OSHA 1926.32

ANSI Z339.2007 2.10

A person approved or assigned by an employer to perform specific types of duties (OSHA)

A person assigned by the employer to performs duties at a location where people are exposed to a fall hazard

Competent Person

OSHA 1926.32 (f)

one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surrounding or work area

Competent person

ANSI Z359.0-2007

An individual designated by the employer to be responsible for immediate supervison implementation and monitoring of the employers managed fall protection program

Qualified person

OSHA 1926.32 (m)

Attendant or Operator:

a person designated by the employer who by reason of training experience or instruction has demonstrated the ability to safely perform all designated duties in accordance with the law

OSHA 1926 subpart M

Anchorage

1926.500

Scope application and definitions

• A secure point of attachment for lifelines lanyards or deceleration devices

Body Belt

[image]

A strap with the means for both securing it about to the waist and for attaching it to a lanyard, lifeline or deceleration device (retractible)

Body Harness

[image]

Straps which may be secured about the person in a manner that will distribute fall arrest forces over at least  the thighs, pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders.

 Buckle

[image]

Any device for holding the body belt or harness closed around the employees body

 Connector

[image]

 Controlled Access Zone

• Area in whch work can take plAce without use of guardrails, PFA's or netting systems
• CAZs apply to certain specific types of work, such as overhand bricklaying. Access to the CAZ is limited only to qualified employees who are authorized to be there. For example, these may be specialty workers, such as masons.

Deceleration Device
[image][image]

Any mechanism such as a rope grab, rip stitch, specialty lanyard or retractible which serves to dissipate a substantial amount of energy during a fall arrest.

Deceleration Distance

[image]

Additional distance a worker travels before stopping  measured as the distance between the location of the  workers harness attachment point at moment of activation and spot where they come to a stop

 Guardrail system

 [image]

Barrier erected to prevent an employee from falling to a lower level

arrier erected to prevent anemployee from falling to a lower level

Hole

Gap or void 2 inches or more in a floor roof or walking surface

Lanyard

[image]

Flexible line or rope, wire rope or strap which has a connector at each end for connecting the harness to a deceleration device, lifeline or anchorage.

Leading edge

[image]

Lifeline

[image]

Flexible line for connection to an anchor at one end to hang vertically or connection to an anchor at both ends to stretch horizontally and serves as a means for connecting PFA to the anchor

 Low Slope Roof

[image]

Roof slope less than or equal to 4 in 12 in vertical to horizontal

 Personal Fall Arrest System

• [image]

• anchorage

•  harness

•  lanyard, retractible lifeline or combination

Positioning Device System

[image][image]

• Harness system rigged to allow worker to be supported on a vertical surface and work with both hands free

OSHA Fall Protection Requirements

General industry

Operations and maintenance; trigger height = 4 ft above walking/working surface.

OSHA Fall Protection Requirements

Construction

Construction, alterations, modifications, demolition, roofing, painting; trigger height = 6 ft above walking/ working surface

Horizontal distance

Without fall protection—from unprotected edge = 50 ft minimum.

Free-fall distance:

 [image]

Never exceeds 6 ft.

 Safety Monitor

[image]

(Low slope) Roofing work only, roof > 50 ft requires warning line at 6 ft, monitor to edge.

There is no minimum offset distance from a leading or unprotected edge from which an employee can work while being monitored by a safety monitor. The requirements do, however, provide detailed information about what is required when employers use a safety monitor, including the requirement that the safety monitor must not have other responsibilities which could take the monitor's attention away from monitoring.

WORK POSITIONING:

• Term used to describe a method of performing work using  both hands, while supported by a lanyard or similar device.
  
• Work positioning devices are typically a simple lanyard (without an energy absorber) or a variety of a rebar hook/assembly.
• Because these types of lanyards do not have any shock absorbing qualities, many regulatory agencies have set minimal guidelines for a free fall into them, however, best practices forn use of these devices would not allow any free fall

Maximum free-fall = 2 ft,

anchorage = 3,000 lb,

connectors = 5,000 lb.

Controlled access zones:

Overhand bricklaying and related leading-edge construction work only.

A CAZ does allow work without fall protection systems. Typically, the guardrails have been removed from a leading edge. In this case, the CAZ is clearly designated and marked. It must be defined by a control line or other means to restrict access to the area. The control lines should run the entire length of the unprotected edge and should run parallel to it. Control lines are connected on each side to a guardrail system or a wall.

The control lines should be set up no closer than 6 feet and no more than 25 feet from the unprotected edge.

