Fall Protection Forum
Recent Posts
August 3, 2012
Basic Carabiner Use and Safety
Carabiners are an integral part of a comprehensive fall protection system. They are built to withstand extreme forces, and are light so as to add minimal weight to a worker’s gear. Different tasks require different kinds of carabiners. The variables that typically distinguish styles include shape, gate type, strength, weight,…
June 15, 2012
Guardrails: Getting a Grip on Fall Protection
We’ve all heard Occam’s razor: all other factors being equal, the simplest solution is most often the best. When it comes to fall protection, many workplace fall hazards can be eliminated or minimized using a rather obvious solution—the guardrail. Although hardly glamorous and rarely high-tech, guardrails are often the difference…
June 8, 2012
The Dangers of Body Belts
The heyday of American skyscraper construction saw the birth of structures that had until that point existed only as engineer’s drawings or in the pages of science fiction novels. With the rapid increase in high-rise construction, however, came a substantial increase in the risk for fall-related injuries and deaths. The…
April 16, 2012
Fall Arrest Systems: Rope Grabs vs. Self-Retracting Lifelines
Choosing the most appropriate fall arrest system can be a challenge. Both “rope grab” and “self-retracting lanyard” (or lifeline) (SRL) systems comply with OSHA requirements and can stop a fall in progress. Here, we’ll take a brief look at each and weigh their respective advantages and limitations. For accuracy and…
April 9, 2012
Proper Cleaning of Your Safety Harness
This blog was originally posted on 4/9/2012 and updated on 4/17/2024. Inspection…
February 24, 2012
Fall Protection For Lift Trucks and Elevated Platforms
Fall protection standards were the second most commonly cited OSHA standards noted by inspectors of industrial and construction sites in 2011. Those fines also came with the highest financial penalty of all OSHA standards (Source: http://www.coxcolvin.com/OSHA_Violations_2011.php). The high frequency of fall protection standards violations could be linked to the fact…
February 3, 2012
How Do You Manage the Inspection of Your Fall Protection Equipment
No fall protection program is complete without a practical system for tracking the inspection, maintenance, retirement, and replacement of fall protection equipment. Because fall protection gear provides a life-saving function and is subject to the stresses and fatigue of use, it must be inspected regularly. The way in which you…
January 13, 2012
The Top 5 Industries Where Most Falls Occur
Detailed data on falls in the workplace are maintained and analyzed by several organizations, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Because there are so many ways to group and analyze workplace injuries…
January 6, 2012
State OSHA Programs, Establishment and Advantages
Almost everyone has heard of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970, but what you may not know is that Section 18 of the Act encourages states to develop their own programs to promote safety in the workplace. State plans must be approved and monitored by OSHA at…
November 18, 2011
I Want The Letters CSP Behind My Name
Achieving a standard of expertise in a profession often means meeting the rigorous standards of certification by an independent board. Just as the Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) can earn such a designation, so can professionals in the field of safety. The Certified Safety Professional (CSP)…
November 10, 2011
What is ANSI, and How Does it Affect Fall Protection?
The American National Standards Institute, or ANSI, is an independent, non-profit agency that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for various industries. The agency works to ensure consistency and safety, as well as to assure worldwide acceptance of common standards, applicability, and terminology. ANSI also accredits standards developed by…