Workshop Materials 301 - Fall Protection (overheads)

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Fall Protection In Construction
Welcome!
OR-OSHA 301 1004
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• This presentation will discuss
• The importance of planning
• When fall protection is required
• What fall protection methods are available
• Basic principals of a personal fall arrest system
  (PFAS)
• Rescue planning
• Training

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Planning and identifying needs

• The most important element of construction
  worksite safety is planning.
• Hazards must be identified based on the
  evaluation of the processes, and the worksite
  overall, before a plan can be developed.
• If proper planning isnt done, time and materials
  will be wasted and, consequently, costs will
  rise.
• Planning makes the difference between the success
  or failure of any project.

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• Before we can reduce or eliminate fall hazards in
  the construction industry, we must first become
  familiar with
• the characteristics of fall hazards,
• what fall protection is,
• what methods of protection are available, and
• the basic planning requirements for any type of
  construction work where fall hazards exist.

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• Plan the work before you work the plan
• Evaluate the work site
• Identify fall hazards
• Identify who is exposed to fall hazards
• Evaluate the process to be done and the needs to
  complete the task
• Identify what method of fall protection will be
  used for each hazard identified

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How much planning was done here?
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What is fall protection?
prevent
A method to __________ a person from falling or
by reducing the ____________ of a fall to limit
physical damage. Conventional systems include
guardrails, covers, safety nets, personal fall
arrest, personal fall restraint, positioning
devices, etc.
distance
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Why is fall protection important?

• Prevents or reduces personal injury
• Prevents/reduces injury to others
• Reduces
• Direct costs from falls are generally between
  16,000 - 34,000!
• Compliance with the regulations

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Federal OSHA statistics show Falls are the
leading cause of work-related deaths among
construction workers.
Why would people have the equipment on and not
use it?
What factors contribute to falls?
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Hazard?
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Hazard?
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Hazard?
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Hazard?
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Hazard?
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Hazard?
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The Requirements
Although the use of personal fall arrest systems
(PFAS) is the most widely used method of fall
protection, there are alternatives available that
may better suit the work being performed and
better protect the worker. Before we discuss
the use of personal fall arrest systems, lets
discuss fall protection requirements and take a
look at some other fall protection options.
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Div 3/Sub M OAR 437-003-1501 General Fall
Protection states when employees are exposed
to a hazard of falling 10 feet or more to a lower
level, the employer must ensure that fall
protection systems are provided, installed, and
implemented according to the criteria in Div
3/Sub M 29 CFR 1926.502 Fall Protection Systems
Criteria and Practices.
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However Fall protection must be provided when
employees are exposed to the hazard of falling
six feet or more..

• through holes
• through wall openings
• from established floors, mezzanines, balconies,
  walkways
• into excavations

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And Every employee must be protected from falls
into or onto dangerous equipment - regardless of
height!
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Fall Protection for the following areas is not
covered in OR-OSHA Div 3/Sub M because theyre
covered elsewhere

• Working on scaffolds - Div 3/Sub L
• Certain cranes and derricks - Div 3/Sub N
• Steel erection activities - Div 3/Sub R
• Certain equip in tunneling operations - Div
  3/Sub S
• Construction of electrical transmission and
  distribution lines and equipment - in Div 3/Sub V
• Working on stairways and ladders - Div 3/Sub X

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A few other notes..
The employer must determine the walking/working
surfaces where employees will work are strong
enough and have the structural integrity to
support employees safely.
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• Protection must be provided when there is a
  hazard of falling objects
• Hardhats and
• toeboards, screens, or guardrails systems
• canopy structure
• barricade area below and prohibit access

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A quick look at other fall protection options

• Guardrail Systems
• Toprail at 42 (/- 3) from working surface
• Midrail approx. 21, or screens/mesh from toprail
  to working surface
• Capable of withstanding 200 lbs. of force
  (midrail must withstand 150 lbs.)
• applied within two inches of the top edge

