What is Your Responsibility?
Everyone in the workplace, from top management to each employee has a personal responsibility for safety and role to play in preventing falls.
- Employers: Identify fall hazards at the site. Eliminate the hazards, prevent falls from occurring, or ensure that if falls occur, employees aren't injured. Make sure that employees follow safe practices, use fall protection equipment properly, and are trained to recognize fall hazards.
- Employees: Follow safe work practices, use equipment properly, and participate in training. Learn to recognize unsafe practices, know the tasks that increase the risk of falling, and understand how to control exposure to fall hazards.
- Architects and engineers: Educate employers about hazards that could expose workers to falls during each phase of the project. When designing buildings and structures, consider fall protection and other safety needs of those who will do the construction work.
- Building owners and managers: Ensure that those who do exterior construction or maintenance work know how to protect themselves from falls, are aware of installed anchorages, and know how to use their fall-protection equipment.
- Equipment manufacturers: Ensure that fall-protection equipment meets federal OSHA and ANSI safety requirements and protects workers when they use it properly. Warn workers through instruction manuals and on equipment labels about the danger of using equipment improperly.
- Lawyers: Review your client's construction bids to ensure that they comply with OSHA requirements. The documents should clearly state the client's responsibilities for protecting workers from falls and for identifying and controlling hazards that cause falls.
In December 2024, a construction company was fined more than $130,000 by Oregon OSHA for repeatedly exposing employees to fall hazards. During an inspection at a residential jobsite, inspectors observed an employee installing roofing material without proper fall protection. Although the worker wore a harness, it was not connected to an anchor, exposing them to a potential fall of up to 17 feet. Additionally, an extension ladder used on-site did not extend at least 3 feet above the roofline, and employees operated pneumatic nail guns without eye protection.
Luckily, no injuries or fatalities were reported in this incident. However, the company faced penalties for repeated fall protection, ladder safety and eye protection violations.
To prevent such hazards and penalties, companies should:
- Enforce Fall Protection Measures: Ensure all employees working at heights use properly connected fall protection equipment.
- Adhere to Ladder Safety Standards: Verify that ladders extend appropriately above landing surfaces to provide safe access.
- Implement Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Policies: Mandate the use of necessary PPE, such as eye protection, when operating hazardous tools.
Regular training and strict adherence to safety protocols are essential to maintaining a safe work environment and complying with OSHA regulations.
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1-5. Who is responsible for making sure fall protection equipment is used properly?
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