What would you do if you knew you could help prevent one of the most common causes of death and injuries at work? Falls are a leading cause of serious workplace injuries and fatalities, yet they are entirely preventable. Interestingly, fall protection has consistently ranked as the number one most cited OSHA violation since 2011. However, it doesn’t have to be. By taking action today and establishing your own Fall Protection and Prevention Plan, you can significantly reduce the risk of falls in your workplace.
The effectiveness of a fall protection plan hinges on its proper implementation. When well-designed and correctly executed, such a plan not only reduces the risk of falls but also fosters heightened employee awareness of workplace hazards and risks, promoting safer practices. A win-win. A good plan will also ensure employees use the appropriate fall protection equipment for the job, helping to prevent falls or at least mitigate their severity. Additionally, establishing an effective fall protection plan in your workplace can help you stay compliant with OSHA regulations and industry standards, reducing the risk of citations and fines.
So, how can we put an effective fall protection plan into action? The following tips provide a solid foundation for developing your own plan to prevent falls.
- Before beginning work, identify all protection hazards, then eliminate as many fall hazards as possible. When you are unable to eliminate a hazard and the possibility of a fall still exists, use a fall protection system.
- Ensure your fall protection systems have an anchorage point, a connecting device, and the appropriate body wear for the job. Shop our fall protection here!
- Guard every floor hole which a worker can accidentally walk into with a floor hole cover or railing and toe-board.
- Ensure all open sided platforms, floors, or runways have guard rails and toe-boards.
- Keep floors in your workplace as clean and dry as possible.
- Provide required fall protection equipment at no cost to workers. Talk to us today about bulk ordering discounts!
- Provide the appropriate equipment that suits the hazards of the job. Shop all fall protection today!
- Inspect fall protection equipment before each use and remove and replace any damaged equipment.
- Use secure, stable anchor points. Shop anchors here!
- Ensure you not only create a fall protection plan, but a rescue plan as well and everyone is knowledgeable on what this plan is.
- Take a few extra minutes before starting work to prepare.
- Plan fall-related stand-downs for your company to help raise awareness. Talk to us today about hosting a stand-down at your location!
- Provide fall protection training for all employees. Contact our experts today to provide team training sessions!
- Train workers about job hazards in a language that they can understand.
- Encourage workers to speak up if they don’t know the right way to do something, or if they’ve identified an issue.
- OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry and eight feet in longshoring operations.
Looking for more assistance with creating your fall protection plan or wondering what fall equipment fits your needs? Talk to our experts today!
