Elements of a Fall Protection Program

When workers need to perform tasks at elevation, most safety managers will evaluate the nature of the heights and establish whether or not their employees will need to use some sort of fall protection system. OSHA 1910 requires fall protection in general industry for people who are working at heights of 4 feet or higher. OSHA 1926 requires fall protection in the construction industry for people who are working at heights of 6 feet or higher. If employees are working at those heights and need to use fall protection equipment, it’s important that safety managers develop a fully comprehensive fall protection plan.

Fall protection plans consist of several different parts that add up to a complete procedural program. ANSI Z359.0-2012 (section 2.69) defines a Fall Protection Procedure as, “A written series of logical steps that describes in detail the specific practices, equipment, and methods to be used to protect authorized persons from falling when exposed to fall hazards.”

Fall protection system planning should follow the following steps:

1. Worksite Hazard Analysis
2. System Selection
3. System Installation
4. System Inspection
5. Rescue Planning
6. Fall Protection Training

Each step has a very specific role in the functionality of fall protection systems in the workplace. Skipping any step could reduce the overall success of providing effective fall protection for people who need to work at height. So, let’s explore the role of each step in the fall protection procedural planning process.

Worksite Hazard Analysis
This is where your journey into the wild world of fall protection planning begins! When people are working at height, it is the employer’s responsibility to provide some form of fall protection or prevention for their employees. Comprehensively, there are four areas that need to be considered during the hazard analysis: the physical structure of the work area, unique elements of the working environment, the needs of the workers who will be using the system, and how to rescue workers post fall arrest.

These are some of the most important questions you can ask during the worksite hazard analysis:

• What are the tasks that need to be performed at height?
• Can the need to access the height be eliminated?
• What is the size and nature of the work area that the fall protection system needs to cover?
• Would anything obstruct the installation of a fall protection system?
• How many workers need protection?
• Is the system needed inside or outside?
• Will the system be in a corrosive environment (Caustic chemicals, salt-spray, high heat from welding/arc flash, etc.)?
• How could a worker be rescued from the system post fall arrest?

For more information about conducting a worksite hazard analysis, please read this blog.

System Selection
Once the hazards of the workplace, the space that needs coverage, and the needs of the workers have been identified, a fall protection system can be selected. Having the information that is gathered from the hazard analysis will make it easier to find a fall protection system for the workspace. There are many different designs for fall protection systems which allow virtually any facility to be covered. The important thing is that you find a fall protection system that will protect workers from the hazards that are identified in the Worksite Hazard Analysis and that fits into the facility environment.

Installation
After conducting a hazard analysis and deciding which system will best protect workers from those hazards, the next step is to install the system. There are many contractors who are well-versed in the process of installing large fall protection systems. Although it’s important to find someone who knows what they are doing, installing a fall protection system is pretty straightforward. As long as the people who are installing the system do it correctly and follow the instructions, the system should be ready for regular use.

Inspection
Once the installation process is complete, you should have either a Competent or Qualified Person inspect the system. You need to make sure that the system is installed correctly before using it. Inspection is a good way to check that all of the equipment is where it is supposed to be and that each part is connected in the right spot. Although system inspections need to occur after any fall event and annually (and they are all important), the initial system inspection is critical because you must make sure your fall protection system is reliable.

Rescue Planning
If you didn’t identify a plan for rescuing a worker post fall arrest during the hazard analysis, you need to figure out that plan now. Rescue planning is the most commonly overlooked part of the fall protection procedure. We have several blogs that are dedicated to helping people develop a viable fall rescue solution; feel free to explore those blogs for more in-depth information. The goal is to find an efficient way to rescue a worker post fall arrest to avoid exposing the worker to the potential complications of suspension trauma.  This is also a good time to figure out if your employees will be performing the rescue or if you will call an external company. If you decide to keep the rescue internal, you will need to identify (and possibly purchase) the equipment that will be needed to rescue your workers post fall event.

Training
The final step in the fall protection program is training your employees. Your workers will need to be taught how to use the equipment, how to inspect the equipment, how to care for the equipment, how to rescue a worker post fall arrest, and any other fall protection knowledge that may be applicable for your facility. Although it may sound cliché, knowledge is power. The more information your employees have about the dangers of working at height, the more they will take the system seriously and use it properly.

After all of these steps have been completed, there two things that will need to happen annually, bi-annually, or quarterly.  System/equipment inspections and fall protection refresher training will need to be regularly reviewed in order for your fall protection systems to be used effectively. After you lay the groundwork for having a proper fall protection program in the workplace, there is very minimal energy that will need to go into keeping people safer while working at elevation.

Until the next time, stay safe up there!