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Falls consistently represent the number one cause of construction worker fatalities in the United States. While there are many causes of fall incidents and several prevention strategies, this article will focus predominantly on Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS).
The civil engineers at Robson Forensic have investigated hundreds of construction fall injuries over the years; the misuse, lack of use, or use of inadequate fall arrest equipment are common themes in many of these investigations.
Since its inception in the early 1970s, 29 CFR 1926 OSHA Construction Industry Regulations have generally required workers to be protected from falling at heights at or above 6 feet. This protection is accomplished on most construction projects through a combination of:
Our construction safety experts regularly investigate incidents involving all of these safety systems, but this article will focus predominantly on personal fall arrest systems. This article will describe the typical components of a personal fall arrest system, when fall arrest systems are required, and highlight some common themes from casework where fall arrest systems have failed to provide adequate protection.
Anatomy of a Personal Fall Arrest System
A Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS) should be viewed as a system comprised of 3 key components. Each of these must be in-place and properly used in order to provide maximum protection for the worker. The 3 components are: Full Body Harness, Connecting Devices, and Anchorage. The employer must know the types of PFAS available and decide which is most suitable for their workplace. OSHA requires that these decisions be made by a Qualified and/or Competent Person.
Fall Protection Requirements
As previously noted, OSHA Construction Industry Regulations generally require workers to be protected from falling at heights at or above 6 feet. These requirements do vary within the construction industry depending on the nature of the work being performed. For instance, workers on scaffolds may not require protection until they are over 10 feet in height; steel erectors may not require protection until they are over 15 feet in height; and some workers on who are engaged in other specialized tasks related to steel erection may not require protection until they are more than two stories or 30 feet above a lower surface.
In any of the situations where OSHA requires workers to be protected from falling, it also requires workers to wear a full-body harness as part of their Personal Fall Arrest System. This regulation is also applicable to anyone working in a bucket truck or aerial lift.
Personal Fall Arrest System Failures
Personal Fall Arrest Systems are reliable safety devices when used properly, however our construction safety experts have investigated many fatalities and catastrophic injuries involving instances of non-use, misuse, and failed equipment. Proper explanation of each of these points could require pages of explanation, so please submit an inquiry if you have any questions on these or other construction injury scenarios.
The Construction Safety experts at Robson Forensic have worked at every level within the industry, from bricklayer on residential projects to project manager on multi-prime worksites. Our experts have done the work central to your case and can testify regarding the hazards, risks, and responsibilities in the construction industry.
Submit an inquiry or contact the author of this article to discuss your case with an expert.
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