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Whats missing?
1926.501(c)(1) Erect toeboards, screens, or
guardrail systems to prevent objects from falling
from higher levels or,
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• Surfaced to prevent cuts, lacerations, and
  slivers
• Ends must not extend over posts if it can pose a
  projection hazard
• Flag every six feet when wire rope is used
• When hoisting operations are not taking place
• chain, gate, or removable section must be
  installed across access opening
• Erected along all open sides of a hole

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A quick look at other fall protection options

• Covers
• Capable of supporting, without failure, at least
  2X the weight of employees, equipment, and
  materials that may be imposed on the cover at any
  one time
• Must be secured to prevent accidental
  displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees
• Must be color coded or marked HOLE or COVER
• Capable of supporting, without failure, at least
  2X the maximum axle load of the largest vehicle
  expected to cross over

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• Safety Nets
• Installed as close as possible under the
  walking/working surface
• never more than 30 ft. below!
• Must extend outward from the outermost projection
  of the work surface

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Vertical distance from working level to
horizontal plane of net
Minimum required horizontal
Up to 5 ft 8 ft. More than 5 ft. up to 10
ft 10 ft. More than 10 ft. 13 ft.
A safety net is being used under the roof of this
building as an acceptable fall protection system.
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• Drop tests specified in Div 3/Sub M 29 CFR
  1926.502(c)(4)
• Inspect at least once a week for wear, damage,
  and other deterioration
• inspect after any occurrence which could affect
  integrity
• Materials, scrap, etc., must be removed ASAP
• Mesh openings must not exceed 36 sq. in. nor be
  longer than six inches on any side
• Safety nets, and sections of it, must have a
  border rope for webbing with a minimum breaking
  strength of 5000 lbs.

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A quick look at other fall protection options

• Slide Guard Systems
• Installed under Competent Person supervision
• Cannot be used on roofs with ground/eave height
  of 25 ft. or more
• Cannot be used as fall protection on roofs with a
  slope less than 312 nor greater than 812
• Roofs with slopes greater than or equal to 312
  to and including 612
• minimum of one slide guard placed below the work
  area
• no closer than 6 from the eave

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• Roofs with slopes greater than 612 to and
  including 812
• multiple slide guards must be used
• spaced 8 apart, vertically
• lower slide guard must be placed no closer than
  6 from eave
• Lowest slide guard must be 90 degrees to the roof
  surface
• Upper slide guards cannot be less than 60 degrees
  to the roof surface

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• Slide Guard Systems - Manufactured Roof Brackets
• Installed according to manufacturers specs
• Minimum 6 brackets must be used
• All brackets must bear on a solid surface
• Brackets must not be spaced greater than 8 apart
  horizontally, or according to manufacturers
  specs (whichever is less)

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• Nominal 2X6 material must be used for slide
  guards
• must be secured to the brackets or otherwise
  protected against cantilevering and failure due
  to material flex
• Manufacturers specs must be available for review

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Any problems here?
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A quick look at other fall protection options

• Safety Monitoring System
• Only for roofing work on roof slopes of 212 or
  less
• A safety monitoring system alone can be the only
  fall protection for roofs 50 wide or less
• A safety monitor
• must be competent to recognize fall hazards
• must warn employees when it appears they are
  unaware of the fall hazard
• must be on the same surface and within visual
  distance of the employees
• must be close enough to communicate
• must not have other responsibilities which could
  take away their attention

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• Warning Line Systems
• For roofing work
• must not be used as fall protection on slopes
  greater than 212
• employees performing roofing work between a roof
  edge and a warning line must be protected by
  guardrails, nets, PFAS, PFRS, or safety
  monitoring system
• Must be erected around all open sides of the roof
  work area no less than 6 from the roof edge

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• When mechanical equipment is being used, the
  warning line must be erected
• no less than 6 from the roof edge which is
  parallel and no less than 10 from the roof edge
  which is perpendicular to the direction of the
  mechanical equipment operation
• Points of access and material handling areas must
  be connected to the work area by an access path
  formed by two warning lines
• close access/offset when not in use

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• Warning lines must consist of ropes, wires, or
  chains, and
• flagged every 6 w/ high-visibility material
• rigged and supported that its lowest point
  (including sag) is no less than 34 and its
  highest point is no more than 39
• stanchions must be capable of resisting at
  least 16 lbs. of force
• warning line must have a minimum tensile
  strength of 500 lbs.
• Employees are not allowed between the roof edge
  and warning line unless performing roofing work

