Working at Height

&

Fall Protection Safety

Working at Heights

If only I was wearing a safety

harness !!

They’re in a hurry.

They don’t think a situation is dangerous

enough to require it.

They think they’re experienced enough to

avoid injury.

Why even good workers

ignore fall protection ?

Introduction – Fall Hazards

Falls hazards are present at most every workplace and

many workers are exposed to these hazards daily.

Falls are the number one cause of fatalities in the

construction industry accounting for approximately 56%

of all fatalities.

Any walking / working surface can be a potential fall

hazard, whether a worker can fall from an elevation or

simply fall from the same surface they are walking.

Fall Hazards at Construction Sites

Fall hazards can be found on every

construction site:

Building structures

Exterior construction areas

Scaffolds

Stairs

Ladders

All Open and excavated pits.

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

Common Workplace Mistakes

What is Work At Height ?

Work at height is work in any place, where a person could be

injured if they fell from that place.

Access and egress to a place of work can also be work at

height. Work conditions 6 feet or more above lower level

require the use of fall protection.

Regardless of height, fall protection must be used when

working above:

Dangerous equipment.

Sharp objects.

Piercing objects.

Examples of Work At Height

Examples of work activities that are classified as working at

height include :

Working on a flat roof.

Working from a ladder.

Working near or adjacent to fragile materials.

Working at ground level adjacent to an open excavation.

Working in excavated pits below ground level.

Working at Heights – Spot the Hazards

1. Operatives not wearing safety helmets

2. No edge protection to roof nothing to stop materials

falling off

3. Roof ladder not long enough

4. Access ladder tied to gutter

5. Ladder leaning on gutter

6. Access ladder too short

7. Manual handling

8. Unprotected skylight

9. Operative kneeling on fragile roof materials

10. Operative not wearing sensible clothing

11. Loose tools in bag liable to fall out onto persons below

12. Carrying tools up ladder. Only one hand

available to steady operative on the ladder

13. No safe access onto roof

3 Dangerous Attitudes

that Lead to Fatal Fall

1. “I Don’t Work Very High”.

2. “I Have Good Balance”

3. “I’ll Catch Myself”

Any of these things could result in an otherwise

‘balanced’ worker plummeting to their death.

How long does it take to fall?

Good body reaction

time= 0.5 seconds Travel distance in

0.5 seconds = 4 feet

In 1 second your body

will fall 16 feet

Fall Speed Vs. Reaction Time

By the time you react your body will be

4 feet below where you were standing

What is Fall Protection ?

Fall protection is the backup system

planned for a worker who could loose

his balance at height, in order to control

or eliminate injury potential.

Hierarchy of Fall Protection

It is generally accepted by

governing bodies that the

hierarchy of fall protection should

provide the starting point for

considering what type of fall

protection system is required.

Hierarchy of Fall Protection

1. Eliminate the risk Avoid work at height where possible or locate plant and

equipment in safe locations where there is no risk of a fall.

Hierarchy of Fall Protection

2. Guard the hazard

When working at height is essential, ensure that workers are not

exposed to unnecessary risks, consider providing a parapet or

guardrail to eliminate the fall hazard.

(Guard the Hazard)

Hierarchy of Fall Protection

3. Protect the worker Where it is not possible to eliminate the risk of falling, use a

suitable fall protection system to minimise the consequences of a

fall. This can be achieved with a fall arrest or fall restraint system.

Types of Work Equipment

Collective Fall arrest

Guardrails

Working platforms (scaffolds/MEWPS etc)

Nets/Airbags

Personal Fall Protection systems

Ladders

Nets

Air Bags

Scaffolding

Edge Protection

Mobile Elevating Work Platform(M.E.W.P )

.

Protect

the

worker

What are the two physical forms of fall

protection?

Fall prevention. This is a structure that

limits a fall to the level the worker is on.

Fall arrest. This is equipment that limits

injuries in case of a fall.

Types of Fall Protection

Protect the worker

Types of Protection:

Fall Restraint System

Fall Restraint System Fall Restraint system prevents people from reaching a

fall hazard through a tie off system.

This system allow a person access to conduct their

duties but prevent them from reaching a point where a

fall could occur.

Restraint systems are generally positioned more than

2 mtrs from the hazard. This is because common

practice is for the worker to be connected to the

system by a fixed length 1.5 m lanyard.

Fall Arrest System

Fall Arrest System A fall arrest system provides maximum freedom

of movement for workers to conduct their duties.

In doing so it allows them to reach the point

where a fall could occur, such as the edge of a

roof for gutter maintenance.

However, in the event of a fall, the fall will be

arrested and so allow the person to either effect

a self-rescue or be rescued.

Fall Arrest System

Fall Positioning System

Fall Positioning System

A positioning system restrains the elevated

worker, preventing him from getting into a

hazardous position where a fall could occur,

and also allows hands-free work.

