Fall Protection Scaffolds

Scaffold Hazards

Fall Hazards

-Falls from scaffolds, during erection, using, or dismantling is the major hazard associated with scaffolds.

-No Safe Access

-No proper fall prevention or fall protection.

Areas or Activities Where Fall Protection is Needed:

•         Ramps, runways, and other walkways.

•         Excavations,

•         Hoist areas.

•         Form work and reinforcing steel.

•         Leading edge work, unprotected sides and edges.

•         Roofing works, pre-cast concrete erection

•         Residential construction and other walking/working surfaces.

Fall Protection Standard:

•         The rule sets a uniform threshold height of 6 feet (1.8 meters), thereby providing consistent protection.

•         Employer must assess the workplace to determine if the walking or working surfaces have the strength and structural integrity to safely support workers.

•         Select the proper fall protection system to protect exposed employees at 6 feet (1.8 m) or more.

•         Provide the proper training.

Fall Protection Systems:

1.     Guardrail Systems.

2.     Personal Fall Arrest Systems.

3.     Positioning Device Systems.

4.     Safety Monitoring Systems.

5.     Safety Net Systems.

6.     Warning Line Systems.

1-      Guardrail Systems:

•         The top edge height of toprails must be 42 inches (1.1 meters) plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm) above the walking/working level.

•         Screens, midrails, mesh, intermediate vertical members must be installed between the top edge of the guardrail system and walking/working surface (at least 21 inches (53 cm) high.

•         The guardrail system must be capable of withstanding a force of at least 200 pounds applied on the top from both directions, midrail shall be capable of withstanding a force of at least 150 pounds applied in any downwards or outward direction.

•         A toe-board with minimum 3.5 inches high should be installed all around the platform and should be capable of withstanding a force of at least 50 pounds.

•         Guardrail systems shall be surfaced to protect workers from punctures or lacerations and to prevent clothing from snagging.

•         Distance Between Vertical Posts should not be more than 2.8 Ft.

•         If no midrail is installed the distance between the vertical posts should not be more than 19 inches.

2-      Personal Fall Arrest Systems:

•         These consist of an anchorage, connectors, and body belt or body harness. It must do the following:

1.     Limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 900 pounds when used with a body belt.

2.     Limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 1800 pounds when used with a body harness.

3.     Be rigged so that an employee can neither free fall more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) nor contact any lower level.

4.     Bring an employee to a complete stop and limit maximum decelarion distance an employee travels to 3.5 feet (1.07 m). (shock absorber)

5.     To keep at least 3 feet clearnance from the ground.

    6.   Have sufficient strength to withstand twice the potential impact energy of an employee free falling a distance 6 feet or the free fall distance permitted by the system, whichever is less.

    7.   The use of body belts for fall arrest is prohibited (1/1/1998) and a full body harness is required.

      8. The anchoring point must withstand a force not less than 5000 pounds.

Common Pieces of Equipment

Use of Body Belts

    Effective January 1, 1998, body belts are prohibited as a fall arrest device.

    Body belts can still be used as a positioning device.

Fall Clearance (not a sale)

3-      Positioning Device Systems:

•         Body belt or harness are to be set up that a worker can free fall no farther than 2 feet.

•         Secured to an anchorage capable of supporting 3000 pounds.

4-      Safety Monitoring Systems:

•         Used when no other alternative fall protection has been implemented.

•         Competent person to monitor the safety of workers.

•         The employer shall ensure that the safety monitor is competent in the recognition of fall hazards.

•         Is capable of warning workers of fall hazard dangers and in detecting unsafe work practices.

•         Is closed enough to work operations to communicate orally with workers and has no other duties to distract from the monitoring function.

5-      Safety Net Systems:

•         Safety nets must be installed as close as practicable under the walking/working surface and never more than 30 feet (9.1 m) below such levels.

•         Installed with sufficient clearance underneath to prevent contact with the surface or structure below.

•         The maximum size of each safety net mesh opening shall not exceed 36 square inches nor be longer than 6 inches (15 cm) on any side.

•         Each Safety net or section shall have a border rope for webbing with a minimum breaking strength of 5000 pounds.

•         Safety nets must extend outward from the outermost projection of the work surface.

•         Safety nets shall be inspected at least once a week for wear, damage, and other deterioration.

•         Safety nets shall be capable of absorbing an impact force of drop test consisting of a 400-pound (180 kilograms) bag of sand 30 inches (76 cm) in diameter dropped from the highest walking/working surface at which workers are exposed, but not less than 42 inches (1.1 m) above the level.

•         Items that have fallen into safety nets including – but not restricted to, materials, scrap, equipment, and tools – must be removed as soon as possible and at least before the next work shift.

6-      Warning Line Systems:

•         Consists of ropes, wires, or chains, and supporting stanchions and are set up as follows:

1.     Flagged at not more than 6 foot intervals with high visibility materials.

2.     Rigged and supported so that the lowest point including sag is no less than 34 inches (0.9 meters) from the walking/working surface and its highest point is no more than 39 inches (1 m) from the walking/working surface.

3.     Shall be erected around all sides of roof work areas.

4.     Warning lines shall be erected around all sides of roof work areas.

5.     When mechanical equipment is being used, the warning line shall be erected not less than 6 feet (1.8 m) from the roof edge parallel to the direction of mechanical equipment operation, and not less than 10 feet (3 m) from the roof edge perpendicular to the direction of mechanical equipment operation.

6.     When mechanical equipment is not being used, the warning line must be erected not less than 6 feet (1.8 m) from the roof edge.