Fall Protection

in the construction industry we're governed by OSHA and any state OSHA offshoots that reign over us when it comes to safety rules. most companies have their own safety rules, policies and procedures, or madates that employees and contractors must follow. way too many people come on to a site and disregard the rules that have been laid out for them to follow. "it's too tough. it'll take too much time. it'll cost too much money. it's too uncormfortable." what they fail to realize is that each and every safety rule that's written either by these companies or OSHA has been written with someone's blood. although some of these things may be one of those one in a million chance of happening, that individual was that one who paid for it in blood with an injury, a property damage incident, or even death.

fall protection happens to be one issue on sites that concerns me the most. OSHA defines several rules that must be followed and it's broken down in to different industries. several parts of the OSHA rules on fall protection are also referenced in different sections such as scaffolding and steel erection.

before anyone ever uses any piece of fall protection equipment it must be inspected. these pieces of equipment can protect someone, if used properly, and also have the potential to save your life. if used improperly they could cause great harm or even death to the user. all too often i go on job sites and see fall protection apparatus used incorrectly. OSHA states that individuals are to be trained in the use of fall protection equipment if they are to use it, yet many times people use something that they do not properly or thoroughly understand.

anchor points are to withstand 5000 pounds. on occasion anchor points are stamped, tested, or rated for a certain SWL (safe working load). some are certified. some are engineered and tested. some are manufactured to be such. many others are not. they're improvised. this is where common sense needs to come in to place. OSHA defines some of the items that should not be tied off to but still maintains a 5000 pound strength. there are also safety factors built in to fall protection equipment and what it can and cannot do for the user.

good example is lanyards versus retractables or SRL (self-retracting lifelines). both stop someone if they fall, provided they're anchored to a suitable anchor point. the lanyard typically has a shock-absorbing component built in to it to arrest a fall but after the shock absorber has deployed to slow the speed of descent during the fall. a retractable does not have such a device built in to it. a typical lanyard is 6' long with a 3 1/2' shock absorber. this would make the total length of it 9' 6". this is attached at the wearer's mid to upper back on the harness "d ring." add the distance of the lanyard to the length from the "d ring" to the bottom of the feet and then 3' - 3 1/2' safety factor. typically lanyards should not be used unless they can be anchored 18 1/2' above ground.

a retractable is required to arrest a fall 2' after a load has been placed on it. the deceleration distance is non-existent but the fall distance is a lot less. these can be used at much lower heights for fall protection than can a lanyard. the prohibitive factor with retractables can be cost. depending on what type you purchase the cost can range from $100 up to a couple thousand.

swing radius is also another consideration when tying off. a good rule of thumb is to have less than 30 degrees swing radius from the overhead anchor point. the less the anlge of swing, the less chane a person has, if they fall, to swing back like a pendulum towards the anchor point and hit a structural wall, member, or beam that is the anchor point and become injured.

inspection is a crucial aspect of fall protection. every piece of the fall protection system needs to be inspected prior to every use. for example, a welder wearing a harness runs the risk of having slag or "bb's" burn the webbing on the harness, thereby rendering it less effective and could possibly break if a fall were to happen. slag and sharp edges can also damage a lanyard's webbing or a retractable's cable or nylon strap. the metal hooks can become damaged and not work properly. all hooks are to be double locking and they may become disengaged. paint, chemicals, or other mateirals could become lodged inside the working parts fo a hook or retractable rendering it ineffective. weather and outside elements can cause rot, rust, or other problems to items left outside and not properly maintained.

fastening and using items properly is another safety issue. too many people complain about harnesses being "too restrictive" or too tight. they must be secure around the legs, chest, and torso to be effective. if the straps are too loose the wearer runs the risk of falling completely out of the harness if they fall. people sometimes forget to fasten the leg straps enabling them to fall out of the harness. people fail to remember to fasten the chest strap saying it's "too tight." loosen it up, if possible, but keep it snug so you don't fall forward out of the harness.

try on different sizes of harnesses until you find the one that fits you properly and snugly but can be adjusted depending on the clothing you have on and the operations you are involved in. some can be used to attach tools to. some have flotation devices on them for over the water work. some are basic. keep in mind that your life may very well depend on what you use for fall protection. if at any time you ever have any questions on what you need to use to adequately protect yourself, refer to OSHA or your employer's safety professional or manual for guidance. always take the time to be safe and do things properly.