Written by Jordan Maynard
Fall protection is an essential element of worker safety in the ever-growing world of construction. Many of us in the field have become content with cutting corners and saving money when it comes to fall protection. Whether you are walking an edge, building up scaffolding, working out of a boom, or many other challenging circumstances, gearing up with the right equipment is essential to making it back home to your family safely. We seem to be wired to think “That will never happen to me, but at the same time, fall protection citations run rampant, and those violations continue to be one of the leading causes of death in the construction industry. Let’s work together to get those numbers down as much as possible.
When fitting personal fall protection, ALL equipment must be inspected before each use. Whether that be a harness, self-retracting lifeline, a lanyard or even tool tie-offs, these items have to be checked out before being put into action. As we all know, “mishaps” while working are sudden and difficult to avoid (dropping a hammer, for example). However, if we are Comfortable with Our Compliance BEFORE performing our work, we can cut down on those heart-stopping jobsite accidents. This doesn’t just include our personal fall protection equipment but our passive fall protection as well, especially for those working on rooftops and other environments that are dangerously high. Purchasing and inspecting your guardrails or safety netting before work drastically decreases your chances of having a fall accident. Whether you’re working near the edge, tossing debris off the side, or side-stepping around skylights all day, railing/flagging/netting will ensure a much safer jobsite for your employees.
Most importantly, we need to assess these possible jobsite hazards before we even fasten our tool belts. Identifying these hazards is crucial to ensuring our compliance and avoiding those hellacious OSHA fines. Planning for leading edges, knowing how high you will be working, fitting your employees to protect them from falling objects, gearing up with properly fit harnesses and assessing your drop length (including lanyard length, worker height, SRL size, and remaining clearance) are just a few scenarios to address along with the many other pre-work assessments you will be performing.
Here at Colorado Safety Supply Company, we are dedicated to ensuring you and all your crew members are fit with comfortable, compliant, and affordable fall protection equipment. With our company’s owner coming from a long line of steel workers, we carry a dedication to worker safety unmatched by most in this industry. With that dedication comes a passion for your safety and compliance. After taking all of what we’ve discussed here into account, please call us at (303) 537-5832 with any questions at all. Colorado Safety Supply Company is here for you as a resource for you and your employees, so utilize us as such!
Be safe, be prepared.