Comprehensive Fall Prevention Training Program

1. Fall Prevention Training ProgrambyMark C. RadomskyJoseph P. FlickGarold Russell&Raja V. Ramani The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 2001

2. Why a Fall Prevention Training Program? Costs of pain, suffering and personal losses, lost services, production loss, and property damage are astronomical and needless • Each year, about 15,000 people in the U.S. die from unintentional falls • Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional-injury deaths in the workplace • Over 700 U.S. workers per year were killed by falls at work between 1996 and 1999 • About 300,000 fall-related lost-time injuries also occur each year

3. Accident Ratio Studies 1 FATALITY 100 Minor 29 Property Damage 500 300 Unsafe practices/ Unsafe conditions ????? ?????

4. Fall Fatality Rates by Industry(1980-1994:8102 Fall Fatalities)

5. Program Goals • Elimination/reduction of fall hazards • Reduction of fall incidence rates • Reduction of fall injury/severity rates

6. Program Objectives • Enhance the understanding of fall hazards • Enhance the understanding of fall prevention strategies • Increase knowledge, skills, and ability to avoid fall hazards and fall-related losses

7. Locations of Fatal Falls(1980-1994 Data: 8,102 Fall Fatalities)

8. Perception of Hazards Essential to Recognize, Avoid, and Control Them Perceive—v.t., to grasp or take in mentally, to become aware of through the senses; perception—the process of perceiving • Training makes a person more proficient in perception—increasing perception by enhancing knowledge and awareness through education and training

9. Fall Hazards • Fall to a lower level • Falling to the same level • Slips, trips, and falls • Struck by falling objects, etc. • Struck against • Caught in, under, or between • Clutter • Environmental elements (wind, water, ice, heat, glare, fog, noise, etc.)

10. Falls from elevation Falling into/onto dangerous equipment Excavations Crane work Aerial lifts Elements No personal fall protection Lack of guards No barriers No guardrails Untrained personnel Ignoring winds, ice, rain Falling to a Lower LevelFall Situations Common Causes

11. Fall on/from stairway Holes in walking or working surfaces Housekeeping No platforms No covers, inadequate illumination Clutter Falling to the Same LevelFall SituationsCommon Causes

12. Fall Situations Environmental Elements Holes in walking or working surfaces Fall on or from stairway Common Causes Failure to remove snow, ice from walking surfaces No guardrail systems Clutter Slips, Trips, and Falls

13. Falling objects Falling materials Collapsing structures Failure to barricade areas beneath work taking place above ground level Inadequate or absence of toe boards Placing oneself beneath suspended loads, booms, structures, etc. Struck-byFall SituationsCommon Causes

14. Man basket structure and a beam Two beams or between a beam and a structure Scissors lift mechanism Failure to inspect and maintain manlifts Placing yourself in tight locations Placing any part of your body or clothing close to moving parts Failure to maintain communication with fellow workers Caught in or betweenSituationCommon Cause

15. Effect/Outcome Increases the risk of STF Increases the risk of fires Blocks quick access firefighting equipment Increases evacuation time Common Causes Failure to inspect work areas Failure to remove clutter Allowing combustibles to accumulate Clutter on/around…stairs, walkways, staging areas/ “hotwork”, firefightingequipment, escapeways

16. Increase the slip, trip, fall hazard potential Increase the severity of the injury/loss Decrease productivity Reduce ability to communicate effectively (noise) Failure to monitor wind conditions Choosing to work in windy conditions Failing to control water accumulations Failure to remove ice, or apply salt, sand Failure to prepare for heat and high humidity Failure to prepare for cold temperature Environmental ElementsWind, water, ice, heat, cold, noiseCommon Causes

17. Fall Hazard Elimination/Reduction Strategies • Eliminating the hazards through engineering design/practice • Installing fall protection systems • Providing personal protective equipment • Training personnel in hazard recognition and avoidance

18. Engineering • Follow all applicable laws/regulations (CFR 29, 1926) • Evaluate alternative equipment, alternative methods • Conduct JSA/design jobs to avoid hazards • Evaluate maintenance, housekeeping needs, and develop policies, procedures • Develop written procedures (plans, protocols, checklists) for JSA, inspections, maintenance, communication, etc. • Develop and implement training for each job/each equipment procedure

19. Guardrails Safety net Personal fall arrest Warning line system and: Guardrail Safety net Personal fall arrest Safety monitoring Controlled access zone Choose the appropriate system Meet design standards Protected against damage Comply with personnel access restriction rules Enforce standards through inspection and maintenance Have written audit procedures Train workers for safe use, inspection and reporting Fall Protection Systems

20. Dee-rings & snap hooks Horizontal lifelines Lanyard or lifeline Anchorage point Connecting devices Hard hat Body belt Body harness Meet all design requirements Use according to manufacturers’ directions Install under supervision, where applicable Protect against damage Standards for procurement & distribution Train personnel for safe use, inspection, reporting Personal Protective Equipment

21. Develop and Implement Training Programs • Hazard Recognition Training • Equipment Inspection/Use Training • JSA/Task Training • Training in communication/reporting procedures of the organization • Use Multimedia Enhanced Training

22. Elements of a Good Fall Prevention Program PLAN PLAN DESIGN ORGANIZE MONITOR CONTROL DO ACT CHECK

23. Two Key Organizational Factors • Management’s Commitment to Outstanding Health and Safety Performance Must be Transparent Through its Actions • Worker’s Unconditional Cooperation Through Continuous Compliance with all Known Hazard Prevention Programs and Practices