Fall Protection

Fall Protection
Introduction
• Slips, trips, and falls make up the
majority of general industry accidents.
• Are second only to motor vehicle crashes.
 Fall Protection
Definitions of Slips, Trips & Falls
STF Friction: The resistance encountered when an object (foot) is
moved in contact with another (ground). Friction is
necessary in order to walk without slipping.
When there is too When you are too far
friction or traction between
little off your center of
your feet (footwear) and the balance.
walking or working
and you lose
surface,
your balance.

Trip
Slip
 Fall Protection
Definitions of Slips, Trips & Falls

When your foot (or When you step

lower leg) hits unexpectedly
down to a
object and your
an upper surface
lower and
body lose your
(Misstep)
balance, stepping e.g.,
moving, throwing you
continues off a curb.
off balance.

Fall
 Fall Protection
Types of falls
 Falls from same level (including Slips & Trips)
– High frequency rate
– Low injury severity rate
 Fall Protection
Types of falls
Falls from an elevation
– Relatively low frequency rate
– High injury
severity rate

Specific
potential fall
hazards
 Fall Protection
Falls are among the most common reasons for
workplace injuries and fatalities. Falls generally occur
when employees are working at an elevated height and
are not adequately protected. Some examples include
employees working on elevated work surfaces,
ladders, stairs, scaffolds, aerial devices, roofs,
bridges, trusses, beams, purlins, plates, suspended
staging, catwalks and walkways.

Falls in construction frequently slippery

cluttered, or unstable walking/
involve ,
working unprotected edges, floor surfaces,
unsafely positioned
holes or
ladders,
wall and misuseopenings,
of
fall protection devices.
 Fall Protection
A fall hazard is anything that exposes a worker or
another person to the risk of a fall that may injure them.
E.g. selection of equipment not suited to the job: a
worker standing on the top step of a ladder to add
height when they should have selected a taller ladder is
a potential fall hazard

Falling objects can also cause serious injuries if

controls are not implemented to eliminate or minimise
the associated risks. A person can receive fatal head
injuries if an unsecured object is dropped from a height
e.g. a spanner that is dropped by a worker from the top
of a ladder that hits a worker below on the head. It is
essential to ensure that objects do not fall onto people
who may be under or next to the area where the work is
being carried out. 9
 Fall Protection

Common Causes of Falls

Many different events can lead to a fall, but the most
common are slips. Falls can also occur as a result of:

 Losing balance
 Losing grip on support
 Support moving or giving way
 Tripping
 Surface breaking
 Stepping in a hole

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 Fall Protection
Building Structures (ie., construction)

When working at a height of 6’

above the lower level, you must
use fall protection.
 Fall Protection

Why are falls dangerous?

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

Why is fall protection important?

 Falls from heights can cause serious injury or death

to workers.
 DOL lists falls as one of the leading causes
of traumatic occupational deaths.
 206 reasons!
 Fall Protection
Common Fall Hazards

• Overhead Platforms
• Overhead Runways
• Elevated Work Stations

Source of photos: OSHA

 Fall Protection
• Common Fall Hazards

• Floor Openings/Pits
• Wall Openings
• Shelving Units

Source of photos: OSHA

 Fall Protection
• Common Fall Hazards
• Stationary Storage Tanks
• Tanker Trucks
• Industrial Production Units

Source: WVU Source: OSHA Source: OSHA

 Fall Protection
Fall Hazard Controls

Hierarchy of Fall Hazard Control:

• First line of defense
– Eliminate the fall hazard.
• Second line of defense
– Prevent the fall.
• Third and last resort
– Control the fall.
 Fall Protection
Fall Hazard Controls

Eliminate fall hazards –

work from the ground
• Gauge at top of tank
moved to ground level
• Use drone, equipped with
camera, for inspections
at heights.
 Fall Protection
Fall Hazard Controls
Eliminate fall hazards – hole covers/grates

• Very effective way

to eliminate a fall
hazard.
• Designed to
withstand intended load.
• Secured-bolted,
hinged, latched, locked.
 Fall Protection
Fall Hazard Controls

