Working at Heights Hazards & Control Measures:
Many people die every year from working at heights because proper safety precautions are not taken. Fall protection is the most frequent cause of workplace accidents. for the eighth consecutive year.
And this is due to a lack of fall protection training, improper scaffolding, unsafe usage of ladders, and a lack of compliance with fall protection systems.
EXPECTATIONS FOR WORKING IN HEIGHTS
Only surfaces that fulfill the standards for quality, structural integrity, and strength will be used for construction or maintenance by workers.
Railings, safety nets, or personal fall arrester devices must be installed on any walking or working area that is 1.8 meters or more above a lower level.
Any employee who must construct a leading edge higher than 1.8 meters (about 6 feet) above the lower levels must take precautions to prevent themselves from falling by using a railing, safety net, personal fall arrester, or protection equipment.
If a handrail is installed along the edge parallel to the main edge to avoid falls and a controlled access area for the work at the edge has recently been designated, the command line can be used in place of the handrail.
Each worker in a crane man basket, hoist, or cradle must have a guardrail or complete body harness to prevent them from falling higher than 1.8 meters from a lower level.
Workers on a surface must not be at risk of falling through openings or tripping over obstructions.
Methods for Working in High Places
Whenever feasible, doing things on the ground is the best option. When working at heights greater than 1.8m above a reference level, however, fall prevention and protection measures are mandatory.
The most common forms of fall prevention for holes, pits, shafts, and other openings are edge protection, guardrail systems, fences, barricades, and covers. In addition, a fall protection system must be used if employees are working near an open edge or ledge. The work permit will specify the personal protective equipment (PPE) that must be worn while doing each operation.
System for preventing falls from heights while working
Employees diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, psychosis, or epilepsy should not be considered suitable for work at elevated levels.
It’s important to check the weather forecast before starting any outdoor activity that requires being at a high altitude. The risk assessment for the job must include this assessment. If a permit has already been given for work at heights and bad weather is expected, it will be revoked.
Risk assessment and control for employees operating at elevated levels in the workplace
Site reviews and inspections should be conducted on a regular basis in addition to planned height-related operations in order to identify potential sources of fall risks. Before the risk can be eliminated, it is necessary to identify all potential causes and monitor them closely.
The rapid implementation of corrective and preventative measures is required before activity in the area can resume after a routine inspection reveals a high-risk fall hazard.
Equipment to avoid falls in the workplace
Establishing fall prevention and safety procedures is crucial for any work performed at a height. All or some of the following are examples of this:
The following components make up a safe working environment: guardrails, warning lines, a full body harness, anchors, connectors, a lifeline, a self-retracting lifeline or lanyard, and a shock absorber.
Maintenance and inspection of fall protective gear
The integrity of all personal fall protection gear must be maintained at all times while it is stored
In addition to a pre-use examination by the user, periodic inspections should be performed on this equipment to look for signs of wear, damage, or deterioration.
Defective equipment must be taken out of service promptly if any of the following signs are found during inspection:
Damages include snagging and ripping, overstretching, alterations, and additions.
Damage from acid, heat, or other elements Deformed hooks or components Defective hook springs
Personal fall protection gear must be serviced as per regulations and manufacturer guidelines.
Safety Railings for Workers in High Places
Staircases, landings, work platforms, and equipment access platforms all benefit from having guardrails installed permanently. In situations where there is an immediate risk of falling, temporary guardrails are installed.
The regulatory regulations require that guardrails have a top rail, a middle rail, and a toe board in order to be compliant. The top rail needs to be 900–1000 mm from the ground or working surface and can take up to 100 kg (0.980 kN) of force in each direction.
A guardrail’s midrail must be able to withstand the same 70 kg of downward or outward force. Covering and protecting a height of 10 cm above the working surface, the toe board must be able to withstand a downward or outward force of 22.5 kg or 0.222 kN. No more than 5 mm of space is allowed between the floor and the toe board.
When tools, equipment, or materials like bricks are piled higher than the top edge of a toe board, paneling, screening, or safety netting must be used from the working surface or toe board to the top of the mid- or top-rail.
Caution for Short-Term Work in Heights
Short-term dangers require temporary warning lines, which are constructed from ropes, cables, chains, and supporting structures. At a minimum of every 1.8 meters, they should be flagged with highly visible material, and signs warning of restricted access during work should be installed. A warning line’s height must be between 850 and 900 millimeters (mm) above the ground.
Construction site lingo and safety-monitoring use at great heights
A toolbox talk should be held before starting any work at height to advise everyone involved of the potential hazards, risks, and mitigation strategies that have been identified. Warning monitors are trained professionals whose job it is to keep people away from a fall danger; they should be employed only when other means of fall protection have failed. Warning monitors must not be responsible for anything other than preventing people from approaching the edge of the building.
Safety Equipment for People Working at Heights
A fall restraint system is a safety measure put in place to keep an individual from falling. A fall restraint system consists of anchorages, connectors, body belts or harnesses, lanyards, lifelines, and rope grips. In the event of a fall, anchor points must be ridged to prevent a free fall to the ground and must be able to support four times the anticipated load.
Protecting Workers from Falls in Height Conditions
An injury from a fall can be prevented with a fall arrest system. Fall arrest devices must be used properly to prevent injuries. Fall arrest gear consists of body support devices such as harnesses, lanyards, and anchorages.
Extensive Vertical Work Gear for supporting the body
Fall-arresting devices are designed to focus the impact on the body’s strongest points. Examples of body support systems include waist belts, chest harnesses, and sub-pelvic full-body harnesses. Restraint use is the sole use of waist belts. Their typical stamina lasts only two minutes. The typical lifespan of a chest harness is six minutes, and it is used for rescue and restraint. The finest fall arrest system is a sub-pelvic full-body harness, which can withstand use for at least 10 minutes on average.
Even if a fall arrest device catches a person during the fall, they are still at risk. Within 15–20 minutes of hanging from a harness, a person will pass out due to blood pooling in the legs. Suspension trauma, also known as harness hang syndrome (HHS) or orthostatic intolerance, occurs when blood in the legs stops circulating and becomes oxygen-depleted and toxic.
Use suspension trauma straps on a body harness that the person can hook their feet into to propel themselves upward and keep their blood moving in the event of a suspension injury.
Fall protection lanyards
The hooks on lanyards are made to stretch when weight is applied, providing support for the user. The stretch absorbs some of the impact and prevents further movement when the wearer falls. A typical lanyard harness may support up to 140 lb. in weight. The appropriate length of lanyard should be selected for the task at hand. If it’s too long, the person descending can hit the ground or other obstacles. Only use lanyards with self-closing and locking snap hooks; never connect two separate snap hooks.
Equipment for securing workers on scaffolding
In the event of a fall, an anchorage point supports both the person and the fall arrest system. In some regions, the anchorage used to support or suspend platforms must be located in a different location from the anchorage used to connect personal fall arrest equipment.
Anchorages include things like straps with cross arms for securing themselves around structural parts, driven anchorage points that bind to the fixed structure either temporarily or permanently, concrete anchors that are often drilled into concrete floors or walls, and bar anchors that span a gap.
