Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: FALLING

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees: (a) Department of State Lands Construction Project, McCall, Idaho - On or about April 15, 1993 and at times prior thereto, employees working on an iron beam were not adequately protected from the 12-18 foot fall hazard. The employees were not using appropriate fall protection in that they were wearing leather/canvass tool belts with wire rope attached to the belts by saddle clamps. The belt/wire rope combination was secured to the beam with a clevis clamp. Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct this hazard are the proper use of a safety harness and lanyard or the use of an aerial lift. Abatement Note: Any fall protection system must be used in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. In general, safety belts are designed to retain a person in a work position and reduce the probability of a fall. For a safety belt to be a component of an approved fall arrest system, it must be designed by the manufacturer for fall arrest, be equipped with a D ring located at the back of the belt, and be used with shock absorbing lanyard to reduce the stopping force below the required 900 pounds. A preferred fall arrest system includes a body harness with a shock absorbing lanyard.