fall protection equipment selection and inspection

Fall Protection Equipment Selection and Inspection

David Jewell, CSPNational Safety Consultant for Conney Safety Products, Division of

WESCO

Subjects •Legislation

•Standards

•Care and Maintenance

•Full Body Harnesses

•Lanyards

•Snaphooks and Carabiners

•Tie-off Adaptors

•Anchorage Plates

•Self Retracting Lifelines

•Horizontal Lifelines

Assessing the Need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.132 requires employers to assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of PPE

Most Significant Update• Allowing employers to select the fall protection

system that works best for them (4’ trigger)Fall Protection: Any equipment, device, or system that prevents a worker from falling from an elevation OR mitigates the effect of such a fall.

1. Guardrail System

2. Safety Net System

3. Personal Fall Arrest System

4. Positioning System

5. Travel Restraint System

6. Ladder Safety System

4

Final Subpart D (compared to the old)

Final Subpart D (New) Previous Subpart D (old)

1910.21 Scope and definitions 1910.21 Definitions

1910.22 General requirements 1910.22 General requirements

1910.23 Ladders1910.23 Guarding floor and wall openings and holes

1910.24 Step bolts and manhole steps 1910.24 Fixed industrial stairs

1910.25 Stairways 1910.25 Portable wood ladders

1910.26 Dockboards 1910.26 Portable metal ladders

1910.27 Scaffolds and rope descent systems 1910.27 Fixed ladders

1910.28 Duty to have fall protection and falling object protection

1910.28 Safety requirements for scaffolding

1910.29 Fall protection systems and falling object protection - criteria and practices

1910.29 Manually propelled mobile ladder stands and scaffolds (towers)

1910.30 Training requirements 1910.30 Other working surfaces

1910.140 Personal fall protection systems

Subpart I

1910.28(b) Protection from Fall hazards

1) Unprotected sides and edges

2) Hoist areas

3) Holes (including skylights)

4) Dockboards

5) Runways and similar walkways

6) Dangerous equipment

7) Openings

8) Repair pits, service pits, and assembly pits less than 10’ deep

9) Fixed ladder (that extend more than 24’ above a lower level)

10) Outdoor advertising (billboards)

11) Stairways

12) Scaffolds and rope descent systems

13) Work on low-slope roofs

14) Slaughtering facility platforms

15) Walking-working surfaces not otherwise addressed

Guardrail Systems Safety Net Systems Personal Fall Protection Systems

Positioning Systems Travel Restraint Systems Personal Fall Arrest Systems

Handrails Designated Areas Ladder Safety Systems

So Let’s Talk Selection

• Guard Rails

Permanent or Temporary

Fall Restraint

Aerial Work Platforms

Fall Arrest Considerations

• Clearance

• Freefall

• Rescue

• Energy Absorption

• Obstructions

Clearance Calculations

Situation:

• I am 6 ft. tall

• Using a 6 ft. lanyard

• Anchored at my shoulder

How much fall clearance do I need?

Doc. 62-597 Rev. A

Deceleración

Safety Factor

Free Fall

OSHA 1926.501(d)(16)(iii) & (iv)

General rule:

You will need at least 17.5 ft of clearance

• 6.0 ft free fall

• 4.0 ft deceleratión

• 6.0 ft worker height

• 1.5 ft safety factor

• 17.5 ft total distance

How to calculate the distance

Deceleration

Safety Factor

Free fall

OSHA 1926.501(d)(16)(iii) & (iv)

What can we do if we do not have 17.5 ft?

• Raise the anchor point • Use a shorter lanyard • Use a SRL• Use Fall Restraint (so you cannot

fall)• Use Guard Rails when possible!

Alternatives?

Deceleración

Safety Factor

Free Fall

OSHA 1926.501(d)(16)(iii) & (iv)

Clearance distances

Type A:

• 2 ft arresting distance (max)

Type B:

• 4.5 ft arresting distance (max)

Self Retracting Lanyards

Fall Considerations

Swing Fall

Obstructions

This limits to a 4 ft. drop

Components of a Fall Arrest System

ANCHORS

BODY SUPPORT

CONNECTORS

DESCENT/RESCUE

Body Support

Full Body Harness

ANSIFall Arrest

(always must have)

OSHA 1926.502 (d) (16) (ii):

Personal fall arrest systemsshall limit the maximum

arresting force on an employee to 1,800 pounds

(8 kN) when used with a body harness.

D-ring locations 19

All Harnesses

Types of buckles 20

Mating Buckle

Tongue Buckle

Quick Connect Buckle

Other Harness Types

Controlled Descent

Escape & Evacuation

Connectors

Connectors include lanyards, snap-hooks, carabineers, deceleration devices such as SRD’s, ladder climbing systems, vertical & horizontal lifelines and rope grabs

OSHA says…“ [1926.502(e)(5)]: Connecting assemblies shall have a minimum tensile

strength of 5,000 lbs. (22 kN)."

hardware 23

Snaphooks Carabineers

Must be double acting, have 3600 rated gate, auto-locking (ANSI), rated for 5000 lbs.

AND REMEMBER, you cannot connect a SNAPHOOK to a CARABINER!

Incompatible Connections

Lanyards

• Many different types of lanyards

• Needs to be able to reduce energy from 5000 lbs force to… • 1800 lbs for OSHA

and ANSI• 900 lbs or less is very

common with shock absorber

connectors 26

Shock-pack style

Not for fall arrest, only fall restraint!

