SAFETY
ARE YOU HEADED FOR A FALL?
BY RONNIE GARRETT
WITHOUT A FOCUS ON FALL PROTECTION, AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE FACILITIES PUT THEMSELVES IN HARM’S WAY BY EXPOSING THEIR WORKERS TO THE POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS INJURY AND EVEN DEATH, AND BY PUTTING THEIR OPERATIONS AT RISK FOR HIGH-DOLLAR FINES AND LAWSUITS. HERE ARE THE HOW’S AND WHY’S OF FOCUSED FALL PROTECTION.
Though regulations abound
on how to protect maintenance technicians on the job, the reality is that simple slip-and-fall accidents still account for many workplace injuries and deaths. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls, slips and trips account for 27 percent of all workplace injuries — and of the falls that are fatal, 81 percent involve falls to a lower level and more than two-fi fths of these falls occur from 15 feet or lower. These numbers account for the cost of these falls to workers but do not fully encapsulate the cost to workplaces due to fi nes, worker’s compensation payouts, lawsuits and lost revenue. In one high-profi le case in December 2016, safety violations in an airport hangar racked up nearly $75,000 in fi nes. The violations at this Louisville, KY, facility included failure to properly guard an open- sided platform or fl oor raised at least four feet above ground level. Though falls are one of the most common causes of work-related injuries and deaths, they are also among the most preventable. Regulations already exist to safeguard the workplace through
6
DOMmagazine.com | aug 2017 fall protection
training and the use of fall protection equipment. But even though
equipment is in place, it often sits gathering dust because workers fail to use it. Even when they do use it, technicians often lack the training to use it correctly. “We routinely encounter fi rms where though
technicians know a fall can lead to signifi cant injury and even death, they still refuse to use the proper safety equipment, even though they know it is available and could save their lives,” says Claude Leduc, an aviation support specialist with Liftsafe, which provides fall safety solutions for many industries, including aviation.
STANDARDS IN PLACE The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides very specifi c recommendations in terms of fall protection. These are noted in 29 CFR 1910, Subpart D Walking- Working Surfaces, and are designed
PHOTOS BY BRENT CLAY
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
