Falls, whether from an elevated level or the same level, have been determined to be among the leading causes of work related deaths and injuries.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has estimated an average of 345 fatalities and 202,066 serious injuries occur each year due to falls.

OSHA requires fall protection be worn when working along unprotected sides or edges at least four feet above a lower level or above a recognized hazard.

A hierarchy of fall protection has been developed to describe the basic methods of fall protection to protect workers.

1. Hazard elimination -- eliminate the need to work at height

2. Passive protection -- employ a physical barrier between the worker and the hazard

3. Fall restraint -- restrict the worker's movement from traveling beyond the hazard

4. Fall arrest -- allows a fall but arrests the fall before striking the ground or hazardous objects

5. Administrative Controls -- employ administrative controls to keep the worker from the hazard

At Anniston Army Depot, there are two main areas where workers are potentially exposed to fall hazards:

1. When performing production-related activities on vehicles, such as working on top of a M1 hull

2. Building maintenance activities, such as repairing leaks on the roofs of buildings.

Unfortunately, not all fall hazards can be eliminated.

When working on top of vehicles, any activity other than climbing on top of the vehicle to enter the vehicle requires fall protection.

In the last year, ANAD spent significant resources on the installation of fall protection equipment inside shops to allow work on top of vehicles or equipment.

Swing arm systems or similar systems with self-retracting devices have been installed in most shops where fall protection is required.

Personal fall protection equipment should be checked out from the ANAD Safety Store to work with these systems.

In most production shops, only a body harness is required to work with the installed equipment.

Additional lanyards should never be used in conjunction with the installed self-retracting devices.

As with all safety equipment, an inspection should be conducted daily before use.

If a piece of equipment appears to be defective, it should be reported to a supervisor immediately, so it can be replaced or repaired.

Anytime a fall occurs, the system should be taken out of service until it can be thoroughly inspected by someone trained in fall protection.

On Nov. 17, 2016, OSHA issued a final rule updating the Walking-Working Surfaces standards, which cover fall protection.

This rule imposes new requirements, such as ladder protection systems, but also allows employers to select from a wider range of fall protection systems.

One major requirement of the new OSHA rule is that it requires employers who use personal fall protection to provide additional training and re-training as necessary on the fall protection systems used around fall and equipment hazards.

This training teaches employees how to: identify and minimize fall hazards, use personal fall protection systems and maintain, inspect and store equipment used for fall protection.

In the following months, additional training will be provided to employees who work at elevated heights.

If you work at elevated heights greater than four feet and are unsure of the requirements or have questions, contact the Safety Office at Ext. 3613.