Despite the significant risk of injury or death, construction workers continue to work at heights without fall protection. A recently published study examines the reasons for this and offers solutions that could prevent an accident or save a life.
The researchers/authors of Fall Protection in Residential Construction Sites, which appeared in the July issue of Professional Safety, studied compliance at 197 residential construction sites. They found only 59 percent compliance with fall protection/prevention measures. That means, for example, that workers installing roof tresses may stand on top of walls without fall arrest or protection.
During the study:
- Researchers conducted a written survey to assess the workers’ perception of fall protection in terms of ease-of-use and other issues.
- Workers were shown a presentation about the various devices and asked to rate them.
- Two top-rated devices were purchased for pilot testing and crews were trained to install and use them.
- Follow-up visits assessed how well the devices were being used.
The study found that many commercially available solutions were viewed as effective in preventing falls and could be used by crews after minimal training. The primary concern was the effect of a device on productivity.
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Solutions
The solutions were for three categories:
- Protection on floor openings
- Provision of temporary walking surfaces
- Personal fall arrest anchorage
Co-author Vicki Kaskutas commented, “There is a learning curve when using a new fall protection device; this can add time to the home building process, which is a major concern in the current economic environment.”
The article identifies solutions to overcoming these and other obstacles. Among them:
- Repetitive use of a device to lead to long-term adoption of the technology
- Loaning of pilot-tested equipment to contractors to allow them to integrate it into their workplace before they buy it
- Assistance by fall protection equipment rental companies to help contractors identify and locate the best equipment for a particular need
The study authors point out that the need for better compliance is significant, as falls account for 64 percent of the fatalities in residential building and 100 percent among framing contractors.
Can you picture safety training in effective, 7-minute sessions? Get the details.
E-Z Training at a Phenomenal Price
To help train employees in a broad range of safety and health topics, including fall prevention, savvy safety professionals have for years relied on the BLR® 7-Minute Safety Trainer. This essential training resource allows you to provide concise, memorable training easily and effectively in just a few minutes. Materials are ready-to-use, and each session supplies a detailed trainer’s outline as well as a handout, quiz, and quiz answers to get your points across quickly—and cost-effectively.
All told, this “trainer’s bible” contains 50 prewritten meetings covering almost every aspect of safety you’d want or need to train on, in a format designed to be taught in as little as 7 minutes. Major topics include:
—Confined spaces
—Electrical safety
—Fire safety and emergency response
—HazCom
—Machine guarding and lockout/tagout
—Material handling
—PPE use and care
—Housekeeping/slips, trips, and falls
—and dozens more
Just make as many copies as you need of the included handouts and quizzes, and you’re ready to train.
Equally important is that the program ships new meetings every quarter to respond to new and changed regulations. This service is included in the program price, which averages just over $1 a working day. In fact, this is one of BLR’s most popular safety programs.
If you’d like to personally evaluate 7-Minute Safety Trainer and see how it can build safety awareness, we’ll be happy to send it to you for 30 days on a no-cost, no-obligation trial basis. Just let us know, and we’ll arrange it.