Tubular shock absorber

100% tie-off

27

Shock AbsorbersRemember:

• Always connect the shock pack to the Dorsal D-ring

• Make sure you are not exceeding the weight limit of the lanyard

• Never connect two lanyards together

Anchorages

Anchorage Classes

2 to 1 safety factorAs low as 1800 lbs. for OSHA & ANSI

Requires 5000 lbs

Non-Certified (Improvised)Certified (Engineered)

Impact Force M.A.F.Maximum Arresting Force

Anchors….5000 lbs.

Strength and Stability

Anchorage Connectors

Self Retracting Devices

SRD/SRLsSRL - Self Retracting Lanyard SRD - Self Retracting Device

Classes• Class A: A class A SRD will stop the fall within 24” and ensure the forces are below

1350 lbs.• Class B: a class B SRD will stop the fall within 54” and ensure that the forces are

below 900 lbs.

Types• SRL-R: An SRD with some sort of rescue capability, this could be an incorporated

winch or automatic descent capability.• SRL-LE: An SRD that has been designed for a worker falling over an edge.

• Will have an integral external shock absorber.• Will have a cable that can withstand a sharp edge.

35

SRD - SHARP EDGES

DEFEAT SHARP EDGES EVERY TIME

• Sharp edges are found in many leading edge applications where a traditional lifeline may be cut, shred or snap upon contact.

SRD - FOOT LEVEL TIE-OFF

FORCE• Products not specifically designed for foot level tie-off can generate

forces exceeding 1,800 lbs. (8kN), well beyond accepted safety parameters, in the event of a fall.

• The Nano-Lok™ edge components work together to absorb the energy, limiting the average arresting forces to 900 lbs. (4kN) or less.

• Nano-Lok™ edge is specifically

designed for foot level tie-off.

Anchoring at your feet may be

your only option. Typical

equipment is not designed for

this application. It may cause…

• Trip hazards

• Dangerous forces

• Fall clearance issues

SRD - FOOT LEVEL TIE-OFF

FALL CLEARANCE• Traditional foot level tie-off products require fall clearances up to 18.5 ft.

(5.6 m).• The Nano-Lok™ edge requires fall clearances as low as 16’ (4.9 m)

SRD - FOOT LEVEL TIE-OFF

Type A vs. B

Legislation

OSHA1910.140(c) (18)

Personal fall protection systems must be inspected before initial use during each workshift for mildew, wear, damage, and other deterioration, and defective components must be removed from service.

Standards

ANSI A10.32-2004 (Construction), requires:

• Inspection Prior to use;• Inspection of equipment semi-annually by a competent

person;• Removal of equipment following fall arrest

ANSI Z359.1-2007 (General Industry), requires:

• Inspection Prior to use;• Inspection of equipment each year by a competent person;• Comply with manufacturer’s instructions

Care and Maintenance• Storage

– Cool– Dry– Out of sunlight

• Cleaning– Most equipment should be washed with water and a mild detergent– You can utilize WD40 on some moving components(Buckles, snaphooks and

carabiners)(Manufacturer Specific)– Equipment should not be dried with high heat

• Maintenance– Some specialized equipment must return to a factory authorized repair center

for regularly scheduled maintenance(Manufacturer Specific)

Harnesses

Key Components:

• Hardware

• Webbing

• Stitching

• Labels

• Recording and Logging of Inspection

Hardware• Buckles• D-rings• Back Pad• Keepers

Must Not Be: Damaged, Broken, Distorted

Free from: Sharp Edges, Burrs, CracksWorn Parts, Corrosion

Webbing / Stitching

• Cuts, Frays, Broken Fibers, Tears, Abrasion can be no greater than 1/8” *

• Holes or burns can be no greater than 1/16” diameter *

• Look for discoloration and hard spots or mold

* Manufacturer specific guidelines

Webbing / Stitching

StitchingLook for broken stitches, there should not be more than 2 per stitch pattern.(Manufacturer Specific)

Labels

Should be:• Present• Legible / Clean

Indicate:• Date of Manufacture• Serial No. / Model No.• Standards• Size• Care, Donning, Use• Warnings• Inspection Log

LanyardsMade from Polyester / Nylon / KevlarCan Not Have:• Knots• Cuts • Burns• Missing Labels• Other Damage• Similar to Harnesses and other Webbing Damages Caused By:• Being stored wet• Acids / Bases • Stretch • Impact• Abrasion • HeatLoad Indicators:• Thimbles Deformed • Shock Absorbers • Stiff• Length • Thread

• Tag

• Ensure it operates properly• Look for:

• Corrosion • Deformation • Markings • Dirt and Grime

• Load Indicators: • Sticky• Deformed• Difficult to Open • Will Not Close

Snaphooks/Carabineers

Tie-off Adaptors

Hardware

Webbing

Load Indicators: • Broken stitches, • Stiff, • Excess Wear in one

spot.

D-Ring Anchor Plates

Inspect:• Welds • Bolts• Anchorage

Load Indicators:• Distortion• Cracks

Self Retracting LifelinesWhen to Inspect:• Prior to Use

- Visual and function- Regular basis

- A competent person should do a thorough inspection regularly

What to Inspect:• Bolts• Housing • Retracting and Locking function

Labels, • Corrosion• Wire or Webbing

Load Indicators:• Grommets• Threads• Reserve Lifeline

Horizontal Lifelines

Due to the complex nature of Horizontal lifelines they should be inspected regularly by a Qualified Person.

– Impact loading

– Broken wires

– Anchor stability

– Proper tension

– Other (Hardware, Webbing, Stitches, Labels and any other thing that the designer has stipulated.

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