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A quick look at other fall protection options

• Positioning Device System
• Must be rigged to prevent a free fall of more
  than two feet
• Must be secured to an anchorage capable of
  supporting at least twice the potential impact
  load of a fall or 3000 lbs. (whichever is greater)

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• Connectors and connecting components must be in
  accordance with Div 3/Sub M 29 CFR 1926.502(d).
  For example

• must be drop forged, pressed or formed steel, or
  equivalent
• must have a corrosion-resistant finish and
  surfaces must be smooth
• proof-tested to a minimum tensile load of 3600
  lbs. without cracking, breaking, or taking
  permanent deformation
• snaphooks must be compatible with the member it
  connects to

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• Personal Fall Restraint System
• Must be rigged to prevent the user from falling
  any distance!
• Comprised of a full body harness, anchorage, and
  connectors (e.g. lanyard, snaphooks, etc.)
• in accordance with Div 3/SubM
  29 CFR 1926.502(d)

Courtesy of Superanchor.com
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• Personal Fall Restraint System
• Anchorages used for attachment must be capable of
  supporting 3000 lbs. per employee attached, or
• be designed, installed, and used as part of a
  complete personal fall restraint system which
  maintains a safety factor of at least two
• under the supervision of a qualified person

Courtesy of Superanchor.com
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Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS)

• Reduces injury sustained in a fall by
• reducing the distance of the fall
• absorbing the arresting forces
• Must limit the maximum arresting force
  on an employee to 1800 lbs. or
  less
• Must be rigged such that an employee
• cannot free fall more than six feet
• not contact a lower level
• limit deceleration distance to 3.5 ft

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Personal Fall Arrest System

• Anchorages used for attachment must be capable of
  supporting 5000 lbs. per employee attached, or
• be designed, installed, and used as part of a
  complete personal fall arrest system which
  maintains a safety factor of at least two
• under the supervision of a qualified person
• A rescue system must be in place when personal
  fall arrest systems are used
• provisions for prompt rescue
• assurance of self-rescue

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The ABCs!.er, and R
Courtesy of Protecta International
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Personal Fall Arrest System
Anchorage
An anchorage point is a secure point of
attachment for lifelines, lanyards, deceleration
devices, or self retracting lanyards.
Courtesy of DBI/SALA
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The anchorage point can be a single attachment to
a substantial structure above the surface from
which the employee is walking/working on, or it
can be one to two attachments used to anchor a
vertical or horizontal lifeline.

Courtesy of Superanchor.com
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Anchorages used for personal fall arrest must be
independent of any anchorage used to support or
suspend platforms (e.g. two point suspended
scaffolds).
Courtesy of DBI/SALA
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The anchorage point for fall arrest systems must
be capable of supporting 5000 lb. for each worker
attached to it or used as part of a complete PFAS
which maintains a safety factor of at least two
and under the supervision of a qualified person.
Think of it this way - would you suspend your
truck from this anchor point? If not, dont use
it!
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Do we have a problem here?
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Personal Fall Arrest System
Full body harness
Must restrict the Maximum Arrest Force (MAF) to
1800 lbs.
Courtesy of MSA
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MAF can be reduced through the use of
deceleration devices, or by reducing the fall
distance under the guidance of a qualified
person.
Courtesy of MSA
Deceleration devices reduce arresting forces
Reduce the fall distance whenever possible
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The impact of the fall is imposed on the trunk of
the body which distributes the MAF to a larger
area than the safety belt, reducing the potential
for damage to the body. The attachment point
(D-Ring) must be located in the center of the
wearers back near shoulder level.
Inspect before use for wear, damage,
deterioration, and defects. Must be removed from
service if subjected to impact loading and not
returned to use until a competent person
determines no damage was done.
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Personal Fall Arrest System
Connectors (Everything between your harness and
anchor)
Connector means a device which is used to connect
parts of the PFAS and positioning devices
together.

