1. Fall Prevention and Protection

2. Disclaimer and Copyright
Through the OSHA and AWEA Alliance, AWEA developed this training module for informational purposes only. It does not necessarily reflect the official views of OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. 7/13
© American Wind Energy Association.  All rights reserved.  You may download, reproduce and print this Fall Prevention and Protection training module, and any portion hereof (the “Document”) for internal use only (which use may include internal use by employees of your company), and, by downloading or accessing the Document, you agree: (i) that you shall not sell or otherwise engage in any distribution of this Document; (ii) that you shall not make any alterations, modifications, deletions or other changes to this Document without the express written consent of American Wind Energy Association (“AWEA”); and (iii) to indemnify and hold AWEA harmless for any loss or damage, including reasonable attorney's fees, that the AWEA may incur, directly or indirectly, as a result of your use of this Document.   
AWEA assumes no liability for reliance on the contents of this document.  AWEA is providing this document for reference only in furtherance of AWEA’s nonprofit and tax-exempt mission.  AWEA makes no representation or warranty about the information contained in this document, including, without limitation, the suitability of the information contained in this document for any purpose.  It is offered only as general guidance and does not constitute legal, medical, or professional advice.  This document is not intended to, nor does it, include information regarding safe operations and maintenance practices.  Any recommended practices, guidance, or standards contained in this document should be considered on a case by case basis and used in accordance with your company's internal safety and other operating requirements as well as all applicable laws, regulations and recommended practices addressing safety and regulatory compliance (such as OSHA and ANSI requirements).  You should consider seeking legal or professional advice on all matters concerning safety and regulatory compliance.
Generate discussion about the differences of each

3. Lesson Overview Purpose: To provide guidance for
Understanding various fall hazards at a Wind Turbine Generator
Training employees on how to protect themselves for fall hazards.
Correctly applying fall protection equipment.
Understanding regulatory requirements.
Generate discussion about the differences of each

4. Lesson Overview Objectives
Understand the many applications for fall protection
Be able to apply specific OSHA Regulations
Review Best Industry Practices for Safe Access and Rescue
Appreciate the consequences of fall related injuries

5. Common Fall Hazards in the Wind Energy Industry
Struck by falling objects inside the towers and outside near the base of the towers
Falls that happen…
from fixed ladders
through platform hatchways
inside the nacelle on uneven surfaces
off the top of the nacelle and hub
while moving to the hub and back
into the hub enclosure

6. Consequences when falls occur…
Serious injuries or possibly death
Difficulty getting to the fallen worker
Long lowering distances to get the victim to safety
Limited resources to care for the victim…
Only work partners are immediately available
Rescue assistance is typically at a distance
Medical responders are frequently unfamiliar with techniques for rescuing at extreme heights

7. Human Factors that have contributed to Injuries and Deaths in the Wind Energy Industry
Lack of awareness (or failure to report) that problems or hazards exist
Inadequate training on hazard recognition and effective control methods
Failure of employers to provide sufficient or proper safety equipment
Failure to train employees to correctly use all required safety equipment.
Failure to ensure employees correctly use all required safety equipment.

8. OSHA Requirements 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D – Walking Working Surfaces
29 CFR 1910 Subpart I – Personal Protective Equipment
29 CFR (g) – Fall Protection for Power Generation Industry
29 CFR 1926 Subpart E – Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment
29 CFR 1926 Subpart M – Fall Protection

9. Walking Working Surfaces
Fall protection or guarding is required while working at 4’ or higher if a fall hazard is present
Every hatchway or floor opening must be protected
Fixed Ladders
Ladders
Every hatchway or floor opening must be protected by a hinged cover or standard railing protection with toe boards
When railings are used, the exposed side must be guarded by a removable section of railing (gate or chains)
§ Ladders exceeding 20 feet in height must be protected by landing platforms, cages, wells or ladder safety devices
Ladder safety devices must meet the design limits of the ladders on which they are installed.

10. Personal Protective Equipment
§ Subpart I
Hazard Assessment and Equipment selection must be performed and documented by each employer whose workers are exposed.
Employers must ensure that each affected employee understand how to use the specified PPE and be properly fitted for the equipment they are required to use.
Employers must ensure employees properly use and maintain PPE.

11. PPE Training Essentials
Per OSHA 29 CFR
Each employee shall demonstrate an understanding of the specified training …and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring use of PPE.
This includes:
when PPE/fall protection is necessary
what PPE/system is necessary
how to properly put on, take off, adjust and wear PPE
limitations of PPE/the system
proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE

12. PPE Training Essentials
When the employer has reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required. The employer shall retrain all affected employees.
Retraining may also include:
Workplace changes that render previous training obsolete
Changes in type of PPE
Inadequacies demonstrated by the employee’s performance

13. Fall Protection PPE Types
Personal Fall Arrest Systems – system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. Consists of an anchorage, connectors and a body harness.
Positioning Device Systems – body belt or harness system rigged to allow an employee to be supported on an elevated vertical surface, such as a wall, and work with both hands free while leaning.