For work such as overhand bricklaying, the control lines should be 10 to 15 feet from the unprotected edge.

Guardrails, parapets:

[image][image]

39-45 in. high; withstand 200 lb at top rail; guardrails must have mid-rail and toeboards if tools, material can fall to lower level.

Constructed of minimum 500-lb strength material (no barrier tape).

Pipe 1½ in. minimum;

Wood 2 x 4 in. minimum;

two cables minimum ¼-in. diameter,

top cable flagged at 6-ft intervals,

no deflection under pressure below 39 in.

 Skylights

[image]

200-lb force cover;

guardrail; or fall restraint/fall arrest;

warning line systems.

 Warning line systems

[image]

•General industry—“Designated Area”—minimum 6 ft from unprotected edge.

•Construction—“Nonconforming Guardrail”—minimum 15 ft from unprotected edge.

•System requirements—uprights withstand 16-lb force at 30-in. height;

• line to be rope, wire, chain of 500-lb tensile strength,
• flagged at 6-ft intervals;
• height 34-39 in.; l
• ine attached to uprights
• no line slip

Fall restraint

•  Worker’s center of gravity cannot fall over the unprotected edge in any direction.
• Lanyard/rope = 3,000 lb;
• body belt or full body harness;
• anchor = 2 x force exerted, or 3,000 lb.

Personal fall arrest:

[image]

•Basic system 

• full-body harness,
•  6 ft shock-absorbing lanyard,
•  5,000 lb anchorage (per person); minimum clearance = 17.5 ft from anchor (6-ft lanyard, 3.5 ft shock absorber, 5 ft surface to dorsal D-ring, 1 ft harness stretch, 2 ft safety factor).
• Engineered anchor may be 3,600 lb.
• A - Anchorage - a fixed structure or structural adaptation, often including an anchorage connector, to which the other components of the PFAS are rigged.
• B - Body Wear - a full body harness worn by the worker.
• C - Connector - a subsystem component connecting the harness to the anchorage - such as a lanyard.
• D - Deceleration Device - a subsystem component designed to dissipate the forces associated with a fall arrest event.

Self-retracting lifeline

• 5,000-lb anchorage (certain conditions 3,000 lb),
• minimum clearance; non-shock-absorbing lanyard = 5 ft;
• shock absorbing (read label) = 7.5 ft; account for pendulum effect.

 Horizontal lifeline

[image]

Generic term for horizontal fall protection systems

(Designed by qualified person)

Minimum clearance = 17.5 ft + lifeline stretch.

 Vertical lifeline

[image]

• 5,000-lb anchor (only one worker per lifeline)
• For clearance add 1 ft for rope grab to activate,
• Minimum clearance = 7.5 ft + lanyard length.

Ladder climbing devices

[image]

• Maximum 9-in. connector between the ladder safety device and a front (chest) D-ring,
• engineered support.
• Must limit fall distance to 2 ft or less.

Rescue planning:

Prompt rescue—danger of suspension trauma.

Guardrail systems

• Top edge height shall be 42 inches plus or minus 3 inches
• Midrails, at least 21 inches  high installed at a height midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working level capable of withstanding, a force of at least 150 pounds
• Intermediate members (such as balusters), when used between posts, shall be not more than 19 inches
  
• Guardrail must be capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds applied within 2 inches of the top edge
• if flagged, not more than 6-foot intervals
• Toeboard must be 4 inches vertical height from its top edge to the level of the floor, not more than 1/4-inch clearance above floor level

Safety Nets

• Must be installed as close as practicable under the walking/working surface on which employees are working, but in no case more than 30 feet (9.1 m) below such level
• Net installations before being used as a fall protection system, must pass a drop-test shall consist of a 400 lb shall be inspected at least once a week for wear, damage, and other deterioration
• Each safety net (or section of it) shall have a border rope for webbing with a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds
• The maximum size of each safety net mesh opening shall not exceed 36 square inches be longer than 6 inches

Personal Fall Arrest System

Part 1

Connectors and Dee rRngs

Body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system

Connectors shall be drop forged, pressed or formed steel, or made of equivalent material

Connectors shall have a corrosion-resistant finish, and all surfaces and edges shall be smooth to prevent damage to interfacing parts of the system.