This system holds the worker in place while

keeping his hands free to work.

Fall Suspension System

This equipment raises and

lowers and also supports the

worker while allowing a

hands-free work environment.

This suspension system

components are not designed

to arrest a free fall, a backup

fall arrest system should be

used in conjunction with the

suspension system.

Fall Suspension System

Vertical Lifeline

Horizontal Lifeline

Retractable Lifeline

To Summarize on Fall Protection

Different

Fall

Hazards

Slips Slips happen where there is too

little friction or traction between the

footwear and the walking surface.

Common causes of slips are:

Wet or oily surfaces.

Occasional spills.

Weather hazards.

Mats flooring or other walking

surfaces that do not have same

degree of traction in all areas.

Trips happen when your foot collides

(strikes, hits) an object causing you to

lose the balance and, eventually fall.

Common causes of tripping are:

Obstructed view.

Poor lighting.

Clutter in your way.

Uncovered cables.

Uneven (steps, thresholds)

walking surfaces.

Trips

Falls

Falls usually take place

from one level to another.

Falls are of Two types:

Fall at same level

Fall to lower level

Swing Fall Hazard

The farther you move

sideways from your anchor

point, the greater the chance

of swinging if you fall. This is

known as the "pendulum

effect."

And the more you swing, the

greater the force with which

you'll strike columns, walls, or

other objects in your path.

Swing Fall Hazard

Bottoming Out

Bottoming out occurs when a

falling worker hits a lower level,

the ground, or some other hazard

before the fall is fully arrested.

This occurs when Total Fall

Distance is greater than the

distance from the work surface to

the next level, the ground, or

some other hazard below.

Ladder Safety (Only Highlights – Presentation on Ladder Safety

shall be discussed Separately).

Ladder Safety “No matter how quickly a job can be done,

there is always time to fall”

UNSAFE SAFE

Ladder Hazards Broken or defective ladders.

Ladders on slippery or uneven surfaces.

Ladder rungs or shoes that have mud or grease on them.

Carrying tools or materials up or down a ladder.

Using metal ladders near live electrical parts.

Portable ladders not 3 feet above landing surface.

Overreaching when working from a Ladder.

Not Securing Ladder correctly.

Improper usage.

Standing on the top two steps of a stepladder.

Ladder Safety

Safe use of Ladders

Scaffolding Safety (Only Highlights – Presentation on scaffolding

Safety shall be discussed Separately).

What is a Scaffold?

An elevated, temporary

work platform.

• A temporary structure

used to support people

and material in the

construction or repair of

buildings and other large

structures.

Scaffolding

Fall From Scaffolding.

Being Struck by Collapsing of Scaffold.

Contact with Overhead Line through Scaffold.

Bad planking.

Struck by falling objects.

Scaffolding Hazard

Bad planking giving way

Common Mistakes in Scaffolding

Poor Scaffolding. (A section of scaffolding

balances precariously on a plank of wood).

Common Mistakes in Scaffolding

The danger posed to workers by planking that has

been overloaded.

Common Mistakes in Scaffolding

Disaster waiting to Happen

Common Mistakes in Scaffolding

Access Ladder not provided for climbing

Common Mistakes in Scaffolding

No Scaffolding at all !!!!!!

Common Mistakes in Scaffolding

General Scaffolding Arrangements

Scaffold must be sound, rigid and sufficient to carry its own weight plus four

times the maximum intended load without settling or displacement.

Scaffold must be erected on solid footing. Unstable objects, such as barrels,

loose bricks or concrete blocks must not be used to support scaffolds or

planks.

Scaffold must be equipped with guardrails, mid-rails and toe-boards.

Scaffolds must be at least 10 feet from electric power lines at all times.

Scaffold platforms must be tightly planked with scaffold plank grade

material or equivalent.

Scaffold can be accessed by using ladders and stairwells but not by climbing

the braces.

Tips on Scaffolding Safety

Fall of materials:

Preventive measures should be taken against the fall of workers and

tools or other objects or materials.

Openings:

All openings through which workers are liable to fall should be kept

effectively covered and indicated in the most appropriate manner.

Buying and issuing PPE are not enough ...

Training workers to use them is not enough ...

Supervision and inspection are essential!

General principles of safety when

working at height

Do’s -Work At Height

Don'ts -Work At Height

To Conclude

A fall is a fall. Once it

happens, there will be no

dramatic life-saving fingertip

catch by your co-worker like

you see in the movies.

Falls can happen and,

unfortunately, do happen.

Conclusion

Every single person who has died from a fall in which the victim

was not utilizing provided fall protection most likely believed one

of the myths above. Otherwise, knowing the potential result of

their actions, why would they have chosen to forego it?

Wear your fall protection, because

nobody can defy the laws of gravity.