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Arrest falls with fall protection Fall protection equipment is more comfortable, affordable and safety than ever before. But it has to be worn, and worn correctly, for it to do its job. by Kay Falk The construction industry employs five percent of the U.S. work force, yet it accounts for almost 50 percent of the fall fatalities across all industries. For construction alone, a third of all fatalities are the result of falls. The percentage of injuries from falls is even higher. What’s a contractor to do to protect a crew that has to work 6' above the ground or the next lowest level? Prevent falls before they can occur is the simple answer. Doing so starts with understanding and training. The first step is to understand the OSHA requirements; the second step is to provide training for workers and make one individual on the jobsite the “competent person,” whose duty is to train the crew in daily checking and proper use of fall protection equipment. He or she is also responsible to maintain equipment. “Training is critical and required by OSHA,” says Craig Firl, senior product marketing manager at DBI/SALA and Protecta. “Employers must assure that an employee is trained, as necessary, by a competent person. Several training programs are available. Classes can be at a neutral site or on the jobsite and can be as short as a few hours or as long as five days.” The best training combines hands-on and classroom instruction. This training usually covers proper equipment selection, equipment use and donning, maintenance and inspection, anchorage points, connecting means and rescue systems. “Specialty courses address specific applications such as fall protection system engineering and competent person training,” he adds. Ron Cox, vice president of global strategic marketing for fall protection at Bacou-Dalloz, says, “Industry professionals identify a lack of instructions — in the appropriate language — as a key reason fall protection equipment is misused or not used at all. It’s important to translate English instructions and provide training in the appropriate language.” Jason B. White, manager of engineering and development at Elk River, adds, “The training must be recorded and those records maintained consistently over time.” A
user-friendly emphasis “There have been a variety of new developments in the past 24 months,” White says. “Harnesses that truly integrate a shock absorber and other creature comforts are making their way to the market. These enhancements create greater worker acceptance of the products while maintaining the safety and integrity of the system.” “Most of the new fallprotection systems are more user-friendly,” Firl agrees. “The systems and components are easier to don and wear because they’re lighter, more compact and more comfortable. New systems are also designed to provide more freedom of movement.” “For example, DBI/SALA’s Exofit XP harness has a comfort pad system that is removable for laundering and allows the user to work all day without binding or strap chafing,” Firl says. “If a harness is more comfortable, we find compliance is much easier. That’s why we constantly update our harnesses with comfort in mind. For example, we developed the DuraFlex Python Ultra Harness Series, which combines wrap-around comfort with a cushioned tubular interwoven webbing and stretchable DuraFlex webbing design,” says Tracy Lang, senior product manager at Miller Fall Protection. Harness designs have also been updated, Firl says. “Besides the extra comfort and padding, the buckles on harnesses are easier to operate and adjust than earlier designs. Our design now has a quick-disconnect buckle similar to a seat belt buckle, but with added security, and it’s smaller.” Lang concurs that buckle design is changing and points to Miller’s new quick-connect buckles as an example. “These buckles, located on the chest and leg straps, team with a comfort-touch back D-ring pad. “The webbing is also protected with an invisible Teflon HT finish that extends harness life up to 25 percent and provides superior water/oil repellency and protection against grease, dirt and grime,” he says. Clothing
adds harness comfort “Our division was approached by numerous contractors and distributors requesting rainwear to keep fall arrest users and their fall arrest gear dry in foul weather,” says Paul Aiken, national sales manager, Helly Hansen WorkWear division. That company’s answer was to create a hoodless jacket with a unique double flap on the back. “This allows the D-ring and lanyard to hang freely from the back without allowing water in the slot,” Aiken explains. “It’s made of a .35-mm PVC-on-polyester A-Series fabric with a corduroy-lined collar for comfort. We also offer a detachable hood.” On the
mechanical side “They also are more economical,” Firl says. “They have features that make the cost of ownership lower. One example is that self-retracting lifelines now have no requirement for factory recertification on a regular schedule. DBI/SALA and Protecta retractable lifelines, for example, can be used indefinitely, as long as the unit is inspected at least annually by the user. Self-retracting units also have automatic impact indicators that help the user determine what condition the item is in.” “Innovative fall protection designs are continuously in the works. For instance, we recently developed a fall limiter which is a cost-effective alternative to shock-absorbing lanyards. It offers the option of dual-operation — either as a fall limiter or as a traditional retractable lanyard. It’s light and provides greater working capacity than traditional lanyards (9' vs. 6' ). It also requires less fall clearance,” says Hugh Smith, Miller Fall Protection senior product manager. Companies put their equipment through rigorous tests during product development. “Our new line of Falcon Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRLs) exceeded a series of extreme performance tests that included being run over by a utility van, dropped from 20' and hit with a hammer,” Smith says. Marc Harkins, product line specialist at MSA, agrees about innovation on the mechanical side of fall protection. “For example, our Aptura LT12 self-retracting lanyard has a lightweight design that starts at just 2.4 lbs. It has a standard line length of 12' and a 400 lb. working capacity. No annual recertification is required and in the event the line gets damaged, a field-replaceable lifeline option is available. This eliminates costly returns to the manufacturer,” he says. MSA offers another product, a tie-back lanyard that uses a carabiner which has the minimum strength of 5,000 lbs. in any direction, including the gate. “This added strength allows the carabiner to be tied back directly to the lanyard,” he explains. “The unique carabiner body shape helps avoid confusion with standard connectors not designed for tie-back applications.” Selection
tips “At a minimum, make sure the product complies with all applicable OSHA and ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards,” Firl says. “Also, most workers are best served by employers who approved a system with only enough features needed for that particular type of work. A fall protection system with too many extras will often confuse the user and cause possible misuse, resulting in unsafe operation.” MSA’s
Harkins recommends the competent person and the contractor answer
these questions before selecting a personal fall arrest system for
workers: White makes an important final safety point: “Inspection should be done daily by the user and at a minimum of every six months by the competent person,” he says. “If users are not comfortable with a product based on their inspection or knowledge of the product, they shouldn’t use it. It is their life on the line,” White concludes.
Published in the May 2004 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine. |
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