Page 23 - OHS, October 2024

When organizations have diverse work crews, it can be tempting to
provide workers with harnesses with more d-rings than may be nec-
essary. However, the potential for misuse can arise, and workers can
mistakenly connect to d-rings that are not properly rated. For example,
a worker with limited fl exibility might connect their SRL (intended
for fall arrest) to one of their side d-rings. Not only would this violate
ANSI guidelines and manufacturer instructions, but the worker could
be exposed to extreme fall forces and further injury if a fall were to oc-
cur. As stated previously, workers must be trained on the limitations of
their equipment, not just the features & benefi ts the additional equip-
ment can provide. Misusing fall protection equipment can sometimes
cause as much or more harm than if it were not used at all.
Better Planning & Building Design Can Help
Remove Harnesses
If workers are required to wear a fall protection harness during
their task, then they must wear it properly to ensure its eff ective-
ness. However, utilizing methods such as hazard elimination (per-
forming tasks on the ground) or fall prevention (installing guard-
rail) can be more eff ective in keeping workers safe and preventing
injuries. In both scenarios, workers would never have to don a har-
ness, and thus, employers would not have to worry about potential
misuse or workers neglecting to use the equipment.
Obviously, these two methods take meticulous planning and
coordination to accomplish, but the benefi ts to employers & em-
ployees are substantial. From a safety perspective, eliminating risk
should always be preferred to mitigating risk. Risk mitigation is
susceptible to equipment failure or misuse, but hazard elimination
attempts to remove risk from the scenario entirely.
To decrease the amount of fall injuries and fatalities that occur
each year, invest in resources to prevent falls from occurring in the
fi rst place. Any organization can begin this work at any time. Com-
panies can mandate safer building designs from their architects,
general contractors can mandate safer practices from their subcon-
tractors, and safety managers can advocate for hazard elimination
over confi guring complicated fall protection systems that are only as
eff ective as the training programs delivered to employees. Even then,
fall arrest equipment can only mitigate the injuries a worker will suf-
fer; it cannot prevent the fall. Preventing falls will save lives, and ev-
ery worker deserves to go home safely at the end of every shift .
Philip Jacklin is Continuing Education Program Manager for Di-
versifi ed Fall Protection. He is an AIA continuing ed provider, QSSP
certifi ed, OSHA-30 trained, and has been a partner to the fall protec-
tion industry since 2018. Philip has a background in worker advocacy,
team leadership, and fostering camaraderie among peers.
E N D - T O - E N D S A F E T Y
D E S I G N E D. FA B R I C AT E D. I N S TA L L E D.
We produce 2 miles of guardrail a day... but that doesn’t
define us. It’s true, nobody manufactures and installs more
fall protection guardrail on the North American continent
than Safety Rail Company. In addition, we assess, custom
engineer, manufacture and install one-of-a-kind solutions.
So, tell us what you need, and we’ll make it.
EVALUATE — SPECIFY — MANUFACTURE — INSTALL — SERVICE
THESAFEST.COM
©2024 SAFETY RAIL COMPANY
888.434.2720 CALL OR VISIT
www.ohsonline.com OCTOBER 2024 | Occupational Health & Safety 23