Page 16 - Occupational Health & Safety, November/December 2019

FALL PROTECTION
Standard for Dropped Objects
Understanding ANSI/ISEA 121-2018.
BY BAXTER BYRD
It has been over a year since the adoption of the ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 Standard for Dropped Object Prevention Solutions. The ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 standard “establishes minimum de-
sign, performance, testing, and labeling requirements for solutions that reduce dropped objects incidents in industrial and occupational settings.” ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 looks to mitigate injuries from tools work- ers use just as the ANSI Z359 suite of fall protection standards protects the workers themselves.
Injury and death rates from dropped objects con- tinue to be a stubborn factor across all industries, and the adoption of standards specific to mitigating these injuries and deaths will be an important (and increas- ingly visible) part of working at height.
Talking the Talk
Just as ANSI Z359 codified certain equipment cat- egories that have now become colloquial across the fall protection industry, ANSI/ISEA 121 has also introduced new equipment categories that will be just as frequently used. Most of these categories have been used informally across jobsites already, but the adoption of ANSI/ISEA 121 as a general standard formalizes the definitions to provide clar- ity and consistency across all industries when talk- ing about dropped object prevention. The major equipment categories are:
■ Tool Tethers. Lanyards or materials designed to connect tools to approved anchor points.
■ Tool Attachments. Attachment points de- signed to be field installed onto tools or equipment to
provide appropriate connection points for tethering. ■ Anchor Attachments. Attachment points de- signed to be field installed on structures, equipment or workers, to provide appropriate connection points
for tethering.
■ Containers and bags. Devices designed to
carry or transport tools and equipment to and from heights.
Walking the Walk
Like all fall protection applications, assembling a dropped objects prevention solution takes a little fore- thought, and there are a few things to remember when selecting attachment points, tethers, or containers.
1. The location or type of Tool Attachment should not interfere with the ergonomics or usability of the tool. If a Tool Attachment point must be mounted to the handle or grip of a tool, ensure the tool can be used in the same manner as if the attachment were not present. The attachment point should not increase the potential risk of dropping the tool.
2. Anchor Attachment points should be selected in order of preference: 1) structure, 2) waist, and 3) wrist. 3. Always choose the shortest Tool Tether pos- sible. While it might seem convenient to just purchase a handful of tethers with a one-size-fits-all mental- ity, keeping tethers short reduces the possibility of entanglement, especially around moving or rotating equipment. Bungie or retractable Tool Tethers keep material tight to the body and do not sag when the
tool is in use.
4. Know and adhere to Tool Tether weight limits.
16 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
www.ohsonline.com
Prapat Aowsakorn/Shutterstock.com