraint line systems shall meet the applicable requirements of Subpart I [proposed 29 CFR Restraint lines shall be capable of sustaining a tensile load of at least 3, lb. Body belts or full-body harnesses may be used. Fall restraint for general industry is only mentioned in the proposed rulemaking for Part , not in the current standard. Fall restraint is not mentioned in Part , but this offers another example where interpretation letters play an important role.
Construction has similar guidelines in two letters of interpretation, both dated November Therefore, the answer is yes, fall restraint may be used in both general industry and construction activities.
Is the lanyard limited to a 6-ft length? No, again the personal fall arrest system rules do not apply there is no free fall. The limiting factor is that the tether is short enough to prevent a fall in any direction from an anchor, not just the location where the person is working.
Can a standard lanyard with a shock absorber be used? Yes, if it is long enough for the situation. Under no circumstances may lanyards be daisychained to extend the length. Snaphook to snaphook connections are not manufacturer-approved. For many applications, a 6-ft tether is adequate and a worker will not need to approach the roof edge. The worker should have plenty of unrestrained movement.
How much anchorage is required? The author recommends selecting a 3,lb anchor. However, the letter of interpretation for construction also allows an anchor that supports twice the potential load. The choice depends primarily on the location and roof pitch.
Remember, more force will be generated if the worker slips or trips on a sloped surface. That standard does not specify fall protection, but it states in 8. In addition, OSHA has issued several letters of interpretation confirming that fall protection is not required for portable ladder use Letter of Interpretation, Jan. If any of these stated conditions are not met, fall protection is needed. This may be the most dangerous myth. Add up the total distance of deployment for the lanyard and shock absorber on a personal fall arrest system.
From the anchor D-ring a height of The maximum lanyard is 6 ft, the shock absorber can deploy up to 3. One alternative for low-height fall arrest is the self-retracting lifeline SRL.
If the anchor D-ring connection is at the dorsal D-ring height on the harness or higher, free fall is limited to a distance of 2 to 4. Depending on the SRL, it may be constructed to lock at 2 ft or it may have a clutch that allows additional deceleration not to exceed a total free fall and deceleration of more than 4.
Allowing for stretch and the safety factor, the total fall distance to allow for is between 5 and 7. If not, what about the pendulum arc? The clearance distance may increase dramatically. Whatever distance the worker is horizontally from the anchor point will increase the final vertical height, plus the 5 to 7. The use of a trolley on a beam or horizontal lifeline, or relocating the anchor may be more desirable.
It also should be noted that an SRL is the lanyard, not an anchor. Workers must not attach another lanyard to the SRL. The standard double-acting snaphook is not designed to connect to another snaphook and doing so may put excessive gate loading forces on the connector, causing it to fail. Another question is whether a horizontal lifeline is post-tensioned. To minimize the fall distance, a horizontal lifeline may be stretched when installed to eliminate some of the sag and stretching if someone falls, therefore decreasing the vertical clearance necessary for safety.
Even so, it will still sag and stretch, so the maximum stretch distance must be added to the fall distance, adding to the necessary clearance to be maintained. For all the various systems, the anchor point in relation to the dorsal D-ring is critical. Grab speed is another factor to consider when using a vertical lifeline. Allow 1 ft for the rope or cable grab to activate, then add in all the other components.
Employees fall for many reasons: unstable working surfaces, improperly positioned ladders, misuse of fall protection, and unprotected sides and edges of working surfaces. OSHA says that you must set up your worksite to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated workstations, or into holes in the floor and walls. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of 4 feet in general industry workplaces, 5 feet in shipyards, 6 feet in the construction industry, and 8 feet in longshoring operations.
Regardless of height, if a worker can fall into or onto dangerous machines or equipment such as a vat of acid or a conveyor belt , you must provide guardrails and toe-boards to prevent workers from falling and getting injured. Falls are a major cause of work-related injuries and fatalities. Now OSHA is proposing new rules for fall protection in general industry workplaces. See However, there are a few types of suspended scaffolds, such as float or ship scaffolds [ But the requirements for needle beam scaffolds [ OSHA standard However, fixed ladders on towers, water tanks, and chimney ladders that are over 20 feet in unbroken length may be equipped with suitable safety devices such as lifebelts, friction brakes, and sliding attachments in lieu of cages.
And standard However, if a secondary wire rope suspension is used, then vertical lifelines are not required for the fall arrest system provided that each employee is attached to a horizontal lifeline anchored to the platform. There is no height specified for this requirement, which is related to the purpose of tying off; this is a body positioning device to keep the person from being thrown out of the basket, as opposed to a fall arrest system see related blog post for additional information about fall protection in aerial lifts.
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