OSHA Fall Prevention Requirements

Falls are the main cause of worker fatalities in the construction industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). To prevent falls and any ensuing injuries, OSHA requires employers to provide workers with proper safety equipment and equipment use training.

Controlled access

• Controlled access areas on a construction site, areas only open to authorized workers, require specialized safety procedures. For instance, a brick-laying operation cannot support guardrails or other fall-prevention devices. Appropriate safety measures for these types of sites require marking off the area with a control line of rope and including wires with brightly colored flags every 6 feet or highly visible tape.

Excavations

• Excavations include ditches and trenches created at a construction site. All employees working near an excavation 6 feet or deeper must be protected by a barricade. Barricades can be a guardrail, a fence, or even a cover placed across the trench to protect anyone working nearby.

Fall-protection systems

• When an excavation crosses a roadway, the trench must be covered to allow vehicular or pedestrian traffic to cross. Required to support at least twice the total weight of any passing vehicle, these covers must be plainly marked and secured to the ground.

Personal fall prevention

• Safety systems to prevent falls consists of several devices. Depending on the task, the simplest device is a guardrail around a work area. If guardrails are impractical, workers can use lifelines and harnesses connected to the building or another secure surface. Safety nets are often used at bridgework locations. Any tools, building materials, or other debris that may fall into the net must be cleared away quickly to avoid possible injury if a worker falls.

Falling objects

• In addition to protecting workers from falling objects, guardrails may be erected around a work area. Other protective measures include making sure all building materials, debris and tools are kept at least 4 feet from the edge of a work area. Providing a lip built around the edge of a work area and placing canopies or netting underneath can prevent or catch falling objects.

Training

• A training program is required to inform employees how to recognize and minimize fall hazards on a work site. This training includes the use of protection systems, as well as how to handle materials in a potential fall zone. Employers are required keep accurate records of completed training by listing employee names and training dates.