Page 36 - Occupational Health & Safety, March 2018

FALL PROTECTION
DoYouReallyNeeda5,000-lb.AnchorPointtoSatisfyOSHA?
You may be eliminating perfectly good anchor points where it’s already difficult to achieve proper fall protection.
BY DANIEL HUNTINGTON
Anchor point selection can offer limited op- tions when trying to comply with OSHA. For many safety professionals, it is a black and white area that offers no gray option in between. The rule says the anchor point must have the ability to support 5,000 pounds per person attached or it’s no good. Is this true, or are you overlooking fall protection solutions typically discarded?
Perhaps the reason that this belief is so widespread is that it’s the simplest way to enforce the rule: 5,000 pounds—yes or no? Most people relying on safety personnel to interpret the OSHA standards will think it sounds plausible enough and find ways to be com- pliant. The catch is, though, that this is not exactly
what the standard says. In fact, by following this cut- and-dried rule, you may be eliminating perfectly good anchor points in a situation where it’s already difficult to achieve proper fall protection.
The OSHA standard states:
“Anchorages used for attachment of personal fall arrest equipment shall be...capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) 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.” [29 CFR 1926.502(d)(15) and (d)(15)(i)]
There are various theories as to why OSHA settled on 5,000 pounds. One is that 5,000 pounds is twice
30 Occupational Health & Safety | MARCH 2018
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