BRACE YOURSELF: FALL PROTECTION AND SAFETY STRATEGIES TO PREVENT

WORKPLACE INJURIESPatrick Harel

Capital Safety, a 3M Companypcharel@mmm.com

Drive change through education.inspiration

DO I REALLY NEED FALL PROTECTION?

• You've carefully thought out all the angles.

• Nothing could possibly go wrong and it wouldn’t happen to me anyway.

• You've done it a thousand times.

• You know what you're doing, it’s what you've been trained to do your whole life.

THINK AGAIN!

STANDARDS

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910 and 1926• Governing Body• Sets and enforces laws

• American National Standard Institute (ANSI) Z359 series various dates• Voluntary compliance board• Sets guidelines for the manufacture of equipment

OSHA DEFINITIONS

• Authorized Person• A person approved or assigned by the employer to perform a specific type

of duty or duties or to be at a specific location or locations at the jobsite.• Competent Person

• One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

• Qualified Person• One who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional

standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.

1: Where was the first use of Fall Protection?1933- Golden Gate Bridge - Netting

4: How many people died during the actual construction of the Hoover Dam? ( First concrete poured in June 1933)

1st was J.G Tierney. Coincidentally, his son, Patrick Tierney, was the last man to die on the dam, 13 years to the day later.

2: What is the “ Half way to Hell Club”?Created by the workers who fell into the net

3: How many members where there?19. 11 workers died from falls

96

TRIVIA

FALL PROTECTION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Motivators• OSHA 1926.502 Sub-part M• 29 CFR 1910 Sub-part D & I• ANSI• Liability & Due Diligence• Insurance• Ensuring every worker gets

home safely!

STATISTICS

2014 OSHA Violations1. Fall Protection = 7,5152. Hazard Communication = 6,1483. Scaffolding = 4,9684. Respiratory Protection = 3,1475. Powered Indus. Truck = 3,1472015 OSHA Violations6. Fall Protection = 6,7217. Hazard Communication = 5,1928. Scaffolding = 4,2959. Respiratory Protection = 3,30510. Lockout/Tagout = 3,002

CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES 2013

Fatal falls, slips, or trips took the lives of 699 workers in 2013

Falls to lower levelSlips/Trips

Falls to a lower level accounted for 574 or about 82% of those fatalities

HIERARCHY OF FALL PROTECTION

1. Eliminate the Hazard

2. Passive Systems (Guardrails/Netting)

3. Fall Restraint/Work Positioning

4. Fall Arrest

5. Administrative Controls

ENGINEERING OUT THE HAZARD

PASSIVE FALL PROTECTION

Ladder 24’ and higher need cage or FP

Railing 30” to 37”

Guardrail 42” +/- 3”

FALL RESTRAINT

Fall restraint system means a fall protection system that prevents the user from falling any distance.

WORK POSITIONING SYSTEM

OSHA 1926.502 (e)• 2 ft. Free fall limit• Anchorage requirement

3000 lbs.• OSHA considers decent

control/rescue systems same as work positioning

FALL ARREST

FALL ARREST CONSIDERATIONS/CONCERNS

• Clearance• Freefall• Rescue• Energy Absorption• Obstructions• Total Weight ( person + equipment)• Understanding the Equipment and

it’s Limitations Site

Personal

62-594 Rev. B

ANATOMY OF A FALL

• It takes most people about 1/3 of a second to become aware.• It takes another 1/3 of a

second for the body to react.• A body can fall up to 7 feet in

2/3 of a second.

.33sec./2 feet

.67sec./7 feet

1 sec./16 feet

2 sec./64 feet

10ft – 17MPH

20ft – 24MPH

30ft - 30MPH

40ft – 35MPH

COMPONENTS OF A FALL ARREST SYSTEM

ANCHORS

BODY SUPPORT DESCENT/RESCUE

CONNECTORS

ANCHORAGES

ANCHORAGE CLASSES

Certified (Engineered) Non-Certified (Improvised)

2 to 1 safety factorAs low as 1800 lbs. for OSHA & ANSI

Requires 5000 lbs

ANCHORS … 5,000 IBS.

Impact ForceM.A.F.

Maximum Arresting Force

Strength and Stability

ANCHORAGE CONNECTORS

BODY SUPPORT

BELT VS. HARNESS

OSHA 1926.502 (d):“Effective Jan. 1,

1998, body belts are not acceptable as part

of a personal fall arrest system...”

PROPER USE OF BELTS

Work Positioning Fall Restraint

OSHA 1926.502

(d):…The use of a body belt in a positioning

device system is

acceptable…

FULL BODY HARNESS

• ANSIFall Arrest(always must have)

• OSHA 1926.502 (d) (16) (ii):• Personal fall arrest systems

shall limit the maximum arresting force on an employee to 1,800 pounds (8 kN) when used with a body harness.

CONNECTORS

Connectors include lanyards, snap-hooks, carabineers, deceleration devices such as SRD’s, ladder climbing systems, vertical & horizontal lifelines and rope grabs

OSHA says…“ [1926.502(e)(5)]: Connecting assemblies shall have a minimum tensile

strength of 5,000 lbs. (22 kN)."

HARDWARE

• (ANSI)-Must be double acting, auto-locking, have 3600 rated gate, rated for 5000 lbs.

• (OSHA)-Must be double acting, Front Load 220lbs, Side Load 330lbs rated for 5000 lbs.

AND REMEMBER, you cannot connect a SNAPHOOK to a CARABINER!!

INCOMPATIBLE CONNECTIONS

NOTE: Large throat snap hooks should not be connected to standard size D-rings or similar objects which will result in a load on the gate if the hook or D-ring twists or rotates, unless the snap hook complies with ANSI Z359.1-2007 or ANSI Z359.12 and is equipped with a 3,600 lb (16 kN) gate. Check the marking on your snap hook to verify that it is appropriate for your application.

LANYARDS

• Many different types of lanyards

• Needs to be able to reduce energy from 5000 lbs force to… • 1800 lbs for OSHA and • 900 lbs for ANSI• less is very common with

shock absorber

SHOCK ABSORBERS

Remember:

• Always connect the shock pack to the Dorsal D-ring

• Make sure you are not exceeding the weight limit of the lanyard

• Never connect two lanyards together

• Always workout Fall Clearance

FALL CLEARANCE

• Lanyards • Measure from anchor point• Formula – LL + DD + HH + C =

RD • LL= Lanyard Length 6 FT• DD= Deceleration Distance 3 ½ FT

(36”)• HH= Height of Suspended Worker 7

FT (Including Harness Stretch)• C= Safety Factor 1 FT• RD= Required fall clearance 17 ½ FT

• Some competitors measure from working surface

• Conservative calculation

SELF RETRACTING DEVICES

SRD/SRLS

SRL - Self Retracting Lanyard SRD - Self Retracting Device

Classes• Class A: A class A SRD will stop the fall within 24” and ensure the forces are

below 1350 lbs.• Class B: a class B SRD will stop the fall within 54” and ensure that the forces are

below 900 lbs.

Types• SRL-R: An SRD with some sort of rescue capability, this could be an incorporated

winch or automatic descent capability.• SRL-LE: An SRD that has been designed for a worker falling over an edge.

• Will have an integral external shock absorber.• Will have a cable that can withstand a sharp edge.

FALL CLEARANCE

• Self Retracting Devices (SRD’s) (Class B)• Measured from working surface • Most SRD’s use 6 ft. as the required

fall clearance distance• RD= TFD+HS+C = 3.5’+1’+1.5’= 6’

Swing falls will add to requiredclearance. As you swing belowanchor point, you get closer to

thelevel below. PENDELUM

FALL CLEARANCE

Nano

Starts at 4 ft.

FALL CONSIDERATIONS

Swing Fall

Obstructions

NEW ANSI SHARP EDGE REQUIREMENTS

Adhering to the most stringent safety standard - ANSI Z359.14• Must have an integral shock absorber.• Must be tested to ensure the cable will not cut on an edge

that is .005” in thickness. • Must still retract and extend after a fall• Locking function must still work after a fall• Must maintain an average arresting force below 900 lbs. And

a peak force below 1800lbs.

SRD – SHARP EDGES

DEFEAT SHARP EDGES EVERY TIME• Sharp edges are found in

many leading edge applications where a traditional lifeline may be cut, shred or snap upon contact.

RESCUE PLAN?

