WRITTEN FALL PROTECTION PLANS
Construction presents many unique situations. Conventional fall protection measures may not work, or may actually present additional dangers to construction workers in unique circumstances. In such cases, contractors engaged in leading edge work, pre-cast concrete construction, or residential construction can develop written Fall Protection Plans that show variance from the standards. Requirements of the plan:
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The plan must be prepared by a qualified person and developed specifically for the site where the work is being performed. This written plan must be kept up to date and be located at the site where the work is to be performed. The implementation of the plan must be under the Supervision of a qualified individual.
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The plan must explain in detail why conventional fall prevention systems cannot be used or why their use would create a greater hazard. Keep in mind that "not possible" means not feasible, rather than not financially possible from the contractor's point of view.
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Safety measures must be described in detail, listing what steps will be taken to reduce or eliminate the fall hazard. This part of the plan must specifically identify each location where conventional fall protection measures cannot be used and classify these locations as Controlled Access Zones.
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Include a procedure for investigating serious incidents, such as a fall or near miss. The purpose of this is for identification and correction of deficient procedures.
FALL PROTECTION TRAINING
All the precautions described above will not be successful if your people
do not recognize fall dangers, do not know how to use the equipment,
and/or do not understand your Fall Protection Plan. Employee training
must include:
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Discussion of specific fall hazards in the work area;
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Correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, wearing and inspecting the fall protection system in use;
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The employees' role in fall protection plans;
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The role of each employee in the safety monitoring system, if this system is being used.
DIFFERENT RULES MAY APPLY IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS
In the shipyard industry, fall protection is required at 5 feet. In
longshoring, the criteria is 8 feet. Rules also vary for residential
construction and steel erection. In some states, fall protection plans
must be submitted for all fall exposures over 10 feet. Unfortunately,
all these situations could not be covered in this article, which has
been limited to a review of OSHA's new Construction Fall Protection
Standard. We hope this update will be helpful, however. For additional
information, refer to the appropriate industry codes and regulations.
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