Have you ever been driving home late at night and had to fight to keep your eyes open?

Or maybe you’ve felt your attention drift while driving to work in the morning?

It might seem commonplace, but driving in these situations can be dangerous. Even if you’re not falling asleep at the wheel, drowsy driving poses a risk to your life and others.

Driving while drowsy can cause drivers to pay less attention to the road, slows their reaction time and affects the ability to make good decisions. It also impairs information processing and short-term memory and decreases performance, vigilance and motivation.

Accidents caused by drowsy driving are most common late at night and early in the morning, with early afternoon also being a peak time for drowsiness. Most crashes result from failure to brake or avoid an accident. It’s also common for drivers to veer off the road.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving causes 100,000 crashes, 71,000 non-fatal injuries and 1,500 deaths per year. However, these are low estimates as drowsy driving can be difficult to track. It’s thought that up to 6,000 fatal crashes each year may be caused by drowsy drivers.

Underlying causes

Drowsy driving occurs when a driver is sleepy or fatigued. Excessive drowsiness is usually caused by sleep loss from restriction or too little sleep. This can result from interrupted or fragmented sleep or chronic sleep debt. Other factors include undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders, the use of sedating medication and consumption of alcohol when already tired. These factors can compound on one another, and any combination of them increases the chances of causing a motor vehicle accident.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, people who sleep six hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a drowsy driving crash than those sleeping eight hours or more, and people sleeping less than five hours increase the risk to four or five times.

Commercial drivers who operate vehicles such as tow trucks, tractor-trailers and buses have increased risk of drowsiness. Workers with long, rotating or night shifts, such as doctors, nurses, pilots and police officers, have a higher risk of drowsy driving, especially when driving home.

Warning signs

Warning signs include:

• Yawning
• Frequent blinking or rubbing your eyes
• Blurry vision
• Heavy eyelids or inability to keep eyes open
• Nodding off or trouble keeping your head up
• Difficulty remembering the past few miles or missing your exit
• Drifting from your lane or hitting a rumble strip on the side of the road
• Ending up too close to nearby cars or tailgating
• Daydreaming, difficulty focusing or wondering and disconnected thoughts

If you experience these signs, pull over to rest or change drivers. It’s not enough to just roll down the windows or turn up the radio.

Prevention

There are many ways to prevent drowsy driving:

• Get enough sleep

At least seven hours is the recommended amount of sleep for the average adult.

• Develop good sleeping habits

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day and make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, relaxing and at a comfortable temperature. Remove electronic devices from your room, avoid large meals, caffeine and alcohol before bed and get some exercise.

• Talk to your physician about treatment options if you have a sleep disorder

Pay attention to potential symptoms, such as snoring or regularly feeling sleepy during the day. Many people with obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy go untreated.

• Avoid drinking alcohol or taking medications that make you sleepy

Check the label on medications or talk to your pharmacist. Common sedating medications include antidepressants, cold tablets and antihistamines.

• Avoid driving late at night or alone

Share driving with other passengers on long trips, pull over at rest stops and take a short nap or arrange for someone to give you a ride home after working a late shift. On long trips, schedule breaks or switch drivers every 100 miles or 2 hours.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its preliminary top 10 violations for 2018 in late October at the 2018 National Safety Council Congress & Expo .

These standards were the most frequently cited during OSHA’s fiscal year that ended September 30. According to OSHA, the list serves to “increase awareness of these standards so employers can take steps to find and fix the hazards to prevent injury or illness.”

The top 10 most frequently cited OSHA violations for 2018

Fall protection has topped the list of most-cited OSHA violations for eight years in a row, and many of the other standards continue to be in the top 10 year after year. The only new item in 2018 is eye and face protection at number 10.

Here’s the full list:

1. Fall protection – general requirements
2. Hazard communication
3. Scaffolding
4. Respiratory protection
5. Lockout/tagout
6. Ladders
7. Powered industrial trucks
8. Fall protection – training requirements
9. Machine guarding
10. Eye and face protection

Safety resources from SFM and OSHA

SFM and OSHA both offer safety resources to educate employers and workers on common sources of violations and injuries.  See below for a sampling of resources for each of the top 10 violations.

Fall protection

• Fall protection 5-Minute Solution
• Fall protection standards blog post

Hazard communication

• Hazard communication blog post
• OSHA hazard communication guide

Scaffolding

• Scaffolding 5-Minute Solution
• OSHA scaffolding eTool

Respiratory protection

• Respirators 5-Minute Solution
• OSHA respiratory protection eTool

Lockout/tagout

• Lockout/tagout 5-Minute Solution
• OSHA Lockout/tagout interactive training program

Ladders

• Ladder safety 5-Minute Solution
• Ladder safety resources blog post

Powered industrial trucks

• Forklift inspection 5-Minute Solution
• Forklift safety 5-Minute Solution
• Forklift safety for pedestrians 5-Minute Solution
• OSHA powered industrial truck eTool

Machine guarding

• Machine guarding 5-Minute Solution
• OSHA machine guarding eTool

Eye and face protection

• Eye protection 5-Minute Solution
• Personal protective equipment CompTalk
• Personal protective equipment checklist poster

This post was originally published on December 6, 2017, and updated on October 31, 2018.

