A Dangerous Industry
The construction industry is the most dangerous and hazardous work industry out there. On average, over 1,000 construction workers die due to construction site incidents each year, which accounts for 30% of all work-related deaths (BLS).
There are many common causes of death in the construction industry, but the most common among them is falling from heights. Close to 42% of all construction worker deaths are caused by falls. Due to lack of fall protection, the dangerous heights of ladders, and faulty scaffolding, falls are impossible to predict and hard to prevent.
Safety in Construction
It is important that everyone on the worksite has safety at the forefront of their minds. OSHA has implemented many industry-specific standards and regulations to maximize its efforts in keeping construction workers safe.
OSHA recognizes that there are a variety of factors that affect falls on the construction site. Therefore, “the standard for fall protection deals with both the human and equipment-related issues in protecting workers from fall hazards” (OSHA).
How Employers Can Help
According to OSHA, there are a number of ways that employers can help to protect workers from falls. Employers are responsible for providing their employees with appropriate safety training. Employees must receive this safety training before their initial assignment on the job and then again once every year as a refresher training. Employers can also help to prevent fall incidents by motivating their employees to develop safe working habits and to adopt safety practices that work towards preventing falls.
Employers are also responsible for providing their employees with adequate fall protection equipment and proper personal protective equipment. Some examples of this equipment would be:
- Guardrail systems
- Safety net systems
- Hard hats
- Gloves
- Personal fall protection systems
Got Insurance?
While employers are responsible for the safety of their employees, there are other reasons that employers should do everything they can to prevent falls. Employers could lose a lot if an employee were to fall and injure themselves.
The National Safety Council (NSC) shows that falls from heights cost companies around $5.85 billion annually in direct compensation costs, depending on the severity of the accident. This does not include any other expenses or the cost of OSHA fines.
But the cost of injury goes far beyond monetary value. Falling from a height can leave an employee disabled or dead. A disabled employee would have a hard time finding a job that will help them provide for their family. And no cost will ever amount to the loss of a loved one and a grieving family.
Different Types of Fall Protection
There are many different types of fall protection that can help protect workers on construction sites. Because there are so many different kinds, they are categorized in many different ways. The first way to divide up fall protection systems is by deciding if they are passive or active systems.
Passive means “without active response.” More specifically, a passive fall protection system is one that is put in place and requires no further involvement from a worker once in place. This type of system is installed before work begins and then remains until the work is done. Once the workday is over, it can then be taken down.
Active fall protection systems, on the other hand, require ongoing interaction with the worker using them. This means they are installed, worn, and maintained by the worker from location to location. The most common example of this would be a harness and its corresponding lanyard, which naturally requires the worker at risk to inspect, wear, and adjust.
These different types of fall protection can be categorized by how efficient each system is against falls and falling hazards. These three categories are:
- Prevention
- Restraint
- Fall arrest
Prevention
Fall prevention systems are the most secure because they work to completely eliminate the falling hazard. This type of fall protection system is used to prevent employees from approaching the fall hazard. Fall prevention systems can include guardrails, covers over holes, and vertical safety nets.
Restraint
If the fall hazard area cannot be fully secured by fall prevention, then fall restraints are used. These protection systems prevent the user from falling any distance, by not allowing the worker to reach any unprotected side or edge. Fall restraint systems generally include devices such as non-shock absorbing lanyards and utilize a single anchorage point.
Fall prevention is not always possible. Fall restraint systems are the second line of defense. Generally, if fall prevention is not sufficient to eliminate the hazard, then fall restraint can keep employees at a safe distance from the hazard.
Fall Arrest
Finally, fall arrest systems are the last line of defense against fall hazards. These systems are designed to stop a user’s momentum if they have started to fall. A fall arrest system typically consists of a harness worn by the user, a lifeline or safety lanyard, and one or more anchor points.
If personal fall arrest systems are used, particular attention should be given to identifying anchor points and to ensuring that employees know how to properly use and inspect the equipment.
Recognizing Fall Hazards
A fall hazard is anything at your worksite that could cause you to lose your balance or lose bodily support and result in a fall. Risk assessments are important in recognizing fall hazards because of how many factors can contribute to a fall. Some of these factors are:
- Lack of guardrails
- Support giving way
- Lack of fall protection
- Insufficient safety training
- Improper assembly and use of scaffolding
- Damaged, used, or worn out fall protection
- Insufficient pre-shift inspections of equipment
“Whether conducting a hazard assessment or developing a comprehensive fall protection plan, thinking about fall hazards before the work begins will help to manage fall hazards and focus attention on prevention efforts” (OSHA).
Employee Safety and Health
Employees are responsible for following every safety procedure and policy to help prevent falling from heights. Your employer can provide their employees with all of the necessary safety equipment and procedures they may need, but it is up to the employees to utilize these safety measures. A hard hat does nothing to protect someone unless they are wearing it.
Employees should regularly inspect and clean their fall protection and personal protective equipment. If they notice that the equipment is broken or worn down, they need to bring it to their employer’s attention to get replaced.
Another thing that employees can do to help prevent falls and injuries is to communicate with each other. If an employee notices a guardrail that is missing support, they need to alert other employees and their employer to the hazard. By alerting their fellow employees, they are advising them to avoid the hazard and be safe from it until it is fixed.
Report to Your Employers
Employers cannot always be physically available at the worksite. This means that sometimes employees will notice a fall hazard long before their employers will. Because of this, it is important for employees to communicate not only with each other but with their supervisors and employers. By letting an employer know of a hazard, they can use the information to fix the problem and eliminate the hazard.