Safety While Working at Heights: Probe Seminar On Fall From Height

Topics to be covered
Safety while
Working at
Heights
Professor
N. Krishnamurthy
Safety Consultant
and Trainer
Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore
www.profkrishna.com
Working at height
is unavoidable
Millau Bridge,
France, 2004,
343 m high,
2460 m long
Tower of Babel
452 m
1998
K.L.
508 m
2004
Taiwan
492 m
>800m
2007
2008
Shanghai Dubai
558 m
2009
Jakarta
541 m
1228 m
2010
2020
New York Shanghai
9 October 2006
Problems of working at height

Evolution and use of scaffolds
Improvements
Innovations
Alternatives
Fall prevention systems
Active Fall Protection
Passive Fall Protection
Some examples
Closing thoughts
Falls from
heights
cause
serious
injuries or
death.
When is fall protection

required in construction?
1 sec 5m 35km/h
2 sec 20m 71kph
If worker is at 6 ft (2m) or higher, and the danger of falls exists, fall

protection systems must be used. Exceptions, when fall protection
is required at 6 ft (2m) or less, include holes, wall openings,
excavations, wells, pits, shafts and dangerous equipment.
http://www.mom.gov.sg/QuickLinks/Scaffold+Programme.htm
New Workplace Health & Safety Act

Ladder Safety Simple violations can kill !

Introduction
The human element in safety
Singapore statistics
ProBE Seminar on Fall from Height
What motivates us in
Singapore today (apart
from Duty of Care?):
Enforcement Measures
Workplace inspections
Investigations into a workplace accident or incident
Suspension of certificates
Remedial orders and stop
work orders
Composition fines
Prosecution
Scaffold improvements
System
scaffold for
a circular
tank
Hanging or
Suspended
scaffold for
a bridge
deck
Welded frames and a

truss joining them to
support work platform
Scaffold improvements: Cantilever scaffolds

City Point Building,
London. Cantilever
access scaffold and
loading platform, by
Ellis Design Associates
Weidatalbridge, cantilever
with travelling formwork
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/
Weidatalbruecke_2005-07-30.jpg
http://www.ellisdesign.co.uk/citypt2.htm
http://www.masoncontract
ors.org/newsandevents/m
asonryheadlines/6232004
914.php
EFCO Building Systems, USA
Scaffold alternatives Prefabricated

units
http://www.buildinginsustainability.co.uk/bis/usp.nsf/pws/BuildingIn+Sustainability+-+Sustainability+Guide+-+Design+For+Minimum+Waste
An apartment block in UK
Nakagin Capsule Tower, Japan

http://www.audacity.org/IA-11-14-2002.htm
Mast
Climbers:
Single
and
double
masted
Scaffold alternatives
Scaffold innovations
Climbing Formwork
Progressive Cantilever
Fort Lauderdale 17th

Street Causeway Bridge,
Florida, USA
Balanced Cantilever
Precast Bridge
Segment
Bascule
(movable)
bridge
http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/fort_l/
Scaffold alternatives Cast horizontal,

then tilted-up
http://www.tiltupnews.com/tiltup_photos3.asp
http://www.brdcorp.com/productdevelopment/liftslab/liftslab13.jpg
Scaffold alternatives Top rails for

gondolas
and side rails as at
Dover MRT station
Scaffold superposed by NK
http://www.brdcorp.com/pr
oductdevelopment/liftslab/li
ftslab12.jpg
Unprotected sides and edges

Leading edges
Walking and working surfaces where
leading edges are under construction
Hoist areas
Holes in walking and working
surfaces
Formwork, reinforcing steel
Ramps, runways, walkways
Excavations
Dangerous equipment
Overhand bricklaying, related work
Precast concrete erection
Two ways to protect a worker:
1. Stop the worker from falling
2. Stop death after falling
Fall protection needed when on or near
Scaffold alternatives Telescoping

personnel (and materials) lift
Carpenter, supported by telescoping personnel lift, fits pieces
of cut lumber for bulkhead (for construction joint) in formwork
Cardiovascular
Center,
University
of
Michigan
Hospital,
Ann
Arbor,
2004.
http://myconstructionphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/138055/7/42438335
Helicopter supported work platform

Scaffold alternatives Lift slab system
Lineman transitioning
suspension point in
conductor cart
Eating at height!
In Belgium, a restaurent
association has come up
with an idea of having a
dinner served 50 m up in
the air, on a platform
hanging from a crane.
People are willing to pay
for this adventure!
What
will be
the
risk?
http://www.nxtbook.net/live/Primedia/TDaugust2003/aerial3.html
Stop worker from falling to a lower level

