Falling Hazard

Falling Hazard

Fall hazards are present at most worksites and many workers are exposed to these hazards on a daily basis. A fall hazard is anything at your worksite that could cause you to lose your balance or lose bodily support and result in a fall. Any walking or working surface can be a potential fall hazard. Any time you are working at a height of four feet or more, you are at risk.

Examples

A makeshift scaffold collapsed under the weight of four workers and their equipment, seriously injuring all four. A worker carrying a sheet of plywood on a flat roof stepped into a skylight opening and fell to the level below. A roofer, while attempting to remove a roof opening cover, fell approximately 21 feet to the concrete floor below and was killed. A construction worker was working from a carpenters' wall bracket scaffold without fall protection. The worker fell 19 feet to the ground, sustained blunt trauma to the head and later died.

Fall hazards can be found on every construction site:

Building structures a)Work conditions 6 or more above lower level require the use of fall protection: Unprotected sides, edges Leading edges Excavations Walking/working surfaces

b) When working at a height of 6 above the lower level you must use fall protection:Personal fall arrest systems Guardrails

Excavation

Exterior construction areas

Falls from a short distance can result in serious injury. All workers must be protected from falling onto sharp materials. All open excavations and pier holes must be guarded or protected.

Pier Hole

Scaffolds

a)Scaffolds are elevated, temporary work platforms: Supported scaffold Guardrails Access ladders

Powered work platforms

Powered platforms include: man-baskets placed on a forklift, aerial lifts scissor lifts.b)Always make sure you have proper fall protection and training before using a powered platform. Only use equipment that is designed for lifting personnel

Stairs

Stairways must have a stair rail along each unprotected side or edge. Stairs that have walls on both sides must have at least one hand rail on the right-hand side when climbing down.

Ladders