Difficulty navigating fall protection? You’re not alone.

As fall protection consultants, we live and breathe fall protection and various nuances the issue presents.  But, when we attend conferences, we come face-to-face with the reality that the numerous regulations, standards, equipment options, training sources and priorities are extremely difficult for safety professionals to navigate and balance.

At safety conferences this spring in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Hawaii, we have shared information, discussed challenges, debated issues, provided recommendations, and considered new ideas.  If you’re struggling with fall protection issues—believe me—you’re not alone.  We applaud all those we’ve talked to this spring who are fighting through the confusion to protect workers at heights.  We know it’s not an easy task, but it is vitally important to make sure workers go home to their families.

Even if you didn’t attend, you can still benefit from some of the presentations we gave at conferences in recent months.  You can review handouts online for our presentations at PacRim Safety & Health Conference and the Ohio Safety Congress.

Situational Awareness is Critical When Working at Heights

Being aware of your surroundings is always important.  But, we’ve all seen people with their eyes and ears focused on their phones, seemingly oblivious to the world around them.  Being aware of what is happening around you—or having situational awareness—helps ensure that you aren’t exposed to danger, and it keeps you mentally focused on the task at hand.  In military terms, this concept is referred to as “Keeping Your Head on a Swivel.”

Situational awareness is especially critical when working at heights.  Consider this scenario: a worker was asked to troubleshoot an air conditioning unit on top of a 12-foot-high facility.  The worker gathered up the tools he needed and gained access to the roof via the roof access hatch.  When the worker located the unit, it was only 3 feet from the edge of the roof.  During numerous phone and radio calls to troubleshoot the issue, the worker kept pacing back and forth around the unit. In a last-ditch effort to solve the problem, the worker called a friend who had extensive knowledge of this type of unit.

As the worker focused on the phone conversation, his situational awareness dropped.  He took two to three steps and fell off the roof, impacting the ground 12 feet below. Thankfully, the worker survived the fall, but he suffered numerous broken bones.

When working at heights, remember these important tips:

  • Always survey your surroundings to identify risks
  • Make mental notes about the area you are working in and what issues could occur 
  • Never work alone when working at heights. Always use the “buddy system.”

OSHA ENDORSES I2P2 PROGRAMS

Although it appears that OSHA will not finalize an I2P2 regulation in 2012, the organization is making efforts to promote injury and illness prevention programs.  While these programs are not mandated, OSHA is sharing the powerful results of these programs through a white paper.

We are encouraged by this focus on I2P2 programs, since we have also seen significant results when an organization takes a proactive approach to safety.  And, why wouldn’t an organization implement such a program—that results in fewer injuries, illnesses and fatalities, and improves compliance?  If you add those outcomes to financial benefits of reduced lost time and reduced premiums, it seems like a no-brainer.

Even though a regulation is not imminent, every organization should consider reviewing their existing state requirements for I2P2 programs. It’s also a good idea to explore current recommendations in OSHA’s guidelines and voluntary industry consensus standards.

LJB Announces Fall Protection Webinar Series

Based on the success of fall protection webinars LJB hosted in 2011, the firm has developed a bimonthly series to be held throughout 2012.  The remaining topics and schedule for the year are listed below.

We look forward to engaging with anyone who needs help reducing risk for workers at heights during the following scheduled sessions:

- March 22 and 27: Managed Fall Protection Programs (See recorded version

- May 24 and 29: Assessing fall protection anchor points

- July 26 and 31: Effective fall protection training

- September 18 and 25: Assessing existing fall protection systems

- November 15 and 20: Facility fall protection (roofs and window washing)

 You can also access recorded versions of the previous sessions in our fall protection webinar series, by clicking on our Slideshare portfolio.

Where in the World is Thom Kramer?

In the mid-1980s, many young people learned geography by tracking Carmen Sandiego as she solved mysteries around the world.  Lately, LJB staff members are getting a geography refresher course through my travels around the world.

It has become a standing joke around the office with coworkers asking, “Where in the world is Thom Kramer?” with the iconic Carmen Sandiego cadence.  In the past 6 months, I have traveled to Germany, Kuwait (twice), Bahrain, and 10 U.S. states—all in the name of educating people about fall protection.  In the next few months, I am traveling to Singapore and 10 U.S. states, including Hawaii. 

While the travel can be grueling at times, I find it very rewarding to learn from and about others in the safety profession. No matter where I go, people are always engaged and excited about learning more, since fall protection can be such a challenging issue. To make it simple, I focus on one key point:  use more engineering controls and less PPE equipment to protect your workers. 