14. Personal Fall Arrest Systems
Components:
Body Harnesses
Thigh strap
Chest straps
Shoulder strap
Adjusting buckles
D-ring(s)
Connecting Devices
Lanyards with shock absorbers
Retractable lanyards
Climbing devices
Work positioning devices
NOTE: Most harnesses and fall protection equipment have a user weight rating of 310 lbs. That weight rating includes the total of the user, clothing, tools etc. Some fall protection equipment may have different weight ratings.

15. Personal Fall Arrest Systems
Although applicable directly to Construction under , paragraph (d) lists the requirements and expectations for personal fall arrest systems including:
Design of system components
System performance criteria
Care and use of personal fall arrest systems

16. ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Code
The American National Standards Institute first published specifications for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components” in 1992 as a non regulatory consensus standard and revised them to their current form beginning in 2007.
The purpose of ANSI Z359 was to address the variety of equipment being developed in the rapidly growing field of Fall Protection.
Z359 is an umbrella for a series of eight published fall protection-related Standards and 9 additional proposed standards currently being developed.
ANSI Z359.0 – Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest
ANSI Z359.1 – Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components
ANSI Z359.2 – Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program
ANSI Z359.3 – Safety Requirements for Positioning and Travel Restraint Systems
ANSI Z359.4 – Safety Requirements for Assisted Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems, Subsystems and Components

17. Five additional Standards were approved as of November 24, 2007:
ANSI Z359.0 – Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest
ANSI Z359.1 – Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components
ANSI Z359.2 – Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program
ANSI Z359.3 – Safety Requirements for Positioning and Travel Restraint Systems
ANSI Z359.4 – Safety Requirements for Assisted Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems, Subsystems and Components

18. An additional three Standards were approved November 16, 2009:
ANSI Z359.6 – Specifications and Design Requirements for Active Fall Protection Systems
ANSI Z – Connecting Components for Personal Fall Arrest Systems
ANSI Z – Personal Energy Absorbers and Energy Absorbing Lanyards

19. General Duty Clause
In the absence of specific regulatory compliance requirements, OSHA will apply Section 5(a)(1) The General Duty Clause:
“Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely
to cause death or serious physical harm…”

20. Controlling Falling Objects
Be aware of people working beneath you. Clear the area below due to the great velocity that can be generated from a dropped tool or other item. To additionally assure safety…
Tether your tools
Cover any opening that materials or parts could drop through
Helmet/hardhat protection and safety glasses must be worn when personnel are overhead

21. Safe Ladder Climbing Practices
Know your ladder safety system by practicing with it at safe heights before climbing long distances.
Use three points of contact with the ladder at all times
Do not carry anything in your hands or in a way that your climbing could be affected
Instead, use a hoisting bag with a secure cover, a rated hauling rope, or an elevator or installed lifting device

22. Safe Ladder Climbing Practices
If stopping to work or rest, tie off with additional fall protection to the beam of the ladder above you.
NEVER hang from the ladder safety system as your sole support.
A good rule is allowing only one climber per ladder section between platforms
Step off the ladder and securely onto the platform before disconnecting your ladder safety system

23. DO NOT LOOK UP TO SEE WHAT IS FALLING!
Hatches
Once you reach the platform, close the hatchway cover (if so equipped)
If the hatchway remains open for the next climber or for hauling work, tie off with your lanyard to an anchor point or part of the turbine structure
A good rule is to shout out “hatch open” and “hatch closed” to notify other climbers of your activity and position above or below them
If you hear a warning or noise that indicates something has been dropped - COVER UP to minimize the chances of being hit
DO NOT LOOK UP TO SEE WHAT IS FALLING!

24. Personal Fall Arrest Systems
PFAS consist of:
An anchor point
A means of connecting the climber to the anchor
A full body harness

25. Anchor Points Two Types: Rated (Engineered) Structural Attachment
Rated Anchor Point:
Rated Anchors commonly have a lb. static capacity per employee attached
OR: Is designed, installed and used as part of a system that maintains a safety factor of at least two and is under the supervision of a qualified person.
Should be labeled and or color coded
Only one climber per rated anchor point
(Unless labeled otherwise)
DO NOT USE The Anchor point it if damaged, corroded or compromised in any way

26. Structural Anchor Points
Tie off only to structure you can trust to be a minimum 5000 pound static capacity
One climber per anchor point
Created on structural steel from fall rated webbed straps, slings, ropes, and connectors (snap hooks or carabineers)
DO NOT USE if the strap, sling or rope is damaged, or the connecting devices are defective in any way
A qualified person shall determine appropriate anchorage points.