Skip isn’t the only superhero who cares about safety. School bus drivers play the role of safety hero every day as they go about their jobs.

This year’s theme for National School Bus Safety Week, “My Driver – My Safety Hero,” reminds us of bus drivers’ important roles in getting people where they’re going safely.

National School Bus Safety Week , from October 22-26, brings awareness to the dangers for drivers, students and pedestrians. It’s everyone’s responsibility to stay safe around school buses.

School bus driver safety tips and resources

Bus drivers have additional duties beyond transportation. Drivers must be aware of their own risk of injury, while driving safely and keeping an eye on their surroundings.

School Bus Safety Week offers a chance to provide drivers with a few safety basics, including:

• Remember that drivers and pedestrians around you may be distracted
• Use safe practices when performing checks or maintenance
• Maintain three points of contact when entering or leaving the bus
• Make sure everyone is seated before starting to move the bus

SFM’s safety resources help keep bus drivers injury-free, from pre-trip inspection to exiting the vehicle using 3 points of contact. Download SFM’s Supervisor Initiated Training talks tailored to transportation workers to make it easy for your leaders to have a discussion with their teams about school bus safety.

National School Bus Safety Week is sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation , National School Transportation Association and National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services .

By Lee Wendel, CSP, CPSHA, SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader

For most of us, the most dangerous thing we do every day is drive a vehicle.

In the U.S., more than 34,000 people die in road crashes each year and the number is increasing by about 2,000 per year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Over the last 10 years, technology has advanced leaps and bounds in many helpful ways — allowing us to more easily communicate and share our lives with others. But these advances have also introduced unexpected hazards.

As individuals are becoming more dependent on their phones for information, it’s gotten increasingly difficult for some to resist looking at them, even while behind the wheel. This creates a significant safety hazard. A recent Los Angeles Times article went so far as to compare the impact of texting while driving to that of drunk driving.

The increasing prevalence of distracted driving is putting everyone on the roads at a heightened risk for preventable collisions. Drivers who focus on their phones instead of the road greatly reduce their ability to react to changing conditions and hazards. For this reason, SFM recommends against any cellphone use while driving.

Technology reducing crash risks

While technology introduces risk, it can also be helpful in eliminating it. One example is the collision-avoidance technology many manufacturers are integrating into their vehicles. These systems can detect a potential collision and warn the driver or in some cases actually apply the vehicle brakes. This can reduce the severity of an incident, or even prevent it completely.

While vehicles have never been safer, we still have a problem with increasing numbers of crashes and deaths on the road. Even as the promise of fully autonomous cars looms on the horizon, the driver continues to be a critical component in preventing vehicle accidents.

In-vehicle monitoring service for policyholders

To help our policyholders harness the right technology, SFM partners with a leader in the vehicle monitoring field, StriveSafe by Geoforce. The StriveSafe system gives employers access to an in-vehicle monitoring system that can help them improve their workers’ driving behaviors through positive recognition.

Safe driving telematics benefits

• Encourages safe driving behavior
• Real-time vehicle monitoring
• Top driver recognition
• Easy vehicle installation
• Discounted subscription cost
• Enhanced package options

The system is designed to give consistent feedback to the drivers without introducing distractions. Each driver is notified through a weekly scorecard that shows opportunities to improve his or her “score.” To enable monitoring, each vehicle needs only to be fitted with a low-cost device that’s easy to install in vehicles built in the last 20 years.

Thanks to our partnership, this program is available at a significantly reduced cost to SFM policyholders. Employers interested in fleet management will find that the devices can provide those functions as an added benefit.

When Jones Metal Inc. identified a safety risk in the shipping process, they didn’t delay in finding a solution.

The SFM policyholder, based in Mankato, Minnesota, provides custom sheet metal fabrication services for original equipment manufacturers in industries as varied as agriculture, construction and defense. The family-owned business, which marked 75 years in 2017, employs more than 80 people.

Safety grant funds new equipment

The pallet-wrapping process required two people lifting a roll of shrink wrap and reaching up and around the pallet while it was held up by a forklift. No injuries had occurred, yet the shipping manager recognized the risk of strains, sprains or being struck by a forklift and brought an automated solution to the company’s attention.

Jones Metal applied for a Minnesota OSHA safety grant to help them pay for an automated pallet wrapper that would eliminate the risks and improve their shipping process. The MNOSHA safety grant program awards up to $10,000 in matching funds to “qualifying employers for projects designed to reduce the risk of injury and illness to their workers,” according to the MNOSHA website. The application requires an on-site inspection and written report by a qualified safety professional.

Jones Metal’s Director of Human Resources, Val Bentdahl, called in SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader Lee Wendel to assist in applying for the grant. Wendel visited their manufacturing facility, observed the pallet-wrapping process and provided a written recommendation for the equipment.

Jones Metal received