Walking-Working Surfaces:

1

• Walking-Working Surfaces
• Preventing Falls

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Start Safe and Stay Safe

• In order to Start Safe and Stay Safe in the areas
  where you walk and work, you should always be
  aware that a fall can cause serious injuries.
  Simple slips and trips as well as falls from
  elevated work surfaces can lead to injuries
  ranging from bumps and bruises to the more
  serious, and sometimes fatal, head, neck, and
  back injuries.

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Preventing Falls

• Here is what we will cover

• Why preventing falls matters
• Why falls occur
• Safety on elevated work surfaces
• Floor and wall openings
• Fixed industrial stairs
• Ladders
• Scaffolds
• How to Start Safe and Stay Safe to prevent falls.

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Why Preventing Falls Matters
To fall means to descend freely by the force of
gravity. When you fall you usually dont have
much control of things like the speed of your
descent, the position of your body when you land,
and the surface that will stop your fall.
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Why Preventing Falls Matters

• Factors that can influence the severity of your
  injuries include

• Type of landing surface
• Distance
• Landing position

In most falls, the landing position is the most
critical determining factor.
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Why Falls Occur
Falls in the workplace are often caused by the
hazards resulting from poor housekeeping or
elevated surfaces.

• Poor housekeeping creates hazards that can lead
  to slips and trips.
• Elevated surfaces can create hazards that,
  without the proper precautions, lead to falls
  such as those from ladders, loading docks,
  scaffolds, or other elevated work platforms.

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Why Falls Occur

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  (OSHA) addresses these fall hazards in their
  regulations under the title Walking and Working
  Surfaces.
• Briefly, the OSHA rules for housekeeping require
  that all work areas are clean, orderly, and
  sanitary, and that floors are clean and dry (or
  covered by the proper non-slip material).

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Why Falls Occur
OSHA regulations also cover many different types
of elevated walking and working surfaces, such as
ladders, stairs, and scaffolds. There are rules
for guarding fall hazards, safe use of ladders,
proper construction of stairs, and safe assembly
and use of scaffolds.

• Guarding Protection by using barriers to
  prevent falls.

Unguarded platform
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Elevated Work Surfaces
There are many different types of elevated work
surfaces and a variety of ways to stay safe when
walking or working on an elevated surface.
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Elevated Work Surfaces

• Floor Opening - An opening measuring 12 inches
  or more.
• Wall opening - An opening at least 30 inches high
  and 18 inches wide in any wall or partition
  through which persons may fall.
• Fixed Industrial Stairs - A series of steps
  leading from one level or floor to another that
  is permanently attached to a structure or
  building.
• Scaffolds - Any temporarily elevated platform and
  its supporting structure.

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Floor and Wall Openings
If there are holes or openings in the floor or
wall, OSHA has regulations about how these
potential hazards must be protected by various
types of guards. Some examples of proper
guarding include railings, toeboards, and floor
coverings. Sometimes an attendant may be
required to monitor activities in the area.
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Guarding

• The Four-Foot Rule
• Protection for wall openings, open-sided floors,
  platforms, loading docks, and runways, is
  governed by the Four Foot Rule. According to
  the Four Foot Rule, if there is a potential that
  you could fall four feet or more, protection by
  the use of guards and rails is required on all
  open sides.

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Guarding
There are also guarding rules for areas around
dangerous equipment. If there is a chance that
a person could fall and come into contact with
dangerous equipment, protection is required
around that equipment, regardless of the height
of the working surface. Railings, toeboards, and
other guarding methods are used to keep people
from falling into these potentially hazardous
areas.
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Fixed Industrial Stairs

• Stairs are another fall hazard in the workplace.
  OSHA has regulations that apply to stairs as
  well. The main things you need to know is that
  the stairs must be free from hazards that could
  cause a fall and that they must have handrails
  that are sturdy and in the right place.
• OSHA requirements also cover the construction of
  stairs, including guidelines that determine the
  rise and tread width of each step, the size of
  stairway platforms, and the required overhead
  clearance.

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Portable Ladders

• When talking about elevated work surfaces, we
  must talk about ladders. There are two general
  types of ladders portable and fixed. Portable
  ladders include stepladders, single ladders, and
  extension ladders.

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Portable Ladders

• Stepladders are self-supporting with a locking
  device and can be no longer than 20 feet. Single
  ladders are not self-supporting and can be no
  longer than 30 feet. Extension ladders are also
  not self-supporting, but are expandable in length
  up to 60 feet.

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Portable Ladders

• When inspecting a portable ladder you should
• Ensure all movable parts operate freely yet with
  stability.
• Ensure ropes are not frayed or badly worn.
• Ensure rungs are free of grease, oil, or other
  slippery materials.
• Ladders that present a potential hazard should be
  discarded.

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Portable Ladders

• Make sure the ladder has secure footing and is
  either tied in place or held securely. Single or
  extension ladders must extend four feet above
  point of support and the pitch, or angle, is 1/4
  of the working length of the ladder.

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Portable Ladders

• Always face the ladder when using it and use both
  hands. Ladders should be used in accordance with
  manufacturers guidelines. You should NEVER
• step on the top of a stepladder
• splice ladders together to make them longer
• use ladders horizontally as a plank
• use metal ladders near electrical equipment
• Exceed load limits of a ladder

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Fixed Ladders
A fixed ladder is a ladder that is permanently
attached to a structure, building, or piece of
equipment. In some cases, the safe use of a
fixed ladder may require additional fall
protection structures or devices, such as cages,
platforms, or safety harnesses. If your job
requires you to climb a fixed ladder, you may
need specific training and you should definitely
be familiar with the specific requirements found
in the OSHA Regulations.
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Scaffolds

• Scaffolds are a very popular and useful means of
  creating an elevated work surface.
• Before working on a scaffold, you should be sure
  the footing and anchorage are secure and that the
  strength of the scaffold is adequate to hold at
  least four times the maximum intended load.

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Scaffolds

• Before you work on or around a scaffold, here are
  some general things to inspect
• Check the footing and assembly to be sure it is
  stable.
• Make sure there is a safe way to gain access to
  the scaffold.
• If there is a risk of objects falling from a
  higher level, be sure there is adequate overhead
  protection.
• Check to see that rails and toe boards are
  securely installed in the proper position.

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Scaffolds

• Also
• Never use scaffolds or ladders during storms,
  high winds, or when there is snow or ice on the
  surfaces.
• Never try to move a scaffold while it is being
  used.
• If you spot a problem with a scaffold, DONT use
  the scaffold and get the problem resolved
  immediately.

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StaySafe

• To Stay Safe you must make safety your number one
  priority. Here are some key ways that you can
  Stay Safe and prevent falls in the areas where
  you walk and work
• Ensure your work area is clean and orderly.
• Keep your working surfaces free from slip
  hazards.
• Be sure to select the right ladder and equipment
  for your job.
• Inspect your ladders and scaffolds before each
  use to make sure they are safe.