27. PFAS When stopping a fall, a PFAS must:
Limit the impact to less than 1800 pounds of arresting force on the body
Prevent a person from contacting a lower level
Bring the person to a complete stop and limit the maximum deceleration distance of a shock absorber to 3.5 additional feet
Have the strength to withstand at least twice the potential impact force of a worker falling the full 6 foot length of their protective connection lanyard (the maximum permitted PFAS fall distance)

28. Positioning Device Systems
These allow workers to do hands-free work from vertical ladders or the tower/turbine structure:
Positioning devices are not a fall arrest system. Additional tie off must be used for personal fall protection
Must limit free fall to no more than 2 feet
The anchorage point must be capable of withstanding twice the potential impact of a worker’s fall or pounds whichever is greater.

29. Inspection Before you climb – EVERY TIME:
HARNESS – Cuts, tears, chemical stains, heat damage or burns, torn stitching, extreme fading, lack of labeling, excessive age
Check all D ring(s) and connecting hardware for damage, such as stretching, narrowing, bending, cracks, etc.
Make sure the fall indicator is not deployed
LANYARD(s) – Same checks as for harnesses
Snap hook connectors show no damage and operate correctly and also need to be inspected for throat damage and damage to the keeper
Always follow the Manufacturer’s Recommended Inspection Procedure
Snap hooks must be of a locking type.

30. Inspection Before you climb – EVERY TIME Ladder Safety Device:
Condition of the steel cable
Appearance and mechanical action of the cable grab device
The device is properly oriented on the cable
Smooth non-binding passage of the grab device over the cable
Device properly engages on the cable when quickly loaded

31. Measuring Total Fall Distance
Fall Arrest Equipment:
6 foot lanyard with shock absorbing lanyard measuring 3.5 feet fully elongated
4.0 Ft.
6.0 Ft. Free Fall
3.5 Ft. Shock Absorption
(9.5 Ft. Lanyard Fall Distance)
15.5 Ft. Minimum Clearance
6.0 Ft. Height
(D-ring to worker’s feet)
Add another 2 feet as a safety margin to allow for harness stretch
Projecting obstructions may affect the Total Fall Distance.
Actual distance from D-ring to workers’ feet may vary.

32. Swing Falls
When moving vertically and/or horizontally away from an anchor point, the climber must consider both the mechanics and consequences of a swing fall.
Has the best anchor been chosen for the work to be completed?
In a swing fall, sufficient force to deploy shock absorbers in the fall system may not occur
The impact against surfaces can result in fractures, lacerations and internal bleeding.
These injuries can complicate the already difficult job of rescuing the fallen worker

33. Best Practices for Tying Off
Pick an Anchor point that will not fail
Tie off directly overhead whenever possible
Calculate the fall distance and set your protection to avoid hitting lower levels
Maintain your stability and footing at all times
Always use caution … Climb as if you had no fall protection to save you

34. Suspension Trauma
After a fall, if a person is stranded in their harness the weight of their body on the leg straps cuts off blood flow returning to the torso. Blood pools in the legs severely limiting flow to their upper body and head.
Unconsciousness overcomes the victim followed shortly after by respiratory arrest in as little as minutes after suspension begins
Once the victim is lowered to the ground and tension is released, a large volume of poorly oxygenated blood will flow back to the heart, lungs and brain from the legs.
This complicates their rescue, compromises resuscitation efforts and ultimately threatens their survival...
Detailed FIRST AID TRAINING should be provided to anyone who may have to treat a victim of Suspension Trauma

35. Suspension Trauma
Uninjured climbers can quickly deploy support straps or use their tensioned positioning lanyard beneath their feet to lessen harness pressure and activate leg muscles, effectively limiting or delaying the effects of suspension trauma
Even with this emergency support, a plan to promptly reach the victim and get them safely down for medical care must be in place to have the best chance for a successful rescue

36. Safe Access and Rescue Training
It is very common for Wind Energy facilities to require their employees and contractors to complete competency training in:
The safe use of all required fall protection equipment
The ability to perform rescue of injured personnel
The ability to make a rapid emergency evacuation from a tower, turbine nacelle or hub
Recertification training is often required every one to two years

37. Rescue Considerations
Preplan rescues and provide training so that everyone is familiar with how to carry out a rescue, what equipment is needed and how to contact municipal responders and get them to the turbine site
Rescues are high intensity and high stakes. Be prepared by practicing at least twice a year with your equipment and personnel to be ready if an emergency occurs

38. Conclusions Know the rules - OSHA’s and your worksite
Understand how to use your equipment and inspect it before each use
Watch for hazards and apply control measures to eliminate your exposure to falls and other dangers
Expect your partner(s) to work as professionally as you do. Set them straight if they jeopardize their safety or yours
Know the rescue plan and how to respond if an emergency occurs