Brad Mang, Safety Consultant, FRSA Self Insurers Fund
Over the last 10 years personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) have become the most common and economical way for roofing contractors to protect their employees from falls. Fall hazards are recognized by OSHA as a leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry and have been the most cited safety violation year after year. In light of these facts, it is imperative that roofing contractors not only provide their employees with PFAS, but also provide documented training and job site inspections to ensure compliance of your company’s fall protection program.
Let’s start by listing the required components of a typical PFAS: a full body harness, an anchor point, a lifeline and a lanyard (deceleration device). Some PFAS may have a retractable lifeline verses a lanyard, which is perfectly acceptable under OSHA standards. Many roofing contractors purchase what is called “compliance in a can” which has all the above components combined and costs between $120 to $500 depending on the system purchased. Every employee is required to have their own PFAS and contractors should not allow sharing of the components to ensure proper protection for everyone’s personal needs.
Now that each employee has their own PFAS, the next and most important part is training your employees on how to use the system. OSHA standards require fall protection training to be conducted by a“competent person” in the standards associated to the topic and document each employee’s name attending the training. The following bullet points are a basic outline of what should be covered in the training.
■ How to wear and adjust the harness correctly for a proper fit
■ Limitations of the fall protection equipment
■ How to install the anchor and other tie-off points the company may use
■ Inspection and storage of the system
■ Methods of use (lifelines, lanyards, retractable lifelines, etc.)
■ Unique conditions at worksites that could affect
the use of PFAS
■ Explaining “fall restraint” versus “fall arrest”
■ How to determine calculated clearance when using PFAS
■ Rescue plans
Due to the serious nature of fall protection in roofing work and the many different aspects of using a PFAS, I strongly suggest that contractors contact a third-party for training to ensure all areas of the OSHA standards are met.
As one of the safety consultants for the FRSA Self Insurers Fund, I can say that, by far, our most requested training program is on fall protection and, specifically, how to use PFAS properly. In my experience, the most misunderstood terms for roofing employees are “fall restraint” and “fall arrest” when using PFAS. The simplest way to explain “fall restraint” is that the PFAS will stop the employee from reaching the edge of walking/working area even if they lose their footing and slide. On the other side of the coin is
“fall arrest,” which basically means the employee is in a position where he can fall from the walking/working surface. Roofing contractors must properly calculate the fall clearance distance to ensure that the employee will NOT contact the lower level in the event of a fall. The term most often used is the “calculated clearance distance.” The diagram at left is typically used to determine
the minimum height requirement for an employee to use a PFAS in “fall arrest.”
The last item I would like to mention is that every roofing contractor should conduct inspections of their projects to ensure their
employees are following the safety policies of the company. Without documented inspections you are vulnerable to increased
injuries, OSHA penalties and a multitude of other negative effects to your business.
Previous Article