Safety is an important topic every month of the year, but June offers an extra focus as it’s National Safety Month (NSM). NSM is a campaign spearheaded by the National Safety Council (NSC) to eliminate the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths. This week’s topic is Slips, Trips, and Falls.
Falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. As a result, employers must set up the workplace to prevent employees from falling off overhead platforms, elevated workstations, or holes in the floor and walls.
OSHA requires that employers provide fall protection to employees working at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry, and eight feet in longshoring operations. In addition, OSHA requires that employers provide fall protection to employees working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.
To prevent employees from being injured from falls, employers must:
- Guard every floor hole a worker can accidentally walk (using a railing and toe-board or a floor hole cover).
- Provide a guard rail and toe-board around every elevated open-sided platform, floor, or runway.
- Regardless of height, employers must provide guardrails and toe-boards to prevent workers from falling into or onto dangerous machines or equipment (such as a vat of acid or a conveyor belt).
- Provide fall protection that may be required on specific jobs, including safety harnesses and lifelines, safety nets, stair railings, and handrails.
Safe Keeper/ Safe Climber is committed to safety! We manufacture and distribute high-quality fall protection products to provide economical solutions that create a safer work environment, ultimately saving lives in the workforce. Explore our quality fall protection equipment and fall protection systems that save lives.
