By the Numbers: Fall Protection

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the Center for construction re-search and training (CPWR) in a 33yr period from 1982 to 2015, falls accounted for nearly half of all construction workers deaths. More than half of the workers killed lacked access to fall protection.

NIOSH Fatality and Control Evaluation program researches found fatality reports for 768 construction industry fatalities.
Researchers after analyzing the incidents concluded that between 1982 and 2015 that:

  • 42 percent (325) of the fatalities involved falls.
  • 54 percent of the workers killed had no access to a personal fall arrest system and 23 percent had access to a PFAS but did not use it.
  • Most of the workers with no access to PFAS worked for residential building contractors and contractors in the roofing, siding and sheet metal sectors.
  • 107 of the 325 falls were from 30 feet or higher.
  • 20 percent of the 768 deaths occurred in the victims first two months on the job.

KEEP IN MIND

Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS) are designed to protect workers from falling off communication towers, scaffolds at hi-rise construction sites, or the roof of a house.

But unfortunately, many workers receive little or no fall protection training, use the wrong fall protection equipment, or, use the equipment improperly, and, sometimes do not use fall protection at all.

OSHA requires employers to provide employees for fall protection according to the fall hazards that exist on the job.

All hazards are to be addressed by using the following hierarchy of controls:

  • Eliminate the hazard
  • Substitutions
  • Engineering Controls
  • Administration controls, and
  • Personal Protective Equipment

This, if the first (1) to (4) controls are not adequate to protect against the fall hazard, then PEAS must be used.

If it has been determined that the employee must wear a harness and lanyard, the must first be trained in the hazards present when working at heights and at what heights fall protection is required. Then the employee must be trained to use and inspect this critical piece of personal safety equipment.