My goal—and that of everyone in LJB’s safety division—is to improve safety for workers at heights.  Whether those workers are around the corner or around the world, the goal is the same.

Top Women in the Safety Profession Receive Recognition

Making a difference in your profession is something we all strive for, and recently 100 women were recognized for doing just that. I am thrilled to see the publication of 100 Women Making a Difference in the Safety, Health and Environmental Profession, a collaborative project from the American Society of Safety Engineers’ Women in Safety Engineering (WISE) group.  The book features more than 350 pages highlighting the contributions of female leaders in the safety profession.  It is amazing to see the talent, perseverance and diligence of so many dedicated women.  I am privileged to be named with these leaders in the industry. 

With more than 20 years of experience as a safety professional, I have seen firsthand the contributions made by many of these women, including Marjory Anderson (Architect of the Capitol), Alison Muth (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center) and Ellen Stewart (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).  I know that this recognition is well deserved.

In 2005, I was heavily involved in research LJB conducted about gender balance in the occupational health and safety industry.  The goal of that research was to develop ideas to improve gender balance in leadership positions and identify barriers to achieving that ideal.

My hope is that the progress and contributions made by the women in this book will help break barriers and encourage leadership by more women in future generations.  Young ladies interested in the safety profession will only need to read a few entries in the book to see the impact they can make on safety in the workplace.

ANSI Releases New Standard on Self-Retracting Devices

With the recent acceptance of the ANSI Z359.14 standard, safety professionals will soon have access to detailed guidance on the specification and use of self-retracting devices for fall protection.  The standard, which will be effective and available later this spring, includes information on self-retracting lanyards, self-retracting lanyards with integral rescue capability, and self-retracting lanyards with leading edge capability. 

The Z359.14 standard is the latest in ANSI’s transition from system-based standards to component-based standards.   Since this transition often leads to confusion in fall protection equipment purchases, we recently held a webinar to help safety professionals better understand how to plan equipment purchases during this time of transition.

At the end of 2011, another standard in the Z359 family was also published.  The ANSI Z359.7 standard, Qualification and Verification Testing of Fall Protection Products, is available as a free download from the American Society of Safety Engineers website.

 

Prevention Through Design standard puts safety first

When LJB first got into the fall protection business almost 20 years ago, we focused our efforts—and even our business name—around the concept of Safety by Design.  Specifically, we challenged organizations to incorporate safety early in the design of new structures and processes. 

We are excited to see that the American National Standards Institute has validated our efforts—and those of many other safety organizations—with the implementation of a Prevention Through Design (PtD) standard.  This week, the ANSI /ASSE Z590.3 standard became effective, essentially guiding organizations through the process of applying PtD concepts to minimize occupational risks.

We have seen our Safety by Design concept deliver impressive results for clients like Chevron, the Architect of the Capitol and General Motors.  I am confident that this Prevention through Design standard will make a significant impact on reducing risk for workers.

To learn more about how to apply this concept to your organization, LJB project manager, Craig Galecka P.E., C.S.P., will be co-presenting on Prevention Through Design at the ASSE 2012 conference in Denver on June 5.

Airbags for fall protection?

One of our colleagues was recently asked about the idea of using airbags for fall protection.  The question was framed with the idea that if stunt people use them in the movies, maybe they could be a solution for other professions.

The idea of using airbags for fall protection has not been directly addressed by OSHA regulations or ANSI standards.  While I can’t speak for their reasons not to address this concept, I have my own opinion of why this may not be a feasible solution for fall protection.  First, these personal airbags are designed for the person falling in a controlled manner.  Commonly, the person falling has some acrobatic or gymnastic training and a significant amount of practice in falling the “correct” way.  Unfortunately, workplace falls are typically not planned and there is rarely sufficient time to orient your body in the proper manner.  Falling onto an airbag in the wrong orientation (i.e., head first) could cause significant injury. 

I have recently contacted a manufacturer of these devices to find out about their use and limitations and how they could be arranged for a sample fall protection scenario.  While this technology may advance in the coming years, I think there are currently too many limitations to apply it to occupational fall protection.

GIVE YOUR OPINION ON THE NEXT LJB FALL PROTECTION WEBINAR

Earlier this year, we opened a poll to allow readers to vote on the next LJB fall protection webinar.  We had great response and hosted two webinars based on your feedback:  Addressing Unexpected Fall Protection Needs and Fall Protection Rescue Plans.

Now you have a chance to provide your opinion again.  Please vote for the topic that you would most like to see as an upcoming LJB fall protection webinar.