Fall
Prevention
WARNING LINE
GUARDRAILS
ROOF BRACKETS
AND SLIDE
GUARDS
POSITIONING
DEVICES
Roof brackets and

slide guards
shall not be used
on roofs with a
ground-to-eave
height greater
than 25 feet or on
roofs with a pitch
greater than 8:12
OR-OSHA PESO Program.
COVERS ON HOLES
PERSONAL FALL
RESTRAINT
Fall
Arrest
SAFETY
NETS
PERSONAL
FALL
ARREST
SYSTEMS
OR-OSHA PESO Program.
Fall arrest versus Fall prevention

Stop death after falling
FALL ARREST:
prevents death
but may still
cause serious
injuries from the
arresting forces
or swing falls.
Fall Arrest
Fall Arrest
with Swing
FALL PREVENTION: is better
A work-positioning system is a personal fall-protection

system, which includes a harness connected to a reliable
anchor to support the user in tension or suspension in such
a way that a fall is prevented or restricted.
It is not easy to find anchors strong

enough to withstand the impact of
arresting forces. A competent person must supervise the
selection and installation of anchors. (A competent person
is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in
the worksite, and who has authorization to take prompt
corrective measures to eliminate them.)
Work-restraint system
The anchor is perhaps the most

important fall protection system
component. It must support a minimum
load of 5,000 pounds (22.2kN),
approximately the weight of a midsized four-wheel-drive pickup truck.
Or, be designed by a QUALIFIED
person with a safety factor of twice the
impact force of a worker free falling 6.
Anchor strength
Examples of this type of

equipment include:
boatswains chairs; or
people working on
telephone poles.
Regulations require
that all work-positioning
systems be provided
with a back-up system
in case the primary
support fails.
Work
positioning
system
Work-positioning system
Work-restraint system is a fall-prevention

system relying upon PPE consisting of a
harness and lanyard, adjusted or set to a
fixed length that physically prevents the
person from getting to where he can fall.
This system requires close supervision.
While it is normal
to use a workrestraint lanyard
for this purpose, it
is acceptable to
use a fall-arrest
lanyard, provided
the lanyard and
energy absorber
are correctly sized
and used.
Rope access and positioning

techniques
Rope access is a personal fall-protection system using
two ropes, each secured to different anchors. One rope
is connected to a harness and the other acts as safety
back-up.
Rope access is
often used to
access cliff faces
or the sides of a
tall building
when cradles are
not suitable.
Rope access and positioning
Personal fall arrest
It is designed to limit the

forces on the body by having
an energy-absorbing device.
Fall-arrest harnesses should
only be used where other
collective measures cannot
be used.
KEEP YOUR
ANCHORAGE
POINTS HIGH !
Passive fall protection

Guardrails and netting
http://www.snps.ie/
A personal fall-arrest system is a fallprotection system that uses a

harness connected to a reliable
anchor to arrest and restrict a fall and
prevent the user hitting the ground.
Anchorage points and Fall Factors
Personal fall-arrest system
Buying and issuing PPE are

not enough ...
Training workers to use them
is not enough ...
Supervision and inspection are
essential!
DOUBLE LANYARD
Fall arrest systems
To minimise the distance a person falls, the anchor point

should be positioned as high as possible above the feet of
the user [Fall Factor of 0 as shown in the diagram].
Personal fall-arrest systems should be regularly inspected
for signs of wear and damage.
Anchorage points
Fall factor 1
Fall factor 2
Fall factor 0
Active fall protection : Waist belt

versus full-body harness
Waist safety belt no doubt saved
workers from hitting bottom
Crushing
But it crushed their intestines, liver,

kidneys, spleen and/or broke their back!
Full body harness therefore became the only right solution.
Hazards after a worker has been saved

from fall
The waist belt was
banned only 7 years ago!
Rescue must not

be delayed by
more than hour.
Fallen worker
must keep moving
Rescued worker
must not be made
to sit up!
Oregon OSHA
Resource Center, USA
Latino (Hispanic)
painter electrocuted
when a metal ladder
he was repositioning
contacted an overhead power line, in
North Carolina, USA
An example of the type of
instructions and hazard
warnings on ladders.
Photo of the incident

scene. (NCOSHA)
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/In-house/full200310.html
CEO
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
Manager
Engineer
Inspector
Worker
http://people.wwc.edu/student/reynan/2nd%20Page.htm
Communication must
become an efficient ,
integrating step in the
safety chain
Foreign worker typical behaviour (USA)

Metal ladder contact with power line
COMMUNICATION
Communication hazard Babel of tongues

http://www.msha.gov/Accident_Prevention/ideas/suspension.asp
Fall rescue A simple life-saving trick!
In 2002, OSHA established a Hispanic

