Making Fall Protection work at your site J. Nigel Ellis Ph.D., CSP, P.E., CPE www.fallsafe.com www.fall.com 1.800.372.7775 ASSE PDC 6 29 09 San Antonio TX
Most Fatal Falls Portable Ladders Roofs Scaffolds Temporary Guardrails 60% + Explaining the rules and new standards better to employees yours and your contractors might help
Portable Ladder Usage Slope 4 in 12 Slope 8 in 12 Legal set-up in stds 3.5 ft 12 4 Common Practice Trades- 6-24 20 42 12 8 16 ft 4 4 1 OSHA/ANSI A14 compliant, CoG works around ladder Dialogue with more detail? 1 Higher roof pitch makes it harder to stand unless going over the ladder
Roof Hole at Construction site Washington DC 10 story building roof WaterProofer Torchdown work No Fire! instruction Fell through roof hatch opening: 25 ft fall Under Front Side
Temporary Covers over holes Cover thickness ¾ min. plywood Concrete Static & Dynamic Force F (human and/or vehicle impact) * Joist Roof or floor openings for HVAC, plumbing, chutes etc. d F #1 #2 And Noise / dust barrier? One piece Plywood up to 4 ft dimension. If >4ft then 2x4 s and nailed plywood up to? d min 2 OSHA 1926.500 d >3, <12 Leg breaker d >12 body fall through Proposed impact test: Skylight: 267 lbs 95%ile w/conical lead wt bag 30 fall height proposed Bobcat must be crawler Round or square floor hole Marking clarity: DANGER! Hole Cover Covers are usually trip hazards* Walk-in Danger: Demo a loose liftable cover
Guardrail Second floor guardrail collapsed Kneeling worker had used rail to stand up Top Rail fell to ground And he also fell. Door Wall Opening
Friction fit Job-Built Guardrails 9 ft yes or no*? Alt. Jack? (ISA) Original Toenailed Final Toe? Double-headed nails at first *Who measures 200 lbs outward/down ward? 2 nd floor? Wedge Screws? Boot? Socket with 4 bolts U U U Inspection details?
Fatal Scaffold Cases: #1 #2 Exit by climbing over railing No fall protection descending corner ladder Meets OSHA/ANSI requirements South Texas - swing gate North Texas - no swing gate Why no progress? Ladder fell w/worker
Stock answers may not be the whole answer: Can you spot failure modes? FMEA How will people behave w/a set-up? Effect of Cones? Caution Tape? Portable ladders? Common Usage Ask: Can you eliminate as first choice? Can you dialogue (train) better? Can you make time to observe the work? Will you inspect and stop the work?
Case History Inspector of mobile crane at nuclear plant Use of front ladder 12 high handle Injured in fall to ground Flexible Step
Case History Ironworker fatality Cheater cable for steel erection connecting to beams 10 ft Cheater New lanyard Lanyard allegedly took fall Conclusion: Cheater not attached
Fall Identification and Engineering the s Out Substitution:use aerial lifts not cooning Sequence change to reduce the hazard Work from Ground with hi-reach tools Lower the work area e.g. area lights Tight controls at the Project Manager level Elimination is key
A Tool to recognize all Worksite s Redundancy Recognized Eliminate Guard Factor / List List List List Sol n Sol n Sol n Sol n Solutions Natural Structural/ Mechanical Electrical Chemical RadiantEnergy Relia bility Admin Biological Artificial Intelligence David MacCollum: Construction Engineering Principles, 2007
Matrix Recognition Tools Left column: All known spec. hazards by category eg Structural/Mechanical: Collapse; Artificial Intelligence is computer software reliability and wiring Horizontal Row: Means of control of hazard Means of control of hazard: Eliminate: : By work sequence or re-design out exposure Guard: : Prevent with barrier or travel limit Factor: : Increasing cable diameter Redundancy: : Two means of protection Reliability: : Cycles to failure; conditions: Plan
Natural Example: Gravity: : Specific known/observed hazard is falling from a trailer while tarping.. Reduce incidence by installing lifeline system comprising horizontal system per OSHA, Z359, CSA and EN Water: Wind: Lightening:
Case History: Fall from Trailer at Pipe Shipper Truck Trailer flatbed driver fall while tarping Who has control? Shipper re BOL Shipper has Control Note: Receivers have no duty Fed Court LA 5/09
Shipper Shipper Tarping Tarping Matrix Matrix Computer Computer Systems Systems Biological Biological RadiantEne RadiantEne rgy rgy Chemical Chemical Electrical Electrical Rules Rules video video Sev Sev. Sizes Sizes avail. avail. Harnes Harnes s small s small New New sling sling Worne Worne sling sling Stay Stay in in cab cab Fall of Fall of bundle bundle Jem Jem- Latch Latch tool tool Sling Sling release release Structural/ Structural/ Mechanical Mechanical Plan Plan HF HF Net Net Edge Edge Block Block gap gap Trip Trip Barrier Barrier railing, railing, PFAS PFAS Fall Fall Spreader Spreader to lift tarp to lift tarp Tarping Tarping Gravity Gravity Reli Reli abil abil ity ity Redundancy Redundancy Factor Factor Guard Guard Eliminate Eliminate Recognized Recognized Solutions Solutions
Gravity Matrix Access to trailer flatbed: re-design suitable ladder/steps eg www.andersonladder.com Flatbed to load: eliminate stepping using spreader bar system www.carbis.com Flatbed to load: guard with horizontal rail system (SPANCO) Factor increased: blocks 10 triangle shapes Redundancy: Balance level Balance and Fall Arrest at ground Reliability: Slipperiness of area reduced esp. wet
Tarping Fall Protection Inside building Overhead rail shown Out of Weather Shipper of Pipe Overhead rail and harness system Driver fell from top Foot caught No fall protection Proposed Solution:
Shipper s responsibility in Tarping Process for Driver s Two Bay System Outdoors Shipper mandates tarp; holds BOL
Case History Untarping at Receiver Truck Trailer flatbed driver fall while untarping at construction site Who has control? #1 Pull each tarp off #2 Receiver fork lift cage if tarp sticks On-board fall protection in trials On-board Fall Protection Tarping/Untarping mode Pre-tarping
Window Cleaner Foreman Fatality Track System, one anchor 1 Federal Government Facility new! Window cleaners trained for descent device use Always to use independent lifeline Ends up with both lines attached to sole anchor Slider pulls out of track OSHA citation dropped 3 2 4 Independent inspection not just warranty
Before, During and After the Fall Before the Fall: : Authorized Worker Application training; Pre-plan per Z359 anchors including for rescues; Independent inspection of new systems. Watch. During the Fall: : proper means of fall protection; two methods if feasible; include contractors After the Fall: : Proper investigation into cause; we must improve; we must learn; we must prevent; overcome the silence that follows incidents We in this audience are the Professionals whose function is to Find s & Controls, Communicate those Controls, and Follow Up
ANSI Z359.2 Managed Fall Protection Program Written Policies, Surveys and Job Duties Fall Protection Procedures and Training Recognizing, Eliminating and Controlling Fall s Rescue Procedures and Training Incident Investigation rigor Evaluating Program Effectiveness (Pr. Adm.)
Your Fall Protection Program can work at your site! Questions? J. Nigel Ellis: efss@fall.com