Dee-rings and Snaphooks shall have a minimum tensile strength of 5,000 pounds

Dee-rings and Snaphooks shall be proof-tested to a minimum tensile load of 3,600 pounds (16 kN) without cracking, breaking, or taking permanent deformation

Personal Fall Arrest System

Part 2

Snaphooks

Snaphooks shall be sized to be compatible with the member to which they are connected to prevent unintentional disengagement of the snaphook by depression of the snaphook keeper by the connected member, or shall be a locking type snaphook designed and used to prevent disengagement of the snaphook by the contact of the snaphook keeper by the connected member.

  Unless the snaphook is a locking type and designed for the following connections, Snaphooks shall not be engaged: to the following

• Directly to webbing, rope or wire rope or to
  each other
• Dee-ring to which another snaphook or other connector is attached;
• Horizontal lifeline
• To any object which is incompatibly shaped or dimensioned in relation to the snaphook such that unintentional disengagement could occur by the connected object being able to depress the snaphook keeper and release itself.
• On suspended scaffolds or similar work platforms with horizontal lifelines which may become vertical lifelines, the devices used to connect to a horizontal lifeline shall be capable of locking in both directions on the lifeline.

Horizontal lifelines

Shall be designed, installed, and used, under the supervision of a qualified person, as part of a complete personal fall arrest system, which maintains a safety factor of at least two.

Types of Fall-Protection Systems

 There are seven general fall-protection systems:

• Personal fall-arrest system (PFAS): Arrests a fall
• Personal fall-restraint system: Prevents a fall
• Positioning-device system: Positions a worker and limits a fall to 2 feet
• Guardrail system: Prevents a fall
• Safety-net system: Arrests a fall
• Warning-line system for roofing work: Warns a worker of a fall hazard

Lanyards and vertical lifelines

• Shall have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds
  Except as provided in paragraph (d)(10)(ii) of this section, when vertical lifelines are used,
• Each employee shall be attached to a separate lifeline
• Lifelines shall be protected against being cut or abraded

Handrails

• Height of handrails shall be not more than 34 inches nor less than 30" inches
• The size of handrails  Hardwood, at least 2 inches in diameter; when metal pipe, at least 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
• The length of brackets shall be such as will give a clearance between handrail and wall or any projection thereon of at least 3 inches. The spacing of brackets shall not exceed 8 feet.
• capable of withstanding a load of at least 200 pounds
• Clearance of not less than 3 inches between handrail or railing and any other object
  
  

Skylights

Skylight screens must capable of withstanding a load of at least 200 pounds

The construction shall be of grillwork

openings not more than 4 inches long or of slatwork with openings not more than 2 inches wide with length unrestricted.

Self-retracting lifelines and lanyards

• Which automatically limit free fall distance to 2 feet or less shall be capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 3,000 pounds applied to the device with the lifeline or lanyard in the fully extended position.
• Which do not limit free fall distance to 2 feet or less, ripstitch lanyards, and tearing and deforming lanyards shall be capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 5,000 pounds  applied to the device with the lifeline or lanyard in the fully extended position.

Ropes and straps

• Used in lanyards, lifelines, and strength components of body belts and body harnesses shall be made from synthetic fibers.

Anchorages

• Used for attachment of personal fall arrest equipment shall be independent of any anchorage being used to support or suspend platforms and capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds per employee attached.
• As part of a complete personal fall arrest system which maintains a safety factor of at least two; and under the supervision of a qualified person.

Personal fall arrest systems,

when stopping a fall, shall

• Limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 900 pounds when used with a body belt
• Limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 1,800 pounds when used with a body harness;
• Be rigged such that an employee can neither free fall more than 6 feet (1.8 m), nor contact any lower level;
• Bring an employee to a complete stop and limit maximum deceleration distance an employee travels to 3.5 feet
• Have sufficient strength to withstand twice the potential impact energy of an employee free falling a distance of 6 feet  or the free fall distance permitted by the system, whichever is less.

  Note:  if the system is being used by an employee having a combined person and tool weight of less than 310 pounds, If the system is used by an employee having a combined tool and body weight of 310 pounds or more, then the employer must appropriately modify the criteria and protocols

HARNESS ATTACHMENT

• The attachment point of the body belt shall be located in the center of the wearer's back. The attachment point of the body harness shall be located in the center of the wearer's back near shoulder level, or above the wearer's head.
• shall be used only for employee protection (as part of a personal fall arrest system or positioning device system) and not to hoist materials
• Personal fall arrest systems and components subjected to impact loading shall be immediately removed from service and shall not be used again for employee protection until inspected and determined by a competent person to be undamaged and suitable for reuse.
• 
  Personal fall arrest systems shall be inspected prior to each use for wear, damage and other deterioration, and defective components shall be removed from service.
• Body belts shall be at least one and five-eighths (1 5/8) inches (4.1 cm) wide.
• 
  Personal fall arrest systems shall not be attached to guardrail systems, nor shall they be attached to hoists except as specified in other subparts of this Part.  
• When a personal fall arrest system is used at hoist areas, it shall be rigged to allow the movement of the employee only as far as the edge of the walking/working surface.

