Stand-Down for Fall Prevention – OSHA is asking you to do your part. What activity are you doing that will make your employees more aware of fall hazards?
Falls cause the largest number of injuries and fatalities in construction. A larger number of injuries, even fatalities, occur while assembling, disassembling, servicing and inspecting cranes. Additionally, there are a significant number of foot and ankle injuries that happen to the crane operator while getting on and off the crane.
OSHA thought crane related falls were significant enough to include a Fall Protection section in the new, 1926.1423 Crane regulation.
1. Workers must be fall protected while moving point-to-point on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 6 feet above a lower level.
2. Workers must be fall protected during assembly/disassembly or when on a horizontal boom walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet above a lower surface.
3. In addition to the standard, Subpart M fall protection, anchor requirements of a crane hook or other part of the load line can be used as an anchor when:
a. Crane capacity meets Subpart M requirements, 5,000 lbs per employee attached
b. Crane operator is aware that the crane is being used as an anchor
c. No load is suspended from the load line