American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z359 Fall Protection Guidelines
By: Jeff Olejnik
In the U.S., occupational falls to a lower level account for about 7% of injuries in all industries and 14% of injuries in construction. However, 14% of fatalities occur from falls in all industries (Figure 1) and 35% in construction. This disparity in percentages suggests that falls tend to be very severe.
With this in mind, employers can save lives and reduce injuries by following the guidelines offered by the ANSI Z359-2007 fall protection code. One new section to this code includes Z359.2 "Minimum requirements for a comprehensive fall protection program." The following is a brief outline of this new section.
Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Fall Protection Program
This section applies to employers and safety professionals who create fall protection programs to protect their workers. It gives guidelines to:
- Identify, evaluate and eliminate (or control) fall hazards through planning.
- At each location where work is to be conducted, employers need to conduct an assessment of possible fall hazards. A few of these can include working on roofs, from scaffolding, or in personnel lifts.
- Once the hazards are identified, employers must either eliminate the hazards by alternative working methods or control them through the use of PPE (Figure 2). This needs to be conducted prior to work being performed.
- Ensure proper training of personnel.
- All employees who will be exposed to fall hazards must be trained on how those hazards are eliminated or controlled. This may include proper work practices or the use of setting up and wearing any PPE that is required.
- Make sure any fall protection and rescue equipment is properly installed.
- As a best practice, this should be completed the first time the equipment is used at a job site or whenever a new employee is to use or set up the equipment. This will allow employers evaluate both the usefulness of the system and the ability of employees who use the equipment.
- 4. Create programs for safe fall protection and rescue procedures.
This section also sets standards for fall protection anchor points with are divided into two categories that include "Certified" and "Non-Certified." Certified anchors are those that have been selected under the supervision of a Qualified Person. Non-Certified anchors are those deemed by a Competent Person as capable of supporting the forces described by the standard. The table below describes the strengths needed by anchors for each category.
Anytime employers are preparing to send their workers to work at heights, these general guidelines should be followed. To implement a fall protection program and equipment needed, contact Safety Resources, Inc. at 800.641.5990 or www.safetyresources.com.