1. Fall Protection In Construction Welcome!
OR-OSHA 301
1004

2. This presentation will discuss:
The importance of planning
When fall protection is required
What fall protection methods are available
Basic principals of a personal fall arrest system (PFAS)
Rescue planning
Training

3. Planning and identifying needs
The most important element of construction worksite safety is planning.
Hazards must be identified based on the evaluation of the processes, and the worksite overall, before a plan can be developed.
If proper planning isn’t done, time and materials will be wasted and, consequently, costs will rise.
Planning makes the difference between the success or failure of any project.

4. Before we can reduce or eliminate fall hazards in the construction industry, we must first become familiar with:
the characteristics of fall hazards,
what fall protection is,
what methods of protection are available, and
the basic planning requirements for any type of construction work where fall hazards exist.

5. Plan the work before you work the plan
Evaluate the work site
Identify fall hazards
Identify who is exposed to fall hazards
Evaluate the process to be done and the needs to complete the task
Identify what method of fall protection will be used for each hazard identified

6. How much planning was done here?

7. What is fall protection?
prevent
A method to __________ a person from falling or by reducing the ____________ of a fall to limit physical damage.
Conventional systems include guardrails, covers, safety nets, personal fall arrest, personal fall restraint, positioning devices, etc.
distance

8. Why is fall protection important?
Prevents or reduces personal injury
Prevents/reduces injury to others
Reduces $$$$$$
Direct costs from falls are generally between $16,000 - $34,000!
Compliance with the regulations

9. Federal OSHA statistics show:
Falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths among construction workers.
Why would people have the equipment on and not use it?
What factors contribute to falls?

10. Hazard?

11. Hazard?

12. Hazard?

13. Hazard?

14. Hazard?

15. Hazard?

16. The Requirements
Although the use of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) is the most widely used method of fall protection, there are alternatives available that may better suit the work being performed and better protect the worker.
Before we discuss the use of personal fall arrest systems, let’s discuss fall protection requirements and take a look at some other fall protection options.

17. Div 3/Sub M OAR 437-003-1501 General Fall Protection states
“…when employees are exposed to a hazard of falling 10 feet or more to a lower level, the employer must ensure that fall protection systems are provided, installed, and implemented according to the criteria in Div 3/Sub M 29 CFR Fall Protection Systems Criteria and Practices.”

18. However…
Fall protection must be provided when employees are exposed to the hazard of falling six feet or more…..
through holes
through wall openings
from established floors, mezzanines, balconies, & walkways
into excavations

19. And…
Every employee must be protected from falls into or onto dangerous equipment - regardless of height!

20. Fall Protection for the following areas is not covered in OR-OSHA Div 3/Sub M because they’re covered elsewhere:
Working on scaffolds - Div 3/Sub L
Certain cranes and derricks - Div 3/Sub N
Steel erection activities - Div 3/Sub R
Certain equip in tunneling operations - Div 3/Sub S
Construction of electrical transmission and distribution lines and equipment - in Div 3/Sub V
Working on stairways and ladders - Div 3/Sub X

21. A few other notes………..
The employer must determine the walking/working surfaces where employees will work are strong enough and have the structural integrity to support employees safely.

22. Protection must be provided when there is a hazard of falling objects:
Hardhats and
toeboards, screens, or guardrails systems
canopy structure
barricade area below and prohibit access

23. A quick look at other fall protection options
Guardrail Systems
Toprail at 42” (+/- 3”) from working surface
Midrail approx. 21”, or screens/mesh from toprail to working surface
Capable of withstanding 200 lbs. of force (midrail must withstand 150 lbs.)
applied within two inches of the top edge

24. What’s missing?
(c)(1)
Erect toeboards, screens, or guardrail systems to prevent objects from falling from higher levels; or,

25. Surfaced to prevent cuts, lacerations, and slivers
Ends must not extend over posts if it can pose a projection hazard
Flag every six feet when wire rope is used
When hoisting operations are not taking place
chain, gate, or removable section must be installed across access opening
Erected along all open sides of a hole