Prevent the fall – guardrails

• Standard railing
– Top rail, mid rail, and posts
– Height from upper surface of top
rail to floor level is 42” (+/−
3”)
– Mid-rail height is 21”
• Standard toeboard
– 3.5” high
– Not more than ¼” clearance above
the floor
 Fall Protection
Fall Hazard Controls

Prevent the fall – fences

and barricades
• Prevents unauthorized
employee exposure to fall hazard.
• Employer authorizes access.
• Authorized personnel must then
be protected from the fall hazards
within.
 Fall Protection Systems
There are two basic kinds of fall-protection systems in use
in the construction industry,

1. Passive system and

2. Active system.

Passive systems, when installed, protect workers without

the need for them to take positive action on their own
behalf.

Active systems, are protection systems or devices that

require each worker to take positive action to protect
against a fall, such as putting on a safety belt, connecting
the belt or putting on a hard hat, etc.
 Fall Protection Systems
There are 2 basic fall protection systems: 28-02-18

• Passive Systems - Fall Prevention:

- Guardrails, safety nets, floor covers, Warning Lines , etc.

• Active Systems - Personal Fall Protection:

- Safety belts, Personal fall-arrest system and Personal fall-
restraint system.

Passive systems, such as guardrails, safety nets are the

preferred system of fall protection. If passive systems cannot
be utilized, then personal fall protection is required.
 Fall Protection Systems
1. Guardrail Systems
Guardrails are required on open:
 Edges of floors and roofs
 Scaffolds
 Runways, ramps
 Elevated platforms

Major design specifications:

 Constructed of wood or equivalent material.
 Top rail at 42” to 45” and a midrail.
 Wooden posts must be no more than 8’ apart.
 Top rail must withstand 200 lbs load in any direction
 Fall Protection Systems
1. Guardrail Systems

Properly installed guardrail system

 Fall Protection Systems
1. Guardrail Systems

Properly installed guardrail system

 Fall Protection Systems
1. Cable guardrails
• Cable guardrails must meet the same rules as wooden
guardrails.
• The top rail must be at least 42” high and resist up to
200 lbs.
• Steel cable guardrails must have the top rail
flagged
every 6 feet.
 Fall Protection Systems
2. Safety nets
Personnel nets are made of a variety of natural and
synthetic materials in the form of rope or strips to produce a
webbing that has a mesh strength strong enough to
withstand the force of a falling person and a mesh size small
enough to minimize personal injury.
.

40
 Fall Protection Systems
2. Safety nets
 Fall Protection Systems
3. Floor Covers
A floor cover includes any rigid object used to overlay
openings in floors, roofs, and other walking and
working surfaces. Simple and effective when they are
properly installed.

Floor covers need to be for all

openings, hatchways, provided floor skylight
openings regardless of thefloor
fall heights.
holes, and
 Fall Protection Systems
3. Floor Covers
 Fall Protection Systems
Skylights

Must be protected
 Fall Protection Systems
4. Warning Lines
 Warning lines are used to keep
workers away from an unsafe
edge.
 The warning line must be at
least
6’ away from the edge.
 The warning line must be at least
34” from the ground.
 Fall Protection Systems
4. Warning-line systems for roofing work
 Fall Protection Systems
Active Systems - Personal Fall Protection:

 Personal fall-arrest system

 Personal fall-restraint system and
 Safety belts
Fall Protection Systems
 Personal Fall Arrest System Components

Anchorage

I-Beam Adjustable Strap

Roof Tie-Off

Permanent Roof-top
Personal Fall Arrest System Components
Temporary anchorage
Personal Fall Arrest System Components
Permanent anchorage
Personal Fall Arrest System Components
Connectors
Personal Fall Arrest System Components
Connecting components
Personal Fall Arrest System Components
Connecting components
 Fall Protection Systems
Personal Fall Arrest System Components
The body harness
Personal Fall Arrest System Components
The body harness
Fall Protection Systems
END