Check out the following story:
http://www.centralmaine.com/news/stories/021122accident.shtml
Basically, a couple of workers had their fall protection devices tethered to roof trusses they were in the process of setting. When the trusses fell over, they were dragged down with them.
I post this for 2 reasons:
First, I’ve made mention several times that trusses can and will fall over if not braced well during erection. Hearing about it gets old (So does talking about it) but it’s worth repeating.
Second – Anchoring a fall protection device to a roof truss which has not been braced is not a good idea. Unfortunately, that appears to be what OSHA requires.
In this world, there are two kinds of people: Those who Get It and those who Don’t. If the meaning of this is not immediately obvious to you, count yourself as one of the latter.
Replies
boss do you know that osha requires the anchoring point to be able to handle 5000lbs?also did you know that most safety harnesses need 13 ft of hieght to work if you fall but osha requires fall protection over 6 ft?there are other means of fall protection like railings, nets, staging and other things that are usually cost prohibitive or impractical on residential jobs which makes contractors (in some cases)ignore safety issues. also did you know that you can work off of a ladder and not need a safety harness.
my two cents
kdinger
"do you know that osha requires the anchoring point to be able to handle 5000lbs?"
Yup. did you know that trussses aren't designed to handle that kind of shock load? But OSHA doesn't want to hear about stuff like that.
When they first talked about the fall protection stuff in the 1990s, the truss industry opposed it. But OSHA ignored everything they said.
did you know that most safety harnesses need 13 ft of hieght to work if you fall but osha requires fall protection over 6 ft?
No - But I'm not surprised.Interesting, but STUPID! [Laugh-in]
whan we work fast these things(trusses) are like, a house of cards, till we get them all set in place and decide whether to 1: brace them properly, or 2: go ahead and launch into decking the roof.
About 10 years ago I was building a small restaraunt on the main street of our little town and got busted by the State safety inspector for not having enough ladder extending above where it was leaning. Since I didn't have any employees onsite I didn't get fined, but she and I talked for about an hour about safety requirements.
One of the things she told me was standing trusses was about the only time she let people slide on ignoring fall protection requirements. She said "there's nothing for you guys to anchor to, so what's the point? But once the trusses go up, I'm a stickler".
That reinforced what I've always found to be true about inspectors of all kinds - they are human, and they have a job to do, but most of them are reasonable as long as you show them a little respect.
Some OSHA regulations are hard to understand, but they are for the safety of workers. It doesn't make my work any easier, but I'm glad they're around.
KD,
I was aware of all these OSHA regulations since I worked for a billboard company before I started framing. The biggest problem I found was that when you were working the back of the sign structure (i.e., where all the I-beams, angle iron, and threaded rods were) by the time the safety lanyard engaged, you would have already been bashed up against so much steel as to probably be paralyzed for the rest of your life. That's why I used my "18-inch rest lanyard" ( basically a 6" strap of nylon with a locking D-ring at either end) more than the fall arrest lanyard when I was working the backside--and that was if I was "hooked up" at all. I know that it sounds stupid not to be, but sometimes your own upper body strength was more reassuring than a 1" wide piece of glorified bungee cord.
hey cap
ive never fallen with a harness on but ive seen guys fall and both times the guys were unconsious after the fall the lanyard may cushion the fall but its nothing like abungee cord you will get hurt wether you bounce off steel or not at the least youll get bruised in places that you dont wanna be(ego not included)
ive got quite a few hours with a harness on and like ive said ive never fallen with one from hieght but ive tripped over the lanyard about a hundred times and i have the scars to prove it
in some cases risk of wearing one is greater than not but, ill always wear one if required even though i may curse about it all day
did you know osha can bust you for climbing a ladder while carrying a tool? did you know that (after pullin the toolup after you or wearing it on your belt) osha can bust you for not having 3 points on the ladder(you are supposed to hold on with one hand and use the tool with just one hand, could get interesting usin a tape and pencil, setting a nail, sawsall)Here's a head scratcher, how do you pull a tool up with one hand? I could go on and on. Bacicallly we are forced to support a system that wont police claims and just keeps rackin up the price because so many people milk the system. creating another welfare system. Thus all our rights to think for our selves are takin away in these broad and inept rules. Oh well, it's past my bedtime and I'm starting torant...
Hey Scott,
Yeah, I also know you have to maintain "three points of contact" on a ladder at all times, but I remember many a time when I hooked off to the ladder going from the bottom to top of a billboard with my 18" lanyard and hung by it while working; I also learned a way (from a firtefighter) to wrap your legs through the rungs of the ladder in a way so it was next to impossible to fall off (the ladder is welded to the framework BTW, not like in carpentry). And then there's the time I had to shimmy across the safety cable to reach the other side of the billboard cuz there was no scaffold.
The funny thing about all this is I still find it scarier to walk plates 8' off the ground than to be 100-150' off the ground walking on a scaffold. I wonder why?
Be very careful using that leg wrap method. Usually a leg is put through ladder rungs and the ankle caught on the rail. If the other leg slips you will likely wish you had just hit the ground. The sort of injuries that this does to the leg woven into the ladder are gruesome and very difficult to get over.
Dislocation of and/or ripping of tendons in the hip, knee and ankle are possible as are compound or greensplint fractures of all the long bones of the leg. Then, if the ladder hasn't fallen and given you the fall you were trying to avoid, someone has to get you down. Kicking the ladder out is easy but causes greater harm but some payback if it is the boss on the ladder. This is a grand time to negotiate a pay raise. Having someone climb the ladder over the inverted victim and untangle the leg is arduous at best unless both of you are really into S&M.
Lowering the ladder slowly while supporting the hanging dude is usually best but it takes four or five careful people. Gathering and coordinating such a group takes time. In the mean time the poor guy hangs up side down and in pain. If you are working an isolated site with no help negotiations with the appropriate, is there a patron saint of ladders?, deity or deities may be call for. This could ruin you whole day.
Lets be careful out there.
This is a story told to me from pipe fitter at one of the big three auto makers.
One of the trades people in his shop was working on a Man lift about 30-40 up. As required by OSHA he was tethered to the lift with a body harness. When the worker tried to maneuver the lift while extended he drove over something to make it tip. As the lift started to go over the worker grabbed a truss to save himself but guess what.
I never did understand why the requirement to be tethered to something with a railing.