26. A quick look at other fall protection options
Covers
Capable of supporting, without failure, at least 2X the weight of employees, equipment, and materials that may be imposed on the cover at any one time
Must be secured to prevent accidental displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees
Must be color coded or marked “HOLE” or “COVER”
Capable of supporting, without failure, at least 2X the maximum axle load of the largest vehicle expected to cross over

27. Safety Nets
Installed as close as possible under the walking/working surface
never more than 30 ft. below!
Must extend outward from the outermost projection of the work surface:

28. Vertical distance from working level to horizontal plane of net
Minimum required horizontal
Up to 5 ft ft.
More than 5 ft. up to 10 ft 10 ft.
More than 10 ft ft.
A safety net is being used under the roof of this building as an acceptable fall protection system.

29. Drop tests specified in Div 3/Sub M 29 CFR 1926.502(c)(4)
Inspect at least once a week for wear, damage, and other deterioration
inspect after any occurrence which could affect integrity
Materials, scrap, etc., must be removed ASAP
Mesh openings must not exceed 36 sq. in. nor be longer than six inches on any side
Safety nets, and sections of it, must have a border rope for webbing with a minimum breaking strength of 5000 lbs.

30. A quick look at other fall protection options
Slide Guard Systems
Installed under Competent Person supervision
Cannot be used on roofs with ground/eave height of 25 ft. or more
Cannot be used as fall protection on roofs with a slope less than 3:12 nor greater than 8:12
Roofs with slopes greater than or equal to 3:12 to and including 6:12
minimum of one slide guard placed below the work area
no closer than 6” from the eave

31. Roofs with slopes greater than 6:12 to and including 8:12
multiple slide guards must be used
spaced 8’ apart, vertically
lower slide guard must be placed no closer than 6” from eave
Lowest slide guard must be 90 degrees to the roof surface
Upper slide guards cannot be less than 60 degrees to the roof surface

33. Slide Guard Systems - Manufactured Roof Brackets
Installed according to manufacturer’s specs
Minimum 6” brackets must be used
All brackets must bear on a solid surface
Brackets must not be spaced greater than 8’ apart horizontally, or according to manufacturer’s specs (whichever is less)

34. Nominal 2”X6” material must be used for slide guards
must be secured to the brackets or otherwise protected against cantilevering and failure due to material flex
Manufacturer’s specs must be available for review

35. Any problems here?

36. A quick look at other fall protection options
Safety Monitoring System
Only for roofing work on roof slopes of 2:12 or less
A safety monitoring system alone can be the only fall protection for roofs 50’ wide or less
A safety monitor
must be competent to recognize fall hazards
must warn employees when it appears they are unaware of the fall hazard
must be on the same surface and within visual distance of the employees
must be close enough to communicate
must not have other responsibilities which could take away their attention

37. Warning Line Systems For roofing work
must not be used as fall protection on slopes greater than 2:12
employees performing roofing work between a roof edge and a warning line must be protected by guardrails, nets, PFAS, PFRS, or safety monitoring system
Must be erected around all open sides of the roof work area no less than 6’ from the roof edge

38. When mechanical equipment is being used, the warning line must be erected
no less than 6’ from the roof edge which is parallel and no less than 10’ from the roof edge which is perpendicular to the direction of the mechanical equipment operation
Points of access and material handling areas must be connected to the work area by an access path formed by two warning lines
close access/offset when not in use

39. Warning lines must consist of ropes, wires, or chains, and
flagged every 6’ w/ high-visibility material
rigged and supported that its lowest point (including sag) is no less than 34” and its highest point is no more than 39”
stanchions must be capable of resisting at least 16 lbs. of force
warning line must have a minimum tensile strength of 500 lbs.
Employees are not allowed between the roof edge and warning line unless performing roofing work

