FALL PROTECTION PROGRAM

In 1995, 1,048 construction workers died on the job. Thirty-two percent of these deaths resulted from falls. Each year, falls consistently account for the greatest number of fatalities in the construction industry, and are always a major concern in other industries. Events surrounding these types of accidents often involve a number of factors, including unstable working surfaces, misuse of fall protection equipment, and human error. Studies have shown that the use of guardrails, fall arrest systems, safety nets, covers, and travel restriction systems can prevent many deaths and injuries from falls.

2.0  SCOPE

1. This program describes requirements for fall protection in construction activities. The provisions of this program do not apply:

• When employees are making an inspection, or assessment of workplace conditions prior to the start of construction work or after all construction work has been completed.
• To fall protection for employees working on scaffolds, stairways and ladders.

3.0  DEFINITIONS

Anchorage- A secure point of attachment for lifelines, lanyards or deceleration devices.

Body belt (safety belt)- A strap that is secured around the waist and attached to a lanyard, lifeline, or deceleration device.

Body harness- Straps which are secured about the employee in a manner that will distribute the fall forces over the thighs, pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders with means for attaching it to other components of a personal fall arrest system.

Buckle- Any device for holding the body belt or body harness closed around the employee's body.

Connector- A device which is used to connect the personal fall arrest system or positioning device to other parts of the system. It may be an independent component of the system, such as a carabiner, or it may be an integral component of part of the system (such as a buckle or dee-ring sewn into a body belt or body harness, or a snap-hook spliced or sewn to a lanyard or self-retracting lanyard).

Controlled access zone- A controlled area in which certain work (e.g., overhand bricklaying) may take place without the use of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, or safety net systems.

Dangerous equipment- Equipment (such as pickling or galvanizing tanks, degreasing units, machinery, electrical equipment, and other units) which may be hazardous to employees who fall onto or into such equipment.

Deceleration device- Any mechanism, such as a rope grab, rip-stitch lanyard, specially-woven lanyard, tearing or deforming lanyards, automatic self-retracting lifelines/lanyards, etc., which dissipates a substantial amount of energy during a fall.

Deceleration distance- The distance between the location of an employee's body belt or body harness attachment point at the moment of activation of the deceleration device, and the location of that attachment point after the employee comes to a full stop.

Failure- Breakage or separation of component parts.

Free fall- The act of falling before a personal fall arrest system begins to arrest the fall.

Free fall distance- The vertical distance between the onset of the fall and just before the system begins to apply force to arrest the fall.

Guardrail system- A barrier erected to prevent employees from falling to lower levels.

Hole- A gap 2 inches or more in a floor, roof, or other walking/working surface.

Lanyard- A flexible line of rope, wire rope, or strap which generally has a connector at each end for connecting the body belt or body harness to a deceleration device, lifeline, or anchorage.

Lifeline- A flexible line for connection to an anchorage at one end to hang vertically, or for connection to anchorages at both ends to stretch horizontally which serves as a means for connecting other components of a personal fall arrest system to the anchorage.

Low-slope roof- A roof having a slope less than or equal to 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal).

Lower levels- Surfaces to which an employee could fall. Such surfaces include ground levels, floors, platforms, ramps, runways, excavations, pits, tanks, material, water, equipment, and structures.

Mechanical equipment- All motor or human propelled wheeled equipment used for roofing work, except wheelbarrows and mopcarts.

Opening- A gap 30 inches or more high and 18 inches or more wide, in a wall or partition, through which employees can fall to a lower level.

Personal fall arrest system- A system used to stop an employee in a fall. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, a body belt or body harness and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, or lifeline. The use of a body belt for fall arrest is prohibited.

Positioning device system- A body belt or body harness system which allows an employee to be supported on an elevated vertical surface, such as a wall or pole , and work with both hands free while leaning.

Rope grab- A deceleration device which travels on a lifeline and automatically, by friction, engages the lifeline and locks so as to stop the fall of an employee.

Roof- The exterior surface on the top of a building. This does not include floors or formwork which, temporarily become the top surface of a building.

Roofing work- The hoisting, storage, application, and removal of roofing materials and equipment, including related insulation, sheet metal, and vapor barrier work, but not including the construction of the roof deck.

Safety-monitoring system- A safety system in which a competent person is responsible for recognizing and warning employees of fall hazards.

