Since 1992, a lot more than 300 drop-related deaths have happened each year, or about 1/3 of all deaths in the construction industry. The depressing part of the story is that many of the deaths might have been prevented if a bit of care had been taken.
Just how do these accidents happen?
Workers in the construction industry have a higher risk of drops because they’re exposed to a lot of dangers all through building construction. When there are lots of contractors working on a job the dangers are compounded. One contractor might produce a hazard and workers of other contractors on the website can even be confronted with that hazard.
Hazardous conditions which could lead to fatal falls include:
- Improperly built scaffolds
- Roofing operations
- Open elevator shafts
- Skylights
Just how can these dangers be controlled?
There are only two main ways of reducing fall related injuries: fall prevention and fall arrest systems.
Fall prevention systems should be utilized to avoid a fall of six feet or even more. These kinds of protective devices have particular layout conditions per OSHA’s building standards, which is something we cover in our OSHA training Las Vegas based course. For instance, guardrails have to have the ability to resist a force in excess of 200 pounds, and have to be between 39 and 4-5 inches above the working and walking surface. The midrail has to have the ability to resist a force of 150 pounds and be half-way between the very best rail and the flooring. Covers over flooring holes must defy twice the anticipated weight of the gear and employees that may pass on the cover. The hole cover ought to be marked with the word “HOLE.”
Fall arrest systems are full body harnesses attached with a lanyard to a worker that is prevented by an anchor point from freefalling more than six feet, or a worker that is caught by safety nets after a drop of no more than 30 feet. The fall arrest systems have particular layout conditions. Anchorage points have to have the ability to resist a force of 5,000 pounds. Guardrails or scaffold parts shouldn’t be utilized as anchorage points.
Training
Training is an essential element of a powerful fall protection system. Workers must understand the way to utilize the systems accurately, the way to inspect the gear, as well as the constraints of fall prevention and fall arrest systems.
