construction safety - working at height and fall protection
TRANSCRIPT
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.