If you have a construction business in Colorado, you can get suggestions on preventing fall incidents from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration. OSHA makes mention that working at height involves carrying out activities at a minimum of four feet measured from the ground under the worker’s feet to the natural reference base (soil) or any other artificial reference base against which there is no danger of falling. This distance differs depending on each industry: four feet is for general industry workplaces, but it can reach six feet in construction and even eight feet in long shoring operations.
Work at height is allowed only if the workplace has been technically equipped and organized so as to prevent workers from falling from a height. According to OSHA fall protection training Colorado providers, work safety provisions and regulations in force must be known and applied, regarding the potential injury hazards specific to a particular work site.
The main risks in working at height are related to falling objects or people, weather conditions that may affect the work, unprotected or slippery work platforms, fragile materials, other workers carrying out their activities below or nearby etc.
Fall protection may refer to fall elimination, prevention, fall arrest and administrative controls. Also, there are some general rules to keep in mind, regardless the activity field:
- Working at height must be very well organized from a technological point of view, to ensure fall protection
- Workers must have access to quality personal protective equipment – designed for specific industries.
- Employers must train their employees and use adequate collective and individual facilities, corresponding to the risks related to the respective works.
Workers who carry out activities that involve working at height must be fit for those activities that pose a high degree of risk to themselves and to other participants in the work process who are exposed to the dangers of falling from a height.
Employers and those responsible for work safety must take into account the fact that the assignment of workers for working at height must be done according to the professional recommendations of occupational physicians. All those who work in such risky conditions, regardless of the field of activity, will also wear personal protective equipment as well as use additional equipment to prevent the risks of accidents and occupational diseases.
Work at height must be carried out only under the supervision of a manager who, before starting work, must check that all the necessary safety measures have been taken.
If you want to take fall protection training courses in Colorado, you must contact a professional provider and apply. Courses are typically scheduled and you can choose the period that is most convenient for you. Registration is simple and you will have to submit an application accompanied by medical documents proving that you are fit to work at height.
Falls from a height remain one of the main causes of accidents at work, especially in the field of construction. Improving working conditions in terms of safety and health is an objective that must not be subordinated to economic considerations.