Self-retracting lifeline/lanyard- A deceleration device containing a line which can be slowly extracted or retracted into the device under slight tension during normal employee movement, and which automatically locks to stop a fall.

Snaphook- A connector comprised of a hook-shaped member with a normally closed keeper which may be opened to permit the hook to receive an object and, when released, automatically closes to retain the object. Snaphooks are generally one of two types:

• The locking type with a self-closing, self-locking keeper which remains closed and locked until unlocked and pressed open for connection or disconnection.
• The non-locking type with a self-closing keeper which remains closed until pressed open for connection or disconnection. The use of a non-locking snaphook as part of personal fall arrest systems and positioning device systems is prohibited.

Steep roof- A roof having a slope greater than 4 in 12 (vertical to horizontal).

Toeboard- A low protective barrier that will prevent the fall of materials and equipment to lower levels and provide protection from falls for personnel.

Unprotected sides and edges- Any side or edge (except at entrances to points of access) of a walking/working surface, e.g., floor, roof, ramp, or runway where there is no wall or guardrail system at least 39 inches high.

Walking/working surface- Any surface, whether horizontal or vertical on which an employee walks or works, including, floors, roofs, ramps, bridges, runways, formwork and concrete reinforcing steel but not including ladders, vehicles, or trailers, on which employees must be located in order to perform their job duties.

Warning line system- A barrier erected on a roof to warn employees that they are approaching an unprotected roof edge, and which designates an area in which roofing work may take place without the use of guardrail, body belt, or safety net systems to protect employees in the area.

Work area- That portion of a walking/working surface where job duties are being performed.

1. Unprotected sides and edges- Each employee on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side which is 6 feet or more above a lower level shall be protected from falling by the use of guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems.

2. Holes- Each employee on walking/working surfaces shall be protected from falling through holes (including skylights) more than 6 feet above lower levels, by personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems erected around the holes.

a. Each employee on a walking/working surface shall be protected from tripping in or stepping into or through holes (including skylights) by covers.

b. Each employee on a walking/working surface shall be protected from objects falling through holes (including skylights) by covers.

3. Ramps, runways, and other walkways- Each employee on ramps, runways, and other walkways shall be protected from falling 6 feet or more to lower levels by guardrail systems.

4. Excavations- Each employee at the edge of an excavation 6 feet or more in depth shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, fences, or barricades when the excavations are not readily seen because of plant growth or other visual barrier.

a. Each employee at the edge of a well, pit, shaft, and similar excavation 6 feet or more in depth shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, fences, barricades, or covers.

5. Dangerous equipment- Each employee less than 6 feet above dangerous equipment shall be protected from falling into or onto the dangerous equipment by guardrail systems or by equipment guards. Each employee 6 feet or more above dangerous equipment shall be protected from fall hazards by guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, or safety net systems.

6. Roofing work on low-slope roofs- Each employee engaged in roofing activities on low-slope roofs, with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, or a combination of warning line system and guardrail system, warning line system and safety net system, or warning line system and personal fall arrest system, or warning line system and safety monitoring system. Or, on roofs 50-feet or less in width, the use of a safety monitoring system alone (i.e. without the warning line system) is permitted.

7. Steep roofs- Each employee on a steep roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems with toeboards, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems.

8. Wall openings- Each employee working on, at, above, or near wall openings (including those with chutes attached) where the outside bottom edge of the wall opening is 6 feet or more above lower levels and the inside bottom edge of the wall opening is less than 39 inches above the walking/working surface, shall be protected from falling by the use of a guardrail system, a safety net system, or a personal fall arrest system.

5.0  FALL PROTECTION SYSTEMS

Guardrail systems

1. The height of top rails shall be 39-45 inches above the walking/working level.

2. Midrails, screens, mesh, and intermediate members shall be installed between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working surface if there is no wall at least 21 inches high.

a. Midrails shall be installed at a height midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working level.

b. Screens and mesh shall extend from the top rail to the walking/working level and along the entire opening between top rail supports.

c. Intermediate members (such as balusters), when used between posts, shall be not more than 19 inches apart.

d. Other structural members (such as additional midrails and architectural panels) shall be installed such that there are no openings in the guardrail system that are more than 19 inches wide.

3. Guardrail systems shall be capable of withstanding a force of at least 200 pounds applied within 2 inches of the top edge, in any outward or downward direction, at any point along the top edge.

