Nationally, slips, trips and falls are one of the leading causes of occupational fatalities and a major source of occupational injury at VCU. Under most working conditions, anyone exposed to a fall hazard of four feet or more is required to mitigate fall hazards using one or more techniques. This includes:
Eliminating fall hazards at the design phase of a large project
Implementing engineering controls, such as guardrails and parapets, where fall hazards cannot be designed out of the environment
Limiting access to only individuals who are trained and qualified
Wearing personal protective equipment, such as a safety harnesses, fall prevention lanyards and fall arrest systems
Assigning designated areas (Safe Roof Access and Elevated Work Surface Guidance (Designated Areas) [PDF]) as an administrative fall protection control measure, but for the fall protection program specifically, they are not as desirable as other mitigation solutions and may only be used under specific circumstances
The VCU fall protection programapplies to all employees, faculty, students and contractors on VCU property who are exposed to fall hazards and/or where activities may result in injuries from falls.
Roles and Responsibilities
The “owner department” is a VCU school or department that owns fall protection equipment and/or has operational control over identified fall hazards. The owner department is responsible for:
Follow safe-work procedures as outlined in the VCU fall protection program;
Alert the owner department management whenever they discover damaged equipment; and
Follow the safe work practices developed by their department concerning fall protection use. To this end, FPE users must:
Assess planned work to determine if FPE should be worn and seek alternative access or work-methods to avoid the use of FPE whenever possible.
Be trained on and apply safe work practices on fall hazard assessment, FPE application and use, and equipment used in the field (ladders, lifts, scaffolding, FPE, etc.).
Document the use of the department’s rescue plan and when it applies to their work activities
Alert owner department management when FPE has any damage or weakness requiring repair/replacement.
Refuse to do unsafe work using FPE. And, instead, use other methods of access such as a scaffold, lift pod or bucket truck and thus avoid the need to use FPE.
VCU Safety and Risk Management will:
Consult with the owner department regarding proper FPE selection, use, stocking and safe-work practices unique to the owner department’s work activities.
Perform and document annual inspections of FPE.
Maintain a campus inventory database of FPE and inspection records.
Assist in training development, delivery, training strategies and content to ensure compliance and safe work practices.
Maintain and update the written program as need dictates or as compliance codes change.
Fall Protection Equipment
A personal fall protection system is comprised of three key components:
Anchorage point
Body wear
Connecting device to join them
Fall protection equipment (FPE) is selected and used to meet the design requirements for four categories of fall protection systems:
Fall restraint system
Fall arrest system
Positioning system
Suspension
FPE is designed and constructed according to the American National Standards Institute standards to safely hold greater than twice the expected load in positioning systems and a specific amount of weight in fall arrest systems in the event of a fall. The design-load capacity includes a person's fully clothed weight plus the weight of any tools and materials that are carried that could be part of the load on the FPE during a fall.
Before engaging in tasks that expose workers to fall risks, a fall hazard assessment must be conducted. The simple process encourages workers to consider the risk(s) and select the right equipment, PFE and tools to safely conduct the work. The basics of a fall hazard assessment are as follows:
Determine if the work includes a fall risk of less than four feet or if it it will take place over hazardous machinery.
Determine mitigations to the fall hazard using the hierarchy of controls:
Elimination of fall hazards may be achieved during the design phase of a large project, but often cannot be completely avoided.
Engineering controls, such as guardrails and parapets, are preferred where fall hazards cannot be designed out of the environment.
Limiting access to only those individuals who are trained and qualified is an administrative control. This includes:
PPE, such as a safety harnesses, fall prevention lanyards and fall arrest systems
Designated areas are an administrative fall protection control, but for the fall protection program they are not as desirable as other mitigation solutions.
For fall hazards:
Elimination > guardrails > fall restraint > fall arrest > designated area
If FPE should be used, select the appropriate:
Anchor point - Code requires the load rating must be attached or permanently printed on each piece of equipment and must be readable by the person using the equipment. The user must be able to plan the use of the equipment based on the load capacity.
Select the FPE – Fall restraint (travel restraint) > fall arrest system
If fall arrest is to be used, the personal fall arrest system selected should match the particular work situation and any possible free fall distance should be kept to a minimum.
The swing radius must also be calculated to ensure the horizontal travel of the work does not exceed the calculated distance from the anchor point to the surface/ground below (A < B).
Consideration must also be given to the particular work environment; the presence of acids, dirt, moisture, oil, grease, slope, etc.; and their effect on the work and/or FPE system. Hot or cold environments may also have an adverse effect on the system. Wire rope should not be used where an electrical hazard is anticipated, etc.
Fall Protection General Requirements
Fall Protection Equipment (FPE) Users Safe-Work Rules
FPE is selected to fit comfortably, be adjusted and has attachment points appropriate for its use.
Prior to use, each FPE device is inspected for:
Operation of snap-hooks or any other means of attachment
Condition of webbing, straps and buckles
Operation of brakes and ratchets in self-retracting lanyards and winches
Damaged, defective or in any way questionable FPE is removed from use and the owner department management must be notified of the problem
The work area is prepared and cleared of unnecessary obstructions.
Cordon off the area below to alert people passing below of potentially falling items.
Clear or shield obstacles that could affect the safe use of the FPE. This includes obstacles at a landing point if using a controlled descent device or sharp/abrasive surfaces that could impact a lanyard.
Lanyards must never be clipped together.
When working aloft, tools and supplies must be secured with tool lanyards so they cannot fall.
FPE may not be used for any operation that it was not designed for.
Rescue plans are required due to the risk of suspension trauma. If a person has fallen and is suspended in a harness for a relatively short period of time, even two to ten minutes, they may experience suspension trauma. Suspension trauma can result in loss of consciousness and potential death; therefore, a rescue plan and its implementation are required by code whenever someone using FPE may not be able to rescue themselves after a fall.
A rescue plan must be written (see Appendix E) and include the following:
A second person (attendant) must accompany the person using the FPE and be in direct communication with that person.
The attendant must have been trained in the recognition of the pre-fainting symptoms (presyncope).
The attendant must have immediate access to paramedic emergency services.
The attendant must have some means of immediate rescue assuming the person who has fallen is not able to assist in the rescue.
Contact Us
For additional assistance, contact the Occupational Safety office.
Before engaging in tasks that expose workers to fall risks, a fall hazard assessment must be conducted. The simple process encourages workers to consider the risk(s) and select the right equipment, PFE and tools to safely conduct the work. The basics of a fall hazard assessment are as follows: