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HBApdx.org
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JANUAry, 2013
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UP FRONT
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HBA HOME BUILDING NEWS
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7
When do workers need to be
protected from fall hazards?
Generally, workers must be
protected from falls to a lower
level of 10 feet or more.
What are the exceptions?
Employees must be protected
from falls of six feet or more if
they’re exposed to the following:
• Holes and skylights in walking/
working surfaces
• Wall openings and windows
where the sill height is less than
39 inches above the floor
• Established floors, mezzanines,
balconies, and walkways that
have unprotected sides and
edges
• Excavations with edges that
are not readily seen because
of plant growth or other visual
barriers
• Wells, pits, shafts, and similar
excavations
With the top number of
construction injuries coming from
falls and the top number of OSHA
violations being Fall Protection &
Use of Ladders this topic should
be a concern to all contractors.
The employer is to provide
training for each employee who
might be exposed to fall hazards
such that each employee can
recognize the hazards of falling
and knows the procedures
to be followed to minimize
these hazards. The employer’s
competent person shall train
each employee, as necessary, in
the nature of fall hazards in the
work area; the correct procedures
for erec t ing, maintaining,
disassembling, and inspecting
the fall protection systems to be
used; the use and operation of
guardrail systems, personal fall
arrest systems, safety net systems,
warning line systems, safety
monitoring systems, personal
fall restraint systems, slide guard
systems, positioning devices,
and other protection to be used;
the role of each employee in
the safety monitoring system
if/when this system is used;
the limitations on the use of
mechanical equipment during
the per formance of roof ing
work; the correct procedures
for the handling and storage of
equipment and materials and the
erection of overhead protection;
and the role of employees in the
fall protection work plan.
The employer is to verify that
each employee has been trained
by keeping a written certification
record containing the name of the
employee trained, training date(s),
and the signature of the person
who conducted the training or
the signature of the employer. If
the employer relies on training
conducted by another employer,
the certif ication record shall
indicate the date the employer
determined the prior training was
adequate rather than the date of
actual training.
Other Situations
Although roof work is perhaps
the most frequent and obvious
situation in which fall protection
is needed, there are other times
when fall protection is required:
• Top plates:
(Walking/Working
surface) When over 10 feet in
height (either to the inside floor
or outside ground level), you
must use a positive means of fall
protection.
• Layout, nailing, tilting and
bracing of walls:
you are allowed
a “floor” (not to exceed 10 feet
in height) as long as the work is
done to the leading edge . . . the
edge of the floor from which the
walls are being built, tilted, or
braced. Harness-type protection
is required for workers involved
in the construction process on
top of the beams (i.e., safety
harness, lanyard, static lines, catch
platforms, etc.).
•
Open - s i ded
f l oo r s ,
platforms or stairway landings:
Must have standard guardrails
when 6 feet or higher.
• Guardrails need a top rail,
midrail, toe boards and posts.
The top rail should be 42 inches,
plus or minus 3 inches, above
the walking/working level; the
midrail should be 21 inches. Posts
should be of at least 2” x 4” stock
with spaces not to exceed 8 feet.
The top rail should also be of at
least 2’ x 4” stock, and the midrail
should be at least 1 x 6 stock. If
toe board is used it should be
a minimum of 3.5” in height.
Guardrails need to be able to
withstand a minimum 200-pound
deflection throughout the system
horizontally.
• Wall openings:
Must also
have a guardrail when there is
a drop of more than 6 feet. The
bottom of the opening is less
than 30 inches high and 18 inches
wide and is above the working
surface. Examples are windowsills
less than 3 feet above the floor or
elevated (second level) openings
in 16-inch o.c. stud walls.
• Floor openings and holes:
Must either be protected with
standard guardrai ls or be
capable of supporting, without
failure, at least twice the weight
of employees, equipment, and
materials that may be imposed
on the cover at any one time.
Examples you might f ind on
your jobsite may include HVAC
openings, fireplace openings, or
skylight openings.
• Runways and ramps
: Must
have guardrails whenever they
are used at 6 feet or more above
ground level.
A link to the Fall Protection
Safet y Meet ing form, Fal l
Protection Training Certification
and other relevant Safety Pages
may be found at
www.hbapdx.
org/ohba-safety-pages.
For additional information
on another safety topic or
safety issues please contact
David Davidson, OHBA Safety
Consultant at (503) 399-1500.
USEFUL INFORMATION TO CREATE & MAINTAIN A SAFE & EFFICIENT WORK ENVIRONMENT
HBA
PDX
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ORG
Safety
Solutions
HBA
Identifying and preventing fall hazard situations
A fall hazard is a workplace hazard
that could cause a worker’s loss of
balance or physical support.
Examples:
Aworker stands onbalcony railing
to make an overhead repair.
A worker carries a bulky sheet of
plywood up an extension ladder.
Workers use a makeshift scaffold
that has not been designed by a
qualified person.
Workers set up an extension
ladder at an improper angle.