4. When the 200 pound test load is applied in a downward direction, the top edge of the guardrail shall not deflect to a height less than 39 inches above the walking/working level. Guardrail system components selected and constructed in accordance with Appendix B of the OSHA regulations will be deemed to meet this requirement.

5. Midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, solid panels, and equivalent structural members shall be capable of withstanding a force of at least 150 pounds applied in any downward or outward direction at any point along the midrail or other member.

6. Guardrail systems shall be designed to prevent injury to an employee from punctures or lacerations, and to prevent snagging of clothing.

7. The ends of all top rails and midrails shall not overhang the terminal posts, except where such overhang does not constitute a projection hazard.

8. Steel banding and plastic banding shall not be used as top rails or midrails.

9. Top rails and midrails shall be at least one-quarter inch nominal diameter or thickness to prevent cuts and lacerations. If wire rope is used for top rails, it shall be flagged at 6-foot intervals with high-visibility material.

10. When guardrail systems are used at holes, they shall be erected on all unprotected sides or edges of the hole.

11. When guardrail systems are used around holes which are used as points of access (such as ladderways), they shall be provided with a gate, or be so offset that a person cannot walk directly into the hole.

12. Guardrail systems used on ramps and runways shall be erected along each unprotected side or edge.

13. Manila, plastic or synthetic rope used for top rails or midrails shall be inspected as frequently as necessary to ensure that it continues to meet the necessary strength requirements.

Safety Net Systems

1. Safety nets shall be installed as close as practicable under the walking/working surface on which employees are working, but in no case more than 30 feet below such level.

2. Safety nets shall extend outward from the outermost projection of the work surface as follows:

3. Safety nets and safety net installations shall be drop-tested at the jobsite after initial installation and before being used as a fall protection system, whenever relocated, after major repair, and at 6-month intervals if left in one place. Safety nets shall be installed with sufficient clearance under them to prevent contact with the surface or structures below when subjected to the drop test.

4. The drop-test shall consist of a 400 pound bag of sand, 28-32 inches in diameter dropped into the net from the highest walking/working surface at which employees are exposed to fall hazards.

5. If it is unreasonable to perform the drop-test, the university shall certify that the net installation is in compliance with the provisions of this section by preparing a certification record prior to the net being used. The certification record must include an identification of the net installation for which the certification record is being prepared; the date that it was determined that the net installation was in compliance with this section and the signature of the person making the determination and certification. The most recent certification record for each net installation shall be available at the jobsite for inspection.

6. Safety nets shall be inspected at least once a week for wear, damage, and other deterioration. Defective components shall be removed from service. Safety nets shall also be inspected after any occurrence which could affect the integrity of the safety net system.

7. Materials, scrap pieces, equipment, and tools which have fallen into the safety net shall be removed as soon as possible from the net and at least before the next work shift.

8. The maximum size of the mesh openings shall not exceed 36 square inches nor be longer than 6 inches on any side, and the openings, measured center-to-center of mesh ropes or webbing, shall not be longer than 6 inches. All mesh crossings shall be secured to prevent enlargement of the mesh opening.

9. Each safety net shall have a border rope for webbing with a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds.

10. Connections between safety net panels shall be as strong as integral net components and shall be spaced not more than 6 inches apart.

1. Body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. The use of a body belt as a positioning device is acceptable.

2. Connectors shall be drop forged, pressed or formed steel, or made of equivalent materials.

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

4. Dee-rings and snaphooks shall have a minimum tensile strength of 5,000 pounds.

5. Dee-rings and snaphooks shall be proof-tested to a minimum tensile load of 3,600 pounds without cracking, breaking, or taking permanent deformation.

6. Only locking type snaphooks shall be used.

7. Unless the snaphook is designed for the following connections, snaphooks shall not be connected:

• Directly to webbing, rope or wire rope.
• To each other.
• To a dee-ring to which another snaphook or other connector is attached.
• To a horizontal lifeline.

8. On 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.

9. 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.

10. Lanyards and vertical lifelines shall have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds.

11. When vertical lifelines are used, each employee shall be attached to a separate lifeline.

12. Lifelines shall be protected against being cut or abraded.

13. 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.