41. A quick look at other fall protection options
Positioning Device System
Must be rigged to prevent a free fall of more than two feet
Must be secured to an anchorage capable of supporting at least twice the potential impact load of a fall or 3000 lbs. (whichever is greater)

42. Connectors and connecting components must be in accordance with Div 3/Sub M 29 CFR (d). For example:
must be drop forged, pressed or formed steel, or equivalent
must have a corrosion-resistant finish and surfaces must be smooth
proof-tested to a minimum tensile load of 3600 lbs. without cracking, breaking, or taking permanent deformation
snaphooks must be compatible with the member it connects to

43. Personal Fall Restraint System
Must be rigged to prevent the user from falling any distance!
Comprised of a full body harness, anchorage, and connectors (e.g. lanyard, snaphooks, etc.)
in accordance with Div 3/SubM CFR (d)
Courtesy of Superanchor.com

44. Personal Fall Restraint System
Anchorages used for attachment must be capable of supporting 3000 lbs. per employee attached, or
be designed, installed, and used as part of a complete personal fall restraint system which maintains a safety factor of at least two
under the supervision of a qualified person
Courtesy of Superanchor.com

45. Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS)
Reduces injury sustained in a fall by
reducing the distance of the fall
absorbing the arresting forces
Must limit the maximum arresting force on an employee to 1800 lbs. or less
Must be rigged such that an employee
cannot free fall more than six feet
not contact a lower level
limit deceleration distance to 3.5 ft

46. Personal Fall Arrest System
Anchorages used for attachment must be capable of supporting 5000 lbs. per employee attached, or
be designed, installed, and used as part of a complete personal fall arrest system which maintains a safety factor of at least two
under the supervision of a qualified person
A rescue system must be in place when personal fall arrest systems are used
provisions for prompt rescue
assurance of self-rescue

47. The ABCs!….er, and R
Courtesy of Protecta International

48. Personal Fall Arrest System
Anchorage
An anchorage point is a secure point of attachment for lifelines, lanyards, deceleration devices, or self retracting lanyards.
Courtesy of DBI/SALA

49. The anchorage point can be a single attachment to a substantial structure above the surface from which the employee is walking/working on, or it can be one to two attachments used to anchor a vertical or horizontal lifeline.
Courtesy of Superanchor.com

50. Anchorages used for personal fall arrest must be independent of any anchorage used to support or suspend platforms (e.g. two point suspended scaffolds).
Courtesy of DBI/SALA

51. The anchorage point for fall arrest systems must be capable of supporting 5000 lb. for each worker attached to it or used as part of a complete PFAS which maintains a safety factor of at least two and under the supervision of a qualified person.
Think of it this way - would you suspend your truck from this anchor point? If not, don’t use it!

52. Do we have a problem here?

53. Personal Fall Arrest System
Full body harness
Must restrict the Maximum Arrest Force (MAF) to 1800 lbs.
Courtesy of MSA

54. Deceleration devices reduce arresting forces
MAF can be reduced through the use of deceleration devices, or by reducing the fall distance under the guidance of a qualified person.
Courtesy of MSA
Deceleration devices reduce arresting forces
Reduce the fall distance whenever possible

55. The impact of the fall is imposed on the trunk of the body which distributes the MAF to a larger area than the safety belt, reducing the potential for damage to the body.
The attachment point (D-Ring) must be located in the center of the wearer’s back near shoulder level.
Inspect before use for wear, damage, deterioration, and defects. Must be removed from service if subjected to impact loading and not returned to use until a competent person determines no damage was done.

56. Personal Fall Arrest System
Connectors (Everything between your harness and anchor)
Connector means a device which is used to connect parts of the PFAS and positioning devices together.
It may be independent (e.g. carabiner) or may be an integral component (e.g. D-Ring sewn into a body harness or snaphooks sewn and spliced into lanyards).
Courtesy of DBI/SALA

57. Connectors include lanyards, snaphooks, carabiners, D-Rings, lifelines, and deceleration devices.
A Lanyard is a device which connects the worker to the anchorage point.

