Page 16 - Occupational Health & Safety, January 2018

FALL PROTECTION
Safe Steps for Working at Height
Regulatory compliance or short-term thinking alone is clearly not enough to truly ensure workers are kept safe and to avoid serious accidents.
BY JOHN ECKEL
Fall-related violations continue to dominate OSHA’s top 10 employer workplace safety vio- lations. In fiscal 2016, the No. 1 violation (as it is each year) was Fall Protection—general
requirements, with 6,072 violations. The No. 3 viola- tion was scaffolding (3,288 violations); No. 6 was lad- ders (2,241 violations), and No. 9 was fall protection— training requirements: (1,523 violations).
Falls continue to be among the leading causes of worker injuries and deaths. By reviewing key haz- ards, safety cultures, the impacts of regulations, and personal protective equipment (PPE), safety manag- ers can encourage and support safe practices for indi- viduals who work at height.
“Working at height” refers to work that takes place in any circumstance in which a fall could cause per- sonal injury. This includes working on a ladder, a flat roof, or a fragile surface or even in an area near an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground. A key point for any of these situations: Workers don’t need to fall far to be seriously injured or even killed.
Work at height takes place across a diverse range of industries. Many hazards may be specific to a given working environment. However, a common cause of accidents is a failure to take sufficient precautions, especially when carrying out work at relatively low heights (4 to 6 feet). Workers may fail to plan correct- ly and underestimate the risks involved in working at
14 Occupational Health & Safety | JANUARY 2018
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