RISKVUE ARCHIVE | FEATURE STORIES

Falls: A Portrait of a Major, Life-Threatening Hazard

By Laurence D. Edelman, CSP, CPCU

Today's newspaper featured a report and four-column photograph of the demolition of a local landmark restaurant recently ravaged by fire. In the photo's foreground was a demolition worker in hard hat and orange safety vest, perched on the edge of the roof with his back to the ground, pulling and lifting a four-by-eight foot plywood plank torn from the roof.

But this photo was more than just a record of the devastation caused by fire, it was a disturbing portrait of a job site rife with life-threatening hazards and OSHA violations.

Considering the camera's point of view, we can assume the photographer was on the damaged roof with the demolition worker. The relative size of workers on the ground helped us estimate a distance of more than 30 feet from the roof to the ground. Although the rooftop worker was wearing the appropriate hard hat and vest (for visibility when working near motorized equipment on the ground), there was no evidence of any restraint, fall protection, or any other personal protective equipment. And, given the tacit approval of the foreman obviously directing this activity from the ground, we can assume that this company's safety program did not include specific, job-related personal protective equipment including, in this case, gloves and fall protection.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) mandates specific rules for personal protective equipment, and this newspaper photograph brings into focus a serious violation of those rules. Fall protection must be provided when working at a height of four feet or more for general industry, five feet in maritime work, and six feet in construction. However, regardless of the fall distance, fall protection must be provided while working over dangerous equipment and machinery (see www.NationalSafetyCouncil.com and www.OSHA.gov).

According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of Statistics, eight percent of all occupational deaths from trauma are caused by falls, and the majority of falls are from ladders and roofs. These fatality statistics alone do not tell the story; those who survive falls often live with crippling, catastrophic injuries that are very costly.

In our safety consulting practice, we observe many construction companies that implement excellent safety training programs, but we all too often see the same type of safety lapse and lack of safety best practices as evidenced in the newspaper photo.

Safety training and safety best practices are essential tools in eliminating and mitigating falls in the workplace, as are equipment systems, such as guard-rail systems, safety-net systems, and personal fall protection equipment (fall-arrest systems, positioning systems, and travel restraint systems).

Project owners and contractors must carefully assess specific job site hazards, prepare appropriate safety equipment (including fit-testing of the equipment), and train workers specific to the project prior to the actual work on the project. The designated manager, foreman, or worker in charge of safety must be knowledgeable and familiar with all exposures and conduct this OSHA-required training. The safety trainer should be familiar with the OSHA standards that apply to the project, be able to identify hazards, and possess a level of experience to deal with them safely.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laurence D. Edelman, CPCU, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), is a senior safety consultant with Warren, McVeigh & Griffin, Inc., specializing in safety and loss-prevention issues. Larry is highly experienced in developing and auditing written safety loss-prevention and crisis management programs, OSHA-compliance inspections and training, and regulatory liaison. His assignments have included safety program auditing; creating safety, environmental, and HAZMAT programs; employee training; program implementation; and a wide range of specialized safety and loss-prevention assignments. Larry can be reached at 949-752-1058.

riskVue | The webzine for risk management professionals
January 2008