Some Days all you can do is smile and wait for some kind soul to come pull your butt out of the bind you’ve gotten yourself into!

RESCUE SYSTEMS

Rollgliss™ R350™ Rescue Positioning

Device (RPD)

RescueMatic™ Evacuation System

Rollgliss™R550™ Rollgliss™ SRL Rescue

Device

Rollgliss™ Rescue Ladder

SelfRescue

SUSPENSION TRAUMA STRAPS

DOES NOT REPLACE RESCUE!!

1910.151 – Medical Aid suggested in a letter of interpretation

4 to 15 minutes

“if it is potentially life threatening” – 4 minutes

LET’S LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND MYTHS

6 Feet 4 Feet

Free Fall??? 310

lbs

420 lbs

1800 lbs

900 lbs

MAF???

INSPECTION!!!

How Often???

Authorized???

Competent??

Qualified??

5 Years?? 2Fleet

Fall Clearance???

Weight???

Service Life??

CAPACITY

ENERGY ABSORBING LANYARDS

STANDARD / REGULATION MAXIMUIM ARRESTING FORCE PERMITTED

AVERAGE ARRESTING FORCE PERMITTED

DECELERATION or MAXIMUM ARREST DISTANCE WEIGHT RANGE CLASS/TYPE

OSHA 1910/1926 1800 lbs (8kN) N/A 42” (1.07m)

310 LBS. or if the combined tool and body weight is 310 pounds (140.62 kg) or more,

systems that meet the criteria and protocols

contained in appendix B will be deemed to comply with the provisions of paragraph

(b)(6) only if they are modified appropriately to provide protection for the

extra weight of the employee and tools.

Re: 1915.159(b)Criteria for lifelines,

lanyards, and personal fall arrest systems.

ANSI 359.13 1800 lbs (8kN) 900 lbs (4kN) 54” (1.37m) 130 – 310 LBS. ANSI 359.13 1800 lbs (8kN) 1350 lbs (6kN) 60” 130 – 310 LBS.

CSA Z259.11-054.0 kN - (900 lbs) (Ambient Dry) or (6kN

1350 lbs Wet and Frozen)

N/A 1.2m (3.9 ft) 45 kg (100 lbs) - 115 kg (254 lbs) CLASS E4

CSA Z259.2.2-986.0 kN - (1300 lbs) (Ambient Dry) or (8kn

1800 lbs Wet and Frozen) (8kN) 1800 lbs

N/A 1.75 m (5.7 ft) 90 kg (200 lbs) - 175 kg (386 lbs) CLASS E6

CAPACITY

SELF RETRACTING DEVICES

STANDARD / REGULATION MAXIMUIM ARRESTING FORCE PERMITTED

AVERAGE ARRESTING FORCE PERMITTED

DECELERATION or MAXIMUM ARREST DISTANCE WEIGHT RANGE CLASS/TYPE

OSHA 1910/1926 1800 lbs (8kN) N/A 42” (1.07m)

310 LBS. or if the combined tool and body weight is 310 pounds (140.62 kg) or more,

systems that meet the criteria and protocols contained in

appendix B will be deemed to comply with the provisions of paragraph (b)(6) only if they

are modified appropriately to provide protection for the

extra weight of the employee and tools. Re:

1915.159(b)Criteria for lifelines, lanyards,

and personal fall arrest systems.

ANSI 359.14 1800 lbs (8kN) 900 lbs (4kN) 54” (1.37m) 130 – 310 LBS. CLASS B 1800 lbs (8kN) 1350 lbs (6kN) 24" (610mm) 130 – 310 LBS. CLASS A CSA Z259.2.2-98 (8kN) 1800 lbs N/A (1372mm) 55” (141kg) 310 LBS. TYPE 2 & 3

• Each Manufacture will give there own restrictions in there Instruction Manuals.

• Even though OSHA does not give some of the restrictions in there standards they will always say you MUST FOLLOW MANUFACTURES GUIED LINES

*If using Diablo with rebar hook configuration, Diablo must always be worn at harness dorsal D-ring. Rebarhook must ONLY be connected to compatible structural rebar.

AN “E” IS ADDED TO THE A,B,C,D OF FALL PROTECTION

• Fall protection for “equipment/tools”

WERE THESE ACCIDENTS PREVENTABLE?

THANK YOU