Workers Task Force to tackle the new
problems of abnormal worker behavior:
Not complaining about long hours or
hard work
Not taking broken tools for repair or
replacement
Not reporting teasing, ragging, cheating,
underpayment or non-payment of
wages, bad living conditions etc.
Not showing ignorance, fear or hesitation about an
unfamiliar or obviously hazardous job.
Not worrying about injury or death as much as local
workers, and instead, risking life and limb with either
a macho outlook, or taking submissive, fatalistic view
In the West, the workers themselves have recognised

the value of safety in the workplace and take
responsibility for safety.
In Hong Kong, bamboo scaffolding skills deteriorated in
recent years, until the Government established safety
guidelilnes and controls for it.
Foreign workers in Singapore quite well integrated.
Still some workers have not absorbed or do not follow
the safety work ethic.
In Singapore, the new initiatives of MOM by the new
Workplace Health and Safety Act should improve the
safety record.
All stakeholders should cooperate for its success.
Supervisory personnel, engineers, and the management
too should become more pro-active in this issue.
Local and regional situation
Case Studies
and Examples
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/03/national/main1467654.shtml
Passive fall protection netting
Golden Gate
Bridge
San Franciso,
USA
Construction
1933 1937
Safety net stretching the length of the bridge gave workers

a sense of protection and enabled them to move about
freely. 19 were saved by net. Just 3 months before opening
day, a scaffold beneath the roadway broke loose, ripping
through the net, plunging it into water, dragging 10 men on
scaffold to their death. A plaque at San Francisco Tower
honors their memory and that of another killed earlier.
Good practices
http://www.isca.org.uk/18001/imag
es/unsafe_cradle_use.jpg
Closing thoughts
Bad violations
http://www.fall-arrest.com/railcar-home.asp
Fall rescue in a hurry!

Worker from Michigan (USA) company, slipped from a steal beam
six stories above ground. Thanks to his use of full fall protection,
serious injury (or death) was avoided. He was back at work shortly
after rescue. Photos: Turner Constrn. Safety Director Steve Lafkas.
http://www.fall-arrest.com/aircraft-home.asp
April 4, 2006, Boston, USA

Single mast climber
crashed during
dismantling. Two workers
and a car driver on street
14 storeys below killed.
Mast climbers a recent collapse
Whose responsibility is safety?

That of everybody in the chain of stakeholders
Hazards of office work and living at height
Power outage:
about
Loss of utilities
How
ing at
Loss of mobility
work
?
Fire, gas leak, explostion:
depth
an
th
Emergency evacuation
e
)
(Wors
height!
t
Terrorist attack:
a
g
workin
Emergency evacuation
Safeguards
Fire (and other) drills
Education and training
Change in mindset:
Becoming pro-active
WSH as a core-value
Know what to do in an emergency ?
A senior MOM official asks:
Do we hold
workplace safety
and health as a
core value ?
If we already dont, it is time we did !
Let us tell ourselves: I hold workplace
safety and health as a core value. NOW!
What does
being
pro-active
mean to
you?
Did you see this? If you did, what did you do about it?
[Are you?]
1. What do I do?
Tell your supervisor or
your project manager. He
will do the rest.
2.If they wont help me,
what can I do?
Call 6317 1111
3.Can I keep quiet and do
nothing?
No! By keeping quiet and
doing nothing, an accident
may happen. And the
victim could be you. ...
[Or somebody you know!-NK]
Do you heed the posters and warnings?

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Topics to be covered

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Problems of working at height

When is fall protection

If worker is at 6 ft (2m) or higher, and the danger of falls exists, fall

New Workplace Health & Safety Act

Ladder Safety Simple violations can kill !

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

ProBE Seminar on Fall from Height

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Welded frames and a

Scaffold improvements: Cantilever scaffolds

EFCO Building Systems, USA

Scaffold alternatives Prefabricated

Nakagin Capsule Tower, Japan

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Fort Lauderdale 17th

Scaffold alternatives Cast horizontal,

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Scaffold alternatives Top rails for

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Unprotected sides and edges

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Fall protection needed when on or near

Scaffold alternatives Telescoping

Helicopter supported work platform

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Scaffold alternatives Lift slab system

Stop worker from falling to a lower level

Roof brackets and

OR-OSHA PESO Program.

Fall arrest versus Fall prevention

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Stop death after falling

FALL PREVENTION: is better

A work-positioning system is a personal fall-protection

It is not easy to find anchors strong

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

The anchor is perhaps the most

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Examples of this type of

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Work-restraint system is a fall-prevention

Rope access and positioning

Personal fall arrest

It is designed to limit the

Passive fall protection

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

A personal fall-arrest system is a fallprotection system that uses a

Anchorage points and Fall Factors

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore

Copyright: Professor N. Krishnamurthy, Safety Consultant and Trainer, Singapore