Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Other.fall.protection.systems:
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Horizontal.and.vertical.lifelines
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Ladder.climbing.devices
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Work.positioning.and.travel.restraint.systems
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Warning.line.systems
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Aerial.lift.equipment/work.platforms
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Raising/lowering.devices
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Covers
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Effective.January.1,.1998,.body.belts.are.not.acceptable.as.part.of.a.personal.fall.arrest.
system..Note:.The.use.of.a.body.belt.in.a.positioning.device.system.is.acceptable..The.
full.body.harness.is.now.the.order.of.the.day..After.all,.fallen.workers.could.only.hang.
about.1.minute,.30.seconds.until.they.pass.out.from.pooling.of.blood.in.their.extremi-
ties.and.at.times.they.actually.slid.from.the.belt.and.fell.the.remaining.distance.to.the.
ground.or.surface..Rescues.could.not.be.performed.in.such.a.short.time.
The.belt.itself.often.caused.injuries.to.the.back,.etc..when.workers.fell..The.full.
body.harness,.similar.to.a.parachute.harness,.allows.for.a.worker.to.hang.in.it.upon.
a.fall.for.some.30.minutes.before.it.starts.to.become.uncomfortable.and.rescue.can.
usually.transpire.in.that.amount.of.time..The.full.body.harness.is.actually.a.piece.of.
equipment.with.a.tag.containing.its.serial.number.and.other.information.for.tracking.
purposes.. The. requirement. for. full. body. harness. was. viewed. by. workers. as. being.
impractical,.uncomfortable,.or.cumbersome.to.work.while.wearing.it..At.worksites.
today,.it.does.not.pose.these.problems.and.is.an.important.part.of.a.fall.protection.
system.(see.Figure 25.12).
Falls. are. a. common. accident. in. the. workplace. but. can. be. prevented. by. taking.
time.to.plan.when.workers.must.be.at.heights..Some.companies.have.gone.to.a.phi-
losophy. of. 100. percent. fall. protection. so. that. no. worker. is. left. unprotected. even.
while.working.on.a.ladder.where.no.fall.protection.device.is.usually.required..When.
used,.improved.fall.protection.devices.have.shown.a.marked.decrease.in.falls.from.
elevation. that. end. in. injury. or. death.. Each. year. the. newspapers. have. a. picture. of.
two.or.three.workers.hanging.in.body.harnesses.from.the.side.of.a.building.where.a.
two-point.scaffold.has.failed..Once.rescued,.the.only.thing.hurt.may.be.their.pride..
When.properly.used,.fall.protection.has.proven.itself.a.part.of.good.safety.practices.
and.good.business..To.check.compliance.with.the.OSHA.requirements.for.a.personal.
fall.arrest.system,.regulation.29.CFR.1910.66.Appendix.I.provides.more.detail.
FIre ProtectIon (29 cFr 1910.157)
Workplace. ires. and. explosions. kill. 200. and. injure. more. than. 5,000. workers.
each. year.. In. 1995,. more. than. 75,000. workplace. ires. cost. businesses. more. than.
$2.3 billion.. Fires. wreak. havoc. among. workers. and. their. families. and. destroy.
thousands.of.businesses.each.year,.putting.people.out.of.work.and.severely.impact-
ing.their.livelihoods..The.human.and.inancial.tolls.underscore.the.serious.nature.
of.workplace.ires.
