Fall Protection Friday: The Unseen Fall from Above

This Weeks Toolbox Talk Attached Below!

Welcome back, let's Build Smart & Build Safe! We’ve spent this week on the complexities of crane and rigging safety. Today, on Fall Protection Friday, we’re connecting these hazards to the most common cause of fatalities in construction: falls.

The power and reach of a crane can create a fall hazard for workers in elevated areas without even striking the ground.

The Two-Part Fall Hazard

A crane operation can cause a fall in two primary ways:

1. Striking an Elevated Platform: If a crane boom, a swinging load, or a rigging line strikes a scaffold, a ladder, or an elevated work platform, the impact can be catastrophic. The sudden force can knock a worker off the platform or cause the entire structure to collapse, leading to a fall from height.

2. Being Pulled from a Height: A rigger or signal person on an elevated platform can become entangled if their hand, clothing, or a rigging component snags on a load as it is lifted. The upward force can pull them off their platform, causing a fall. This is a very real, often overlooked, and incredibly dangerous risk.

The Rule of Separation

The primary way to prevent these types of falls is through physical and spatial separation.

• Before the Lift: The lift plan must account for all potential conflicts between the crane's swing path and any workers on elevated platforms.

• During the Lift: All elevated work in the area of a crane operation should be halted. Workers must be cleared from any scaffolding or platforms that are in the crane's path.

Your awareness of these dangers and your refusal to work in an unsafe zone are what keep you and your team safe. The safest fall is the one that never happens.

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-The Safety Man