14. Self-retracting lifelines and lanyards 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.

15. Ropes and straps (webbing) used in lanyards, lifelines, and strength components of body belts and body harnesses shall be made from synthetic fibers.

16. 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, or shall be designed, installed, and used as follows:

• 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.

17. 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, 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 personal fall arrest system meets the criteria and protocols contained in Appendix C of the OSHA regulations and if the system is being used by an employee having a combined person and tool weight of less than 310 pounds the system will be considered to be in compliance with the provisions of this section. If the system is used by an employee having a combined tool and body weight of 310 pounds or more, then Appendix C must be appropriately modified to provide proper protection for such heavier weights.

18. 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.

19. Body harnesses and components shall be used only for employee protection and not to hoist materials.

20. Personal fall arrest systems subjected to impact loading shall be immediately removed from service and not used again for employee protection until inspected and determined by a competent person to be undamaged and suitable for reuse.

21. Personal fall arrest systems will be inspected by the user prior to each use for wear, damage and other deterioration. Defective components shall be removed from service.

22. Personal fall arrest systems shall not be attached to guardrail systems.

Positioning device systems (body belts)

1. Body belts shall be at least one and five-eighths (1 5/8) inches wide.

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

3. 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.

4. Connectors shall be drop forged, pressed or formed steel, or made of equivalent materials.

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

6. Connecting assemblies shall have a minimum tensile strength of 5,000 pounds.

7. Dee-rings and snaphooks shall be proof-tested to a minimum tensile load of 3,600 pounds without cracking, breaking, or taking permanent deformation.

8. Only locking type snaphooks shall be used.

9. Unless the snaphook is designed for the following connections, snaphooks shall not be connected:

• Directly to webbing, rope or wire rope.
• To each other.
• To a dee-ring to which another snaphook or other connector is attached.
• To a horizontal lifeline.

10. Positioning device systems shall be inspected prior to each use for wear, damage, and other deterioration, and defective components shall be removed from service.

11. Body belts shall be used only for employee protection and not to hoist materials.

Warning line systems

1. The warning line shall be erected around all sides of the roof work area.

2. When mechanical equipment is not being used, the warning line shall be erected at least 6 feet from the roof edge.

3. When mechanical equipment is being used, the warning line shall be erected at least 6 feet from the roof edge which is parallel to the direction of mechanical equipment operation, and at least 10 feet from the roof edge which is perpendicular to the direction of mechanical equipment operation.

4. 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.

5. When the path to a point of access is not in use, a rope, wire, chain, or other barricade, equivalent in strength and height to the warning line, shall be placed across the path at the point where the path intersects the warning line erected around the work area, or the path shall be offset such that a person cannot walk directly into the work area.

6. Warning lines shall consist of ropes, wires, or chains, and supporting stanchions erected as follows:

• The rope, wire, or chain shall be flagged at 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 is no less than 34 inches from the walking/working surface and its highest point is no more than 39 inches from the walking/working surface.
• After being erected, with the rope, wire, or chain attached, stanchions shall be capable of resisting, without tipping over, a force of at least 16 pounds applied horizontally against the stanchion, 30 inches above the walking/working surface, perpendicular to the warning line, and in the direction of the floor, roof, or platform edge.
• The rope, wire, or chain shall have a minimum tensile strength of 500 pounds, and after being attached to the stanchions, shall be capable of supporting the loads applied to the stanchions as prescribed in this section.
• The line shall be attached at each stanchion in such a way that pulling on one section of the line between stanchions will not result in slack being taken up in adjacent sections before the stanchion tips over.

7. 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.

8. Mechanical equipment on roofs shall be used or stored only in areas where employees are protected by a warning line system, guardrail system, or personal fall arrest system.

6.0  CONTROLLED ACCESS ZONES

1. When used to control access to areas where leading edge and other operations are taking place the controlled access zone shall be defined by a control line or by any other means that restricts access.

2. When control lines are used, they shall be erected at least 6 feet but no more than 25 feet from the unprotected or leading edge.

3. 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.

4. The control line shall be connected on each side to a guardrail system or wall.

5. Control lines shall consist of ropes, wires, tapes, or equivalent materials, and supporting stanchions as follows:

a. Each line shall be flagged or otherwise marked at 6-foot intervals with high-visibility material.

b. 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 from the walking/working surface.

c. Each line shall have a minimum breaking strength of 200 pounds.

