Safety is important. So important, in fact, that the largest companies have entire departments devoted to making sure that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations are clearly explained and successfully implemented. From training on how to properly install and use wire rope slings to safe material handling certifications, the goal of safety departments is to make sure that they have everything in place for a healthy and safe work environment. The accurate implementation of OSHA fall protection procedures, perhaps more than anything else, is essential if you want to make sure that your employers and customers remain safe when they are on your property.
In the smallest of companies, OSHA fall protection training may be done by a contracted presenter. More often than not, however, even small companies make sure that they have someone on site who is the point person for understanding all OSHA guidelines, including safe material handling and the use of various OSHA approved apparatuses. With a detailed OSHA fall protection plan in place, workers and employers are safe, and companies can avoid the expensive, and sometimes devastating, results of a fall that could have been prevented.
Do You Feel Safe When You Are at Work?
The benefits of having a safe work place are extensive. Work environments that are known for their safety attract workers who are themselves focused on safety. In addition, work environments where the employees know that safety is a priority often feel more committed and more loyal to their employers. Monetarily, the work environments that have the best and longest safety records can receive reductions in the price of insurance policies. For some companies, safety is such an engrained culture that workers from the safest crews share in monetary rewards.
Implementing the complete OSHA fall protection plan can help companies of all sizes make sure that they are doing everything within their power to protect their workers, their customers, their products, and their profits.
Consider some of these statistics about the importance of implementing the best and most detailed safety standards:
- Financing for new projects or expansions are sometimes offered at a lower interest rate to companies that can show evidence of running an accident free business.
- OSHA uses a basic three step process to prevent dangerous falls and save lives. The steps include: plan, provide, and train.
- Letting your safety staff have the time to plan for the training sessions that they will give makes sure that the lessons are taught efficiently, but also that the presenters are knowledgable and can answer any possible questions that might come up.
- Leads who provide all of the necessary safety equipment and keep it organized and in working condition let their staff know that safety is a priority/
- Owners of companies who make sure that they get the best safety training for their managers can feel confident that the other levels of workers will also be properly be trained.
- Worker injuries and illnesses continue to decline. In fact, the number has dropped from 10.9 incidents for every 100 workers in the year 1972 to 3.4 for every 100 workers in the year 2011.
- In their guidelines, OSHA requires fall protection to be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, but five feet in shipyards. The construction industry requires and longshoring operations require eight feet.
- Noncoated metal mesh slings withstand temperatures up to 550 degrees F.
- Guidelines indicate that slings should be inspected once a year for normal service use, and once a monty to once a quarter for severe service use.
- Regulations for fall arrest plans help prevent falls that can happen in a second. For instance, without fall arrest and other necessary safety equipment, a person can fall up to seven feet in just two-thirds of a second.
- Using metallic-core wire rope slings requires careful attention to detail. For example, manufacturer provide specific directions for using their products when the temperature is above 400 degrees F or below minus 40 degrees.
- Limiting the fall, safety nets can be used when working where temporary floors and scaffolds are not used and the fall distance exceeds 25 feet.
- Every safety measure matters when it comes to saving a life.
- Sling types can be endless, single, two, three, or four leg in structure.