Positioning device systems

• Positioning devices shall be rigged such that an employee cannot free fall more than 2 feet

• Positioning devices shall be secured to an anchorage capable of supporting at least twice the potential impact load of an employee's fall or 3,000 pounds  whichever is greater.

Warning line systems

• The warning line shall be erected around all sides of the roof work area
• When mechanical equipment is not being used, the warning line shall be erected not less than 6 feet (1.8 m) from the roof edge
• When mechanical equipment is being used, the warning line shall be erected not less than 6 feet from the roof edge  parallel to the direction of mechanical equipment , and not less than 10 feet from the roof edge
• Points of access, materials handling areas, storage areas, and hoisting areas shall be connected to the work area by an access path formed by two warning lines
• Warning lines shall consist of ropes, wires, or chains,
• The rope, wire, or chain shall be flagged at not more than 6-foot intervals with high-visibility material
• The rope, wire, or chain shall be rigged and supported in such a way that its lowest point (including sag) is no less than 34 inches from the walking/working surface and its highest point is no more than 39 inches
• The rope, wire, or chain shall have a minimum tensile strength of 500 pounds

• No employee shall be allowed in the area between a roof edge and a warning line unless the employee is performing roofing work in that area.

Controlled Access Zones

• When control lines are used, they shall be erected not less than 6 feet nor more than 25 feet from the unprotected or leading edge, except when erecting precast concrete members.
• The control line shall extend along the entire length of the unprotected or leading edge and shall be approximately parallel to the unprotected or leading edge.
• The control line shall be connected on each side to a guardrail system or wall.
• The controlled access zone shall be defined by a control line erected not less than 10 feet nor more than 15 feet from the working edge.
• Additional control lines shall be erected at each end to enclose the controlled access zone
• Only employees engaged in overhand bricklaying or related work shall be permitted in the controlled access zone.
• Control lines shall consist of ropes, wires, tapes, or equivalent materials, and supporting stanchions as follows:
• Each line shall be flagged or otherwise clearly marked at not more than 6-foot intervals with high-visibility material.
• Each line shall be rigged and supported in such a way that its lowest point (including sag) is not less than 39 inches ] from the walking/working surface and its highest point is not more than 45 inches 50 inches when overhand bricklaying operations are being performed from the walking/working surface.
• Each line shall have a minimum breaking strength of 200 pounds 

Safety Monitoring Systems

•  The employer shall designate a competent person to monitor the safety of other employees
• The safety monitor shall be competent to recognize fall hazards
• The safety monitor shall warn the employee when it appears that the employee is unaware of a fall hazard or is acting in an unsafe manner;
• The safety monitor shall be on the same walking/working surface and within visual sighting distance of the employee being monitored;
• The safety monitor shall be close enough to communicate orally with the employee; and
• The safety monitor shall not have other responsibilities which could take the monitor's attention from the monitoring function.

Fall Protection Plan

This option is available only to employees engaged in leading edge work, precast concrete erection work, or residential construction work who can demonstrate that it is infeasible or it creates a greater hazard to use conventional fall protection equipment. The fall protection plan must conform to the following provisions.

The fall protection plan shall be prepared by a qualified person and developed specifically for the site where the leading edge work, precast concrete work, or residential construction work is being performed and the plan must be maintained up to date.

Any changes to the fall protection plan shall be approved by a qualified person.

A copy of the fall protection plan with all approved changes shall be maintained at the job site.

The implementation of the fall protection plan shall be under the supervision of a competent person.

The fall protection plan shall document the reasons why the use of conventional fall protection systems (guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, or safety nets systems) are infeasible or why their use would create a greater hazard.

The fall protection plan shall include a written discussion of other measures that will be taken to reduce or eliminate the fall hazard for workers who cannot be provided with protection from the conventional fall protection systems.

The fall protection plan shall identify each location where conventional fall protection methods cannot be used. These locations shall then be classified as controlled access zones

Where no other alternative measure has been implemented, the employer shall implement a safety monitoring system in conformance

The fall protection plan must include a statement which provides the name or other method of identification for each employee who is designated to work in controlled access zones. No other employees may enter controlled access zones.