FALL PROTECTION

Falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. Shipyard employees are often required to work on or around scaffolding, ladders, deck openings, and open holes. To prevent employees from falling off platforms, elevated workstations or into holes preventative measures are taken.

OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of more than five feet, or overwater (must wear life jacket / buoyant work vest). Typically, guardrails or other barriers are used to protect workers. In situations where guardrails are not practical, or when working from two-suspended scaffolding, personal fall arrest systems (such as safety harness, lanyards) are required.

• Eliminate the Hazard – this involves redesigning the work environment or changing work practices to remove the fall risk.
• Passive Fall Protection – Guardrails, skylight screens and other barriers create physical barriers between the worker and the fall hazard.
• Active Travel Restraint – this method includes systems like body harnesses connected to anchor points, preventing the worker from reaching a point where a fall could occur.
• Active Fall Arrest – these systems are designed to safely stop a fall that is in profess, such as full body harness with lanyards or retractable lifelines.
• Administrative Control – implement workplace policies and training procedures to reduce the likelihood of falls. Typically, administrative control is implemented alongside other fall protection methods.