Fall Protection-Fall Arrest 

Fall Protection-Fall Arrest

CONTENTS

1.0         PURPOSE

2.0         APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE

3.0         APPLICABLE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS

4.0         DEFINITIONS

5.0         RESPONSIBILITIES

              5.1     Employee Responsibilities

              5.2     Manager/Supervisor Responsibilities

              5.3     Contractor Responsibilities

6.0         FALL PREVENTION

7.0         TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION

8.0         PROGRAM APPROVAL AND REVIEW

Appendix A       Worksite Checklist of Fall Hazards & Hazardous Materials

Appendix B        Employee Training List

Appendix C       Personal Fall Protection Inspection Checklist

1.0      PURPOSE

The purpose of this program is to provide good practices, procedures, and training to employees who work on elevated surfaces.

2.0      APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE

Fall protection is required whenever employees are working at heights equal to or greater than six feet. Fall protection can be in the form of perimeter protection such as guardrails and toe boards, personal protective equipment, a safety monitoring system, or a fall protection plan.

3.0         APPLICABLE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS

CCR Title 8:       Section 3210, Elevated Locations

                            Section 3212, Floor Openings, Floor Holes, and Roofs

                            Section 3287, Ladders

Section 3299, Personal Fall Protection

Section 3416, Fall Protection

4.0      DEFINITIONS

Body harness (also referred as Full-body harness): An interconnected set of straps that may be secured about a person in a manner that distributes the fall arrest forces over at least the thighs, pelvis, waist, chest, and shoulders with a means for attaching the harness to other components of a personal fall arrest system.

Fixed ladder: A ladder (including an individual rung ladder) that is permanently attached to a structure, building or equipment.

Lanyard: A flexible line of rope or strap that generally has a connector at each end for connecting the body harness to a deceleration device, lifeline or anchor point.

Personal Fall Arrest System: A system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a working level. It consists of an anchorage, connectors, and body harness and may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or suitable combinations of these.

Self-Retracting Lifeline/Lanyard: A deceleration device containing a drum-wound line which can be slowly extracted from, or retracted onto, the drum under minimal tension during normal movement and which, after onset of a fall, automatically locks the drum and arrests the fall (usually within two feet or less).

5.0      RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1      Employee Responsibilities

• Do not use fall protection equipment without prior training;
• Ensure that your fall protection equipment is inspected prior to use;
• Maintain good housekeeping; and
• Report conditions that may lead to falls to your supervisor.

5.2      Manager/Supervisor Responsibilities

Managers/supervisors are responsible for ensuring that persons under their supervision who are expected to work at heights are instructed in fall protection practices.

5.3      Contractor Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of contractors working at USC to comply with all applicable workplace safety regulations and to ensure that their employees observe fall protection practices.

6.0         FALL PREVENTION

• All fall protection equipment shall meet or exceed the appropriate American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard.
• Ladders, walkways, work platforms, and open-sided floors shall comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations or fall protection must be used.
• All personnel exposed to a potential free fall > six feet must receive fall protection training.

• Safety approved aerial lifts may be used for working at heights, however, all operators must wear approved fall protection and be secured by a lanyard when the working height is six feet or higher.
• Lanyards must be attached to prevent a free fall of six feet.
• Approved attached points shall be established and marked in areas where lifelines and lanyards are used regularly. Lifeline attach points shall be capable of supporting a load of 5,400 pounds.
• All fall protection equipment shall be visually inspected for defects prior to each use. If there is evidence of excessive equipment wear or deterioration or if mechanical malfunction is detected, the item shall be removed from service.
• Fall protection equipment and assemblies shall be inspected according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Each belt and lanyard shall bear manufacturer identification marks.
• Safety belts or lanyards that have been subjected to an impact load shall be destroyed. Load testing shall not be performed on fall protection equipment.
• Personnel requiring the use of fall protection equipment shall employ the "Buddy System" or have an observer to render assistance when and if required. A trained observer must be present when personnel are performing work involving confined space entry.

7.0      TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION

USC personnel that work at heights six feet or above must be protected from falling and receive training annually.

This training program will address:

• When and where fall protection is necessary
• Methods of protecting employees from falling
• Appropriate use of personal fall arrest equipment

8.0         PROGRAM APPROVAL AND REVIEW