• It may be independent (e.g. carabiner) or may be
  an integral component (e.g. D-Ring sewn into a
  body harness or snaphooks sewn and spliced into
  lanyards).

Courtesy of DBI/SALA
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Connectors include lanyards, snaphooks,
carabiners, D-Rings, lifelines, and deceleration
devices. A Lanyard is a device which connects
the worker to the anchorage point.
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For positioning, its used to connect the two
front D-Rings to the anchorage point. For fall
arrest, it is secured at one end to the workers
D-Ring on the harness between the shoulders and
the other end to the anchorage point. Lanyards
must be made from synthetic material and have a
minimum breaking strength of 5000 lbs. Only
locking-type snaphooks and carabiners can be
used.
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• The following connections are prohibited (unless
  the locking-type snaphook is designed for it)
• engaged directly to webbing, rope, or wire rope
• engaged to another snaphook
• engaged to a D-Ring to which another
  snaphook/carabiner is attached
• engaged to a horizontal lifeline
• engaged to any object which is incompatibly
  shaped or dimensioned such that unintentional
  disengagement can occur (roll out)

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Non-locking snaphooks can no longer be used -
primarily because of the hazard of rollout.
Rollout can occur when a snaphook is connected
to an incompatible member. As the worker moves
around, the snaphook can turn and twist so that
the gate to the hook is resting against the
anchorage point. The gate may depress against
the anchorage point inadvertently, opening and
disconnecting from the anchorage allowing the
worker to fall to the level below.
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Personal Fall Arrest System
Connectors (cont)
Deceleration device means any mechanism which
dissipates a substantial amount of energy imposed
on an employee during fall arrest.

• Deceleration devices include rope grabs,
  rip-stitch/tearing lanyards, and self-retractable
  lanyards.
• Remember - maximum arresting forces on a employee
  during a fall arrest must be less than 1800 lbs.

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A lifeline is a flexible line which connects to
an anchorage point at one end to hang vertically,
or at both ends to stretch horizontally.

• Vertical lifelines are designed to be used
• By only one person
• With a rope grab
• For vertical mobility

Courtesy of Protecta International
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Horizontal lifelines can be used only As part
of a complete PFAS which maintains a safety
factor of at least two, and when designed,
installed, and used under the supervision of a
qualified person.
Courtesy of DBI/SALA
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The Fall
We have all heard the expression - its not the
fall thats hurts but the sudden stop at the end.
Think of a fall as .a sudden, unanticipated
descent in space driven by gravity. Although
this may not sound severe, the consequences are
often disabling - or deadly. The free fall
velocity at impact when falling 12 feet is nearly
20 mph. Put another way, a person will hit the
ground in just under one second after falling
this distance.
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free
fall
A ____________ ___________ is defined as the
act of falling before a personal fall arrest
system begins to apply force to arrest the fall.
When a fall is experienced using a PFAS, the fall
is referred to as a free fall up until the system
_____________ to stop the fall (starts to arrest
the fall).
begins
Think of a parachute - pulling the rip cord stops
the free fall and begins the fall arrest.
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When the fall does come to a complete stop the
action is referred to as the fall arrest.
Tremendous force is imposed on the body during
the fall arrest. This force imposed during the
arrest is known as the arrest force. Forces
imposed in a fall greatly depends on the type of
system you are using and the free fall distance.
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• For example A 220 lb. worker.
• free falling 6 in. using a wire rope lanyard
  (without a deceleration device) 3917 lbs.
• free falling 4 ft. using a nylon rope lanyard
  (without a deceleration device) 2140 lbs.
• free falling 6 ft. using a synthetic web lanyard
  (with a deceleration device) lt900 lbs.

