IN THE FIELD
By David Ivey
Assessing Fall Hazards Preparing fall protection for the steel erection jobsite
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orking in steel erection presents many instances where workers must work at heights and fall hazards are numerous. Failure to provide fall protection remains one of the most consistently cited OSHA violations, so keeping workers safe while they work is essential to any steel erection jobsite. When working on steel structures, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard for fall protection is set out in section 1926.760 of 29 CFR 1926 Subpart R and requires that workers operating at any height more than 15ft above a lower level must be protected from fall hazards. The first step to providing a safe working environment to employees is to make an assessment of the fall hazards present in the workplace. This includes calculating fall distance and evaluating proper equipment for the application.
Assessments save lives A hazard assessment is a proactive step to identify risky conditions or dangerous environments before they cause an injury. ‘Before’ is the important word to focus on David Ivey oversees product development of fall protection and safety equipment at Malta Dynamics. He also sits on the ANSI Z359 board and participates in many subcommittee meetings for safety products. Contact him at divey@maltadynamics.com.
because a hazard assessment forces a close examination of worksite areas that might otherwise be overlooked or assumed to be safe. The best method for fall protection is to eliminate the risk altogether by removing the worker’s need to be in hazardous areas at all. When this is not possible, the next best solution is to position fall prevention around the hazard, such as installing guardrails or other engineered safety fall protection systems that safeguard workers in dangerous areas. Fall protection plans are valuable training materials that prepare the worker to operate at heights. When a hazard cannot be completely eliminated, fall protection plans outline the potential hazards and how to use the provided equipment to protect the worker in the worst-case scenario. When that worst-case scenario does occur, a rapid rescue is essential for preventing secondary injuries and even death that can occur in a fall incident. Creating a Rescue Plan lays out a course of action to follow in the event of a fall and arms workers with the knowledge and processes they need to follow in the event of an emergency to prevent further injury or death. Rescue plans include quick rescue options, who to contact, emergency numbers, and how to properly report incidents to OSHA. Having a plan in place ahead of time and offering training on the appropriate emergency response actions saves lives. “Once you get the job blueprints, you’ve
20 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
really got to look through all of it and make sure your guys are trained up,” said Jason Farris, Vice President of Safety Compliance, of SEAA member company Cooper Steel, Shelbyville, Tenn. Simply purchasing fall protection equipment for the crew isn’t going to suffice when an accident happens. The workers using the safety gear need proper training on how to use, inspect, and store it to prevent injury. Improper care and use will deem the safety measures useless. Identifying fall hazards, building plans and finding the right solutions can be a time-consuming process, but there are many free resources online to help expedite the process. Malta Dynamics, also a member of SEAA, offers free hazard assessment and fall protection plan templates, available for download at the Training Safety Resources tab at maltadynamics.com.
Planning for fall clearance “A big thing that people overlook is calculating their fall distance and making sure their fall protection system is accurate for the environment they will be working in,” said Farris. Fall clearance is something that, by law, must be calculated and written out. The following are the five most important things to remember when calculating fall distance that will make the process easier.
