Preventing Falls Through Openings

• Employers should develop, implement and enforce a written fall prevention program that, at a minimum, complies with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) fall prevention standards.
• Employers should assign a competent person to inspect the worksite before work begins to identify fall hazards and determine the appropriate fall prevention system workers should use.
• Employers should assign a competent person who can identify existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous or dangerous to workers, and who is authorized to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
• For work around skylights and roof and floor openings, employers should require, provide and ensure the use of appropriate fall prevention systems.
• Employers should train workers on the identification and description of fall hazards in the work area; correct procedures for erecting, inspecting, maintaining, using and disassembling fall prevention systems (such as covers, guardrail systems and personal fall arresting systems); and applicable OSHA regulations.
• Employers should ensure that personal fall arresting systems, including a full-body harness, lanyard, connectors and appropriate anchorage points (tie-offs), are used when required.
• If a personal fall arresting system is used, employers should select an anchorage point that is suitable to arrest a fall and inform workers where these anchorage points are located.
• Employers should conduct scheduled and unscheduled inspections to ensure that the fall prevention system selected is used and maintained correctly and provides adequate protection against falls.
• Supervisors should ensure that building owners provide workers with printed documents showing the exact location of all skylights on the roof where they will be working. (Buildings that have had pitched metal roofs installed over original flat roofs may have skylights located in the old flat roof, which is now the attic. These skylights may become a fall hazard for maintenance staff.)
• Supervisors should ensure that building owners install permanent, suitable anchorage points for personal fall arresting systems on both new and existing buildings and clearly mark their locations for workers.
• Supervisors should ensure that building owners install permanent guardrails around or protective screens over individual skylights to protect workers or others who must be on the roof.
• Supervisors should ensure that building owners place locks on all doors leading to rooftops with skylights and provide keys to authorized personnel only.
• Supervisors should ensure that workers never sit on, lean against or step on a skylight lens or any covering placed over a hole in a roof or floor.
• Supervisors should ensure that workers guard or securely cover all holes they have created or uncovered before leaving the work area.
• Supervisors should ensure that workers always use a personal fall arresting system when working over an unguarded or uncovered opening more than 6 ft (1.8 m) above a lower level - for example, while installing a skylight or ventilation unit in an opening that cannot be guarded or covered because of the nature of the work.
• Supervisors should ensure that workers who use a personal fall arresting system inspect it daily and report any damage or deficiencies - worker should tie off only to approved anchorage points.

COPYRIGHT ©2004, ISO Services Properties, Inc.