Reviewing the Record on Workplace Fall Protection
By Gerald Woodson

Falls continue to plague U.S. construction jobsites and factories. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2005 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, there was a 7 percent decline in fatal falls from 2004, and fatalities among roofers dropped by 44 percent. Even with these improvements in fatality statistics, 735 employees still lost their lives from falls. In addition, there were 255,750 nonfatal fall injuries in 2005.

Choosing the Right Path

The tools employers need to reduce workplace falls are at their disposal; it just takes a willingness to do the right thing. Employers can provide a safe workplace or they can remain under OSHA's scrutiny. Even worse, they can face the heartache of losing an employee to an accident. The following are five steps employers can take to ensure employees are safe from fall hazards at work.

• Identify all fall hazards before work begins.
• Decide on the best method to protect workers.
• Train workers to identify workplace hazards.
• Ensure workers use the equipment provided.
• Continue to identify the hazards as the work progresses.

Case Studies Highlight Fall Hazards

The following examples of recent OSHA inspections describe fall hazards at construction jobsites:

• A masonry contractor was cited by OSHA for 15 potentially fatal or disabling scaffold and other fall hazards. OSHA proposed $220,000 in fines after its inspection found that a scaffold was missing its top, middle and end rails, and that scaffold frames, rather than ladders, were being used to access upper levels. These conditions exposed employees to falls of 12 to 20 feet.
• OSHA cited a roofing company with proposed penalties totaling $56,000 for exposing workers to fall hazards. During the OSHA inspection, investigators observed workers removing old and installing new roofing materials on a 30-foot-high, flat-roofed building. The employees were exposed to falls from unguarded roof edges and openings in the roof surface.
• Potentially fatal 18- and 27-foot falls at a residential construction site have led to $120,500 in proposed fines for a residential framing contractor. OSHA inspectors observed the contractor's employees working without required fall protection, including one employee exposed to a 27-foot fall. The inspection also found employees exposed to 18-foot falls from ladders of insufficient height.
  Other fall hazards found at the jobsite included a defective stepladder, a wooden pallet used instead of a ladder to access a work area, lack of inspection of ladders for defects, missing handrails, and not training employees to recognize fall hazards.

When employers receive OSHA citations, they can react in a number of ways. One reaction is to pay the penalty and maintain the status quo. Another course of action is to view the citation as a wake-up call, fix the hazards, and provide a safe workplace for employees.

This story is an example of the ultimate price employees must pay when there is a total disregard for their safety.

Two employees were pointing brick on a building when one side of the two-point suspended scaffold from which they were working collapsed. This caused one worker to fall 40 feet to his death.

OSHA's investigation found that the employees lacked adequate fall protection. One had no fall protection, while the other was not tied off to a secure anchor point. They also had not been trained to recognize the hazards associated with scaffold work.

In addition, the scaffold was not secured properly to the building and lacked guardrails and a ladder or other safe means of access. Employees were exposed to tripping and fall hazards while climbing the parapet wall on the roof. Finally, scaffolds were not erected under a competent person's supervision with the ability to identify the hazards and the authority to correct them.

Fall Hazards Top OSHA Enforcement Targets

Looking back at 2006, it is no surprise that once again, for construction, OSHA's main enforcement target was fall hazards. OSHA's principal targets were residential construction, scaffolding, ladders and aerial lifts. Of the top ten construction citations, four were direct fall protection issues and four others could indirectly contribute to a fall. The following are the top ten construction citations for 2006:

General Industry: Stricter and More Expensive

For general industry, fall hazards were also on OSHA's radar screen. While not being cited as often as construction jobsites, the initial penalties for fall protection violations were, on average, more expensive than the construction counterparts.

The general industry standard requires fall protection at four feet. In 2006, the number five general industry citation was guarding floor openings, platforms and runways. While there were only 862 citations issued, the average initial citation penalty was $2,153.00. On average, that is more than $700.00 more than a construction citation penalty.

What Can You Do?

Everyone has first-hand experience at recognizing fall hazards. For example, do you tell your kids to get out of that tree or to not slide down that banister? Do you cringe when your teenager or spouse climbs on the roof to clean out the gutters or get debris off the roof? Are you aware when you are not using a ladder correctly at home? So, why do we as foremen, supervisors and safety professionals overlook fall hazards at work and then regret it when someone gets hurt or killed?

If you eliminate or control the hazards, you eliminate the citations, and you lower the statistics. It is that simple. Citations, injuries and fatalities have a profound effect on your employees, your company's reputation, and your bottom line.

For 2007, make a conscious effort to eliminate every fall hazard at your company or provide appropriate fall protection and training to protect your employees from becoming a statistic.

WP

Gerald Woodson is and editor with J. J. Keller & Associates Inc.