7.0  SAFETY MONITORING SYSTEMS

1. A competent person will be designated to monitor the safety of other employees. The safety monitor shall complies with the following requirements:

a. The safety monitor shall be competent to recognize fall hazards.

b. 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.

c. The safety monitor shall be on the same walking/working surface and within visual sighting distance of the employee being monitored.

d. The safety monitor shall be close enough to communicate orally with the employee.

e. The safety monitor shall not have other responsibilities which could take the monitor's attention from the monitoring function.

2. Mechanical equipment shall not be used or stored in areas where safety monitoring systems are being used to monitor employees engaged in roofing operations on low-slope roofs.

3. No employee, other than an employee engaged in roofing work [on low-sloped roofs] or an employee covered by a fall protection plan, shall be allowed in an area where an employee is being protected by a safety monitoring system.

4. Each employee working in a controlled access zone shall be directed to comply promptly with fall hazard warnings from safety monitors.

1. Covers located in roadways and vehicular aisles shall be capable of supporting at least twice the maximum axle load of the largest vehicle expected to cross over the cover.

2. All other covers shall be capable of supporting at least twice the weight of employees, equipment, and materials that may be imposed on the cover at any one time.

3. All covers shall be secured when installed so as to prevent accidental displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees.

4. All covers shall be color coded or they shall be marked with the word "HOLE" or "COVER" to provide warning of the hazard.

Note: This provision does not apply to cast iron manhole covers or steel grates used on streets or roadways.

1. The university will determine if the walking/working surfaces on which its employees work have the strength and structural integrity to support them safely. Employees shall be allowed to work on those surfaces only when the surfaces have the required strength and structural integrity.

10.0  PROTECTION FROM FALLING OBJECTS

1. When an employee is exposed to falling objects, the employee shall wear a hard hat. One of the following measures will be implemented:

a. Erect toeboards, screens, or guardrail systems to prevent objects from falling from higher levels.

b. Barricade the area to which objects could fall, prohibit employees from entering the barricaded area, and keep objects away from the edge of a higher level.

2. Toeboards, when used as falling object protection, shall be erected along the edge of the overhead walking/working surface for a distance sufficient to protect employees below.

3. Toeboards shall be capable of withstanding a force of at least 50 pounds applied in any downward or outward direction at any point along the toeboard.

4. Toeboards shall be a minimum of 3 ½ inches in vertical height from their top edge to the level of the walking/working surface. They shall have not more than 1/4 inch clearance above the walking/working surface. They shall be solid or have openings not over 1 inch in greatest dimension.

5. Where tools, equipment, or materials are piled higher than the top edge of a toeboard, paneling or screening shall be erected from the walking/working surface or toeboard to the top of a guardrail system's top rail or midrail, for a distance sufficient to protect employees below.

6. Guardrail systems, when used as falling object protection, shall have all openings small enough to prevent passage of potential falling objects.

7. During the performance of roofing work:

a. Materials and equipment shall not be stored within 6 feet of a roof edge unless guardrails are erected at the edge.

b. Materials which are piled, grouped, or stacked near a roof edge shall be stable and self-supporting.

1. The Safety Office will provide a training program for each employee who could be exposed to fall hazards. The program shall enable each employee to recognize the hazards of falling and train each employee in the procedures to be followed in order to minimize these hazards.

2. The Safety Office shall assure that each employee has been trained in the following areas:

a. The nature of fall hazards in the work area.

b. The correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting the fall protection systems used.

c. The use and operation of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems, warning line systems, safety monitoring systems, controlled access zones, and other protection used.

d. The role of each employee in the safety monitoring system when this system is used.

e. The limitations on the use of mechanical equipment during the performance of roofing work on low-sloped roofs.

f. The correct procedures for the handling and storage of equipment and materials and the erection of overhead protection.

g. The role of employees in fall protection plans.

h. The standards contained in this program.

3. The Safety Office will verify compliance with the requirements of this program by preparing a written certification record. The written record shall contain the name of the employee trained, the date of the training, and the signature of the person who conducted the training. The latest training certification shall be maintained.

4. If an affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required by this section, the Safety Office shall retrain the employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:

a. Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete.

b. Changes in the types of fall protection systems or equipment to be used render previous training obsolete.

c. Inadequacies in an affected employee's knowledge or use of fall protection systems or equipment indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill.