Fall Protection

I've been following this thread and I would like to add the following:

Ryan - Regardless of the responses to your original question, whatever you chose to purchase needs to meet US OSHA requirements. (I'm assuming that you are an employee, rather than a student.) Check out the OSHA website (www.osha.gov) (search under fall arrest, and fall protection) and look at the various regulations.

Read the "Fall Arrest" information from OSHA – I believe that proper training is required. The OSHA website has numerous publications that distill the regulations. Read those, if you don't have time to work through the regs.



In discussions on safety, a good starting point is US OSHA regulations. 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry) and 29 CFR 1926 (Construction). Many States have regulations that augment these regulations. The US OSHA web site, www.osha.gov is well organized and very useful for getting information. And one other provision – OSHA can only be enforced on private employees. Students and volunteers are on their own. US federal workers have a separate set of regulations, and many states have legislated that government employees in those states are covered under the State OSHA regulations.

OSHA has specific definitions. "Fall protection" includes rails and barriers and fall arrest systems. "Fall arrest systems" are very specific and includes a number of mechanical systems that stop a person who has fallen before they hit the ground. "Fall restraint" is not "fall arrest" and consists of a very short cord to prevent the fall from starting. "Ladder safety devices" that are used on fixed ladders are not the same as "fall arrest" systems (a cage can be used instead of a ladder safety device on a tall fixed ladder). There are separate regulations for the proper use of Portable Ladders, none of which include "fall protection" requirements.

A premise of many OSHA regulations is that the worker must work in a safe manner. This includes setting up portable ladders correctly, positioning and setting up Genie-type lifts correctly, setting stabilizers, not over-reaching from ladders and railings, etc. This also includes climbing down the ladder, and moving it over 1 foot, if that’s what it takes to keep from over-reaching.

US OSHA has established that a scissors lift, such as a Genie, is intended to be covered under Scaffolding rules. If the lift has railings that conform to OSHA, then fall arrest and fall restraint are not required. (There are some confusing particulars in the OSHA aerial lift regulations.) See:

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=22611

[Simon – since you use scaffolding, you should check out the OSHA rules for it at the OSHA website. Just search on scaffolding.]


Joe
 
My dad is actually a safety coordinator so I have an easy source there, and osha is on my IE favorites list, too.
 

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