Unfortunately, for the 14th year in a row, OSHA’s top 10 list of most frequently cited standards is topped by Fall Protection - General Requirements. It doesn’t take much to leap to the conclusion that many companies may be ignoring fall protection standards at their own peril.
OSHA issued 6,307 violations under the Fall Protection - General Requirements standard, which was about 3,400 more than the second-most cited violation - Hazard Communications.
In addition to Fall Protection being No. 1, Ladders were No. 3 with 2,573 violations, Fall Protection - Training Requirements came in at No. 7 with 2,050 violations and Scaffolding was No. 8 with 1,873 violations. These four standards are constantly in OSHA’s annual top 10.
Keep in mind that those 6,307 violations are the ones OSHA caught red-handed. Imagine the ones they didn’t catch! Now you can understand why there is a need to take this seriously as an industry. Everyday employees are putting themselves at risk when they either ignore fall protection standards or are not properly trained to recognize the hazards they face.
Some common fall hazards we regularly face in the water and sewer industry include working in or around wet wells, dry wells, valve pits, trenches, tanks, basins and manholes. Ignoring these hazards can put employees at risk for some severe injuries including sprains, strains, broken bones and severe lacerations. These injuries could become long term disabling injuries and even lead to death. The financial cost of these injuries can be devastating to the family as well as the company with medical costs being so high these days.
So, what are some solutions? What can we do as an industry to prevent these fall hazards? It starts with safety training. Failing to provide proper fall protection made OSHA’s list at No. 7 for a reason. It means organizations were not providing the necessary safety training for its employees. So, does your organization have a dedicated person responsible for safety training? Does your organization have fall protection training? Fall protection training gives the employee the necessary information to recognize fall hazards and how to eliminate them, or how to address the hazard if elimination is not possible.
Fall protection training also should include the OSHA requirements for prevention, common causes of falls, when fall protection is required, types of fall protection/prevention, how to use a personal fall arrest system (harness and lanyard), how to recognize hazards and how to report these hazards. Fall protection training addresses safe ladder use, removing slip and trip hazards, stairways, aisleways, housekeeping and can also include scaffolding safety and roofing safety if needed.
Other solutions include, but are not limited to; having a written policy and/or procedures that cover fall prevention and protection; making sure guard rails are installed and are correct; ensuring employees are wearing their fall prevention gear; providing the necessary gear and equipment for fall prevention; ensuring fall prevention is in every job plan where fall hazards exist; and finally, being receptive to employee input on solutions.
Bottom line, falls in our industry are preventable if employees are given the knowledge to recognize fall hazards, the equipment to prevent falls when the hazards can’t be eliminated and the freedom to speak up when there are concerns relating to fall protection.