MODULE 1: FALLING - TRUTHS AND CONSEQUENCES

Why do we need protection from falling? We need protection because even those of us with experience working at heights can lose our balance or grip; we can slip, trip, or misstep at any time. We may think that our reflexes will protect us, but we're falling before we know it, and we don't have to fall far to be seriously injured. We've been falling since Day One. Until we get better at landing, we'll need protection from falling. And, as the photo to the right illustrates, some workers just don't understand fall hazards. Consequently they do things at work and home that defy good sense. Hopefully, some of the information in this course will help prevent workers from doing things like this.

Source: MSHA

How do construction workers fall?

Did you know that falls from ladders, roofs, and scaffolds account for more than half of all disabling falls to lower levels. Disabling falls from ladders, roofs, and scaffolds are most frequent within the construction trades.

What is the cause of such falls? Loss of balance caused by slipping, tripping, and shifting or unstable ladders.

Below is a list prioritized list showing the types of falls that cause the most injuries. As you can see, most fall injuries are caused by falls from ladders.

1. Falls from ladders
2. Falls to lower level, unspecified
3. Falls from roofs
4. From scaffolds or staging
5. Falls from non-moving vehicles
6. Falls from floors, docks, or ground level
7. Falls down stairs
8. Falls from girders or structural steel
9. Falls from piled or stacked material

How should we protect ourselves from falling?

For many in the construction industry, fall-protection equipment is the first thing that comes to mind: personal fall-arrest systems, safety nets, or guardrails, for example. But fall protection means more than equipment. Fall protection is what you do to eliminate fall hazards, to prevent falls, and to ensure that workers who may fall aren't injured.

You accomplish fall protection by doing the following:

• Make fall protection part of your workplace safety and health program.
• Identify and evaluate fall hazards.
• Eliminate fall hazards, if possible.
• Train workers to recognize fall hazards.
• Use appropriate equipment to prevent falls and to protect workers if they do fall.
• Inspect and maintain fall-protection equipment before and after using it.
• Become familiar with OSHA and company fall-protection rules.

What is your fall-protection role?

Everyone in the workplace has a role to play in preventing falls.

• Employers. Identify fall hazards at the site. Eliminate the hazards, prevent falls from occurring, or ensure that if falls occur, employees aren't injured. Make sure that employees follow safe practices, use fall protection equipment properly, and are trained to recognize fall hazards.
• Employees. Follow safe work practices, use equipment properly, and participate in training. Learn to recognize unsafe practices, know the tasks that increase the risk of falling, and understand how to control exposure to fall hazards.
• Architects and engineers. Educate employers about hazards that could expose workers to falls during each phase of the project. When designing buildings and structures, consider fall protection and other safety needs of those who will do the construction work.
• Building owners and managers. Ensure that those who do exterior construction or maintenance work know how to protect themselves from falls, are aware of installed anchorages, and know how to use their fall-protection equipment.
• Equipment manufacturers. Ensure that fall-protection equipment meets federal OSHA and ANSI safety requirements and protects workers when they use it properly. Warn workers through instruction manuals and on equipment labels about the danger of using equipment improperly.
• Lawyers. Review your client's construction bids to ensure that they comply with OSHA requirements. The documents should clearly state the client's responsibilities for protecting workers from falls and for identifying and controlling hazards that cause falls.

Real-world falls Cost estimator falls through skylight opening On a Friday in June, an estimator arrived at a remodel job to look at a cedar-shake roof and estimate the cost of an addition that a construction crew was building. He spoke to the supervisor at the site and climbed to the roof through an open skylight, using a metal extension ladder. However, he was unaware that the contractor had used a sheet of thin insulating material to cover three 2-by-6-foot skylight openings in the roof (it had rained the day before). He stepped onto the insulating material, fell through one of the skylights, and landed on his back, 15 feet below. The supervisor and two subcontractors heard the estimator fall and rushed to the accident. One of the subcontractors used his cell phone to call emergency medical services. EMTs arrived about five minutes later, stabilized the victim and took him to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for spinal injuries. Findings: The employer failed to properly cover the skylight openings on the roof or warn workers about the hazard.

Take the review Quiz Most (but not all) questions on the final exam are derived from module quizzes.