58. For positioning, it’s used to connect the two front D-Rings to the anchorage point.
For fall arrest, it is secured at one end to the workers D-Ring on the harness between the shoulders and the other end to the anchorage point.
Lanyards must be made from synthetic material and have a minimum breaking strength of 5000 lbs.
Only locking-type snaphooks and carabiners can be used.

59. The following connections are prohibited (unless the locking-type snaphook is designed for it):
engaged directly to webbing, rope, or wire rope
engaged to another snaphook
engaged to a D-Ring to which another snaphook/carabiner is attached
engaged to a horizontal lifeline
engaged to any object which is incompatibly shaped or dimensioned such that unintentional disengagement can occur (roll out)

60. Non-locking snaphooks can no longer be used - primarily because of the hazard of “rollout”.
Rollout can occur when a snaphook is connected to an incompatible member.
As the worker moves around, the snaphook can turn and twist so that the gate to the hook is resting against the anchorage point.
The gate may depress against the anchorage point inadvertently, opening and disconnecting from the anchorage allowing the worker to fall to the level below.

61. Personal Fall Arrest System
Connectors (con’t)
Deceleration device means any mechanism which dissipates a substantial amount of energy imposed on an employee during fall arrest.
Deceleration devices include rope grabs, rip-stitch/tearing lanyards, and self-retractable lanyards.
Remember - maximum arresting forces on a employee during a fall arrest must be less than 1800 lbs.

62. Vertical lifelines are designed to be used: By only one person
A lifeline is a flexible line which connects to an anchorage point at one end to hang vertically, or at both ends to stretch horizontally.
Vertical lifelines are designed to be used:
By only one person
With a rope grab
For vertical mobility
Courtesy of Protecta International

63. Horizontal lifelines can be used only:
As part of a complete PFAS which maintains a safety factor of at least two, and when designed, installed, and used under the supervision of a qualified person.
Courtesy of DBI/SALA

64. The Fall
We have all heard the expression - it’s not the fall that’s hurts but the sudden stop at the end.
Think of a fall as “….a sudden, unanticipated descent in space driven by gravity”.
Although this may not sound severe, the consequences are often disabling - or deadly.
The free fall velocity at impact when falling 12 feet is nearly 20 mph.
Put another way, a person will hit the ground in just under one second after falling this distance.

65. free
fall
A ____________ ___________ is defined as the act of falling before a personal fall arrest system begins to apply force to arrest the fall. When a fall is experienced using a PFAS, the fall is referred to as a free fall up until the system _____________ to stop the fall (starts to arrest the fall).
begins
Think of a parachute - pulling the rip cord stops the free fall and begins the fall arrest.

66. When the fall does come to a complete stop the action is referred to as the fall arrest.
Tremendous force is imposed on the body during the fall arrest.
This force imposed during the arrest is known as the arrest force.
Forces imposed in a fall greatly depends on the type of system you are using and the free fall distance.

67. For example: A 220 lb. worker…….
free falling 6 in. using a wire rope lanyard (without a deceleration device) lbs.
free falling 4 ft. using a nylon rope lanyard (without a deceleration device) lbs.
free falling 6 ft. using a synthetic web lanyard (with a deceleration device) <900 lbs.

68. The force imposed when the stop occurs.
OR-OSHA Div 3/Sub M sets limits on the Maximum Arrest Force (MAF).
The law prohibits the use of a safety belt for fall arrest and allows a maximum of 1800 lbs. when using a full body harness.
ARREST FORCE =
The force imposed when the stop occurs.

69. A fall starts from the moment your feet leave the surface you were working on.
When using PFAS, the fall distance is measured from your shoulder (D-Ring location) to the working surface and any distance below the surface.
When anchored above your shoulder, the fall is measured from the anchorage point to the end of the lanyard when the fall is completely stopped.
Any additional distance the person falls beyond the free fall is added to the free fall distance and referred to as the total fall distance.
This is the measurement of the fall from start to stop.

70. Free fall distance = __’
Let’s calculate the fall distance using a six foot, shock absorbing lanyard, when the anchorage is at shoulder (D-Ring) height. 5’ 1
__’
Distance from the anchorage/D-Ring to the working surface = 5’
Distance below the working surface until the free fall stops and fall arrest begins = __’ 1 6
Free fall distance = __’

71. __’ below the working surface
5’ from the anchorage/D-Ring to the working surface +
__’ below the working surface 1 =
__’ free fall 6 +
3.5’ from shock absorber elongation
__’ - you came down too! 5 +
= 14.5 ft. Total Fall Distance

72. The Fall
Remember: The free fall is the distance you fall before the fall arrest system begins to stop (arrest) the fall.
OR-OSHA Div 3/Sub M requires a maximum free fall
distance of ______ feet. 6

73. If the anchorage is at shoulder/D-Ring level, as in the previous diagrams, the free fall includes the distance from the D-Ring location between the shoulders to the surface (5 ft.), plus the remaining one foot of lanyard below the surface, for a total free fall distance of six feet.
The worker would maintain the maximum allowable free fall of six feet in this case.
If the anchorage were two feet above the shoulder level, the free fall would only be four feet.

74. Any additional distance the worker falls beyond the free fall is added to the free fall distance and referred to as the total fall distance.
When the anchorage is at your feet, as in the following diagrams, the free fall still includes the area from the D-Ring location between the shoulders to the surface (5 ft.), plus the remaining length of lanyard below the surface.
And remember - the additional distance the worker falls beyond the free fall is added to the free fall distance and referred to as the total fall distance.
Let’s take a look

75. Free fall distance = ____’
Let’s calculate the fall distance using a six foot, shock absorbing lanyard, when the anchorage is at your feet. 5’ 6
__’
Distance from the D-Ring to the working surface = 5’
Distance below the working surface until the free fall stops and fall arrest begins = __’ 6 11
Free fall distance = ____’

76. 19.5 + __’ below the working surface = + __’ - you came down too! 5 +
5’ from the anchorage/D-Ring to the working surface +
__’ below the working surface 6 =
__’ free fall 11 +
3.5’ from shock absorber elongation
__’ - you came down too! 5 +
19.5
= ______ft. Total Fall Distance

77. Rescue
Employers must provide for prompt rescue in the event of a fall or must assure that employees are able to rescue themselves.
Don’t always assume the Fire Dept. will be available and/or equipped

78. What does “prompt” rescue mean?
What can be used to rescue a person?
Why will the method of rescue vary at each site?
How can you assure self rescue?

79. Rescue when using PFAS comes down to planning and preparing.
Some important points to consider:
Train your rescuers in rescue techniques and practice rescue attempts
Ensure equipment is readily available
Arrange and communicate with other contractors on site
Arrange and communicate with outside services, if available
Designate someone to summon them upon arrival
Don’t always assume the Fire Dept. will be available and or equipped
Plan a route and establish lines of communication

80. Training Fall hazards include:
A training program must be provided for all employees who might be exposed to fall hazards.
Fall hazards include:
A Competent Person must provide the training.
A Competent Person is someone who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are hazardous or dangerous to employees, and has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

81. Training Content
Nature of fall hazards in work area
Correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting the fall protection systems
Use and operation of guardrail systems, PFAS, safety nets, warning lines, safety monitoring, PFRS, slide guards, positioning devices, and other protection used
The role each employee has in the safety monitoring system (if used)

82. Training Content
Limitations on the use of mechanical equipment during the performance of roofing work
Correct procedures for the handling and storage of equipment and materials and the erection of overhead protection
All other requirements of the safety standard

83. Why do new employees with prior experience need training?
What is documented on the training certification?
When is retraining required?
What’s missing?
Courtesy of DBI/SALA

84. That’s it!
Be safe… you never know when someone is watching.

85. Be
Safe!