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OR-OSHA Div 3/Sub M sets limits on the Maximum
Arrest Force (MAF). The law prohibits the use
of a safety belt for fall arrest and allows a
maximum of 1800 lbs. when using a full body
harness.
ARREST FORCE The force imposed when the stop
occurs.
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A fall starts from the moment your feet leave the
surface you were working on. When using PFAS,
the fall distance is measured from your shoulder
(D-Ring location) to the working surface and any
distance below the surface. When anchored
above your shoulder, the fall is measured from
the anchorage point to the end of the lanyard
when the fall is completely stopped. Any
additional distance the person falls beyond the
free fall is added to the free fall distance and
referred to as the total fall distance. This
is the measurement of the fall from start to
stop.
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Lets calculate the fall distance using a six
foot, shock absorbing lanyard, when the anchorage
is at shoulder (D-Ring) height.
5
1
__
Distance from the anchorage/D-Ring to the working
surface 5
Distance below the working surface until the free
fall stops and fall arrest begins __
1
6
Free fall distance __
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5 from the anchorage/D-Ring to the working
surface

__ below the working surface
1

__ free fall
6
3.5 from shock absorber elongation __ - you
came down too!

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14.5 ft. Total Fall Distance
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The Fall
Remember The free fall is the distance you fall
before the fall arrest system begins to stop
(arrest) the fall.
OR-OSHA Div 3/Sub M requires a maximum free
fall distance of ______ feet.
6
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If the anchorage is at shoulder/D-Ring level, as
in the previous diagrams, the free fall includes
the distance from the D-Ring location between the
shoulders to the surface (5 ft.), plus the
remaining one foot of lanyard below the surface,
for a total free fall distance of six feet. The
worker would maintain the maximum allowable free
fall of six feet in this case. If the
anchorage were two feet above the shoulder level,
the free fall would only be four feet.
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Any additional distance the worker falls beyond
the free fall is added to the free fall distance
and referred to as the total fall distance.
When the anchorage is at your feet, as in the
following diagrams, the free fall still includes
the area from the D-Ring location between the
shoulders to the surface (5 ft.), plus the
remaining length of lanyard below the surface.
And remember - the additional distance the
worker falls beyond the free fall is added to the
free fall distance and referred to as the total
fall distance.
Lets take a look
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Lets calculate the fall distance using a six
foot, shock absorbing lanyard, when the anchorage
is at your feet.
5
6
__
Distance from the D-Ring to the working surface
5
Distance below the working surface until the free
fall stops and fall arrest begins __
6
11
Free fall distance ____
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5 from the anchorage/D-Ring to the working
surface

__ below the working surface
6

__ free fall
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3.5 from shock absorber elongation __ - you
came down too!

5

19.5
______ft. Total Fall Distance
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Rescue
Employers must provide for prompt rescue in the
event of a fall or must assure that employees are
able to rescue themselves. Dont always assume
the Fire Dept. will be available and/or equipped
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What does prompt rescue mean? What can be used
to rescue a person? Why will the method of
rescue vary at each site? How can you assure
self rescue?
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• Rescue when using PFAS comes down to planning and
  preparing.
• Some important points to consider
• Train your rescuers in rescue techniques and
  practice rescue attempts
• Ensure equipment is readily available
• Arrange and communicate with other contractors on
  site
• Arrange and communicate with outside services, if
  available
• Designate someone to summon them upon arrival
• Dont always assume the Fire Dept. will be
  available and or equipped
• Plan a route and establish lines of communication

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Training
A training program must be provided for all
employees who might be exposed to fall hazards.
Fall hazards include A Competent Person must
provide the training. A Competent Person is
someone who is capable of identifying existing
and predictable hazards in the surroundings or
working conditions which are hazardous or
dangerous to employees, and has authorization to
take prompt corrective measures to eliminate
them.
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• Training Content
• Nature of fall hazards in work area
• Correct procedures for erecting, maintaining,
  disassembling, and inspecting the fall protection
  systems
• Use and operation of guardrail systems, PFAS,
  safety nets, warning lines, safety monitoring,
  PFRS, slide guards, positioning devices, and
  other protection used
• The role each employee has in the safety
  monitoring system (if used)

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• Training Content
• Limitations on the use of mechanical equipment
  during the performance of roofing work
• Correct procedures for the handling and storage
  of equipment and materials and the erection of
  overhead protection
• All other requirements of the safety standard

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Why do new employees with prior experience need
training? What is documented on the training
certification? When is retraining required?
Whats missing?
Courtesy of DBI/SALA
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Thats it! Be safe you never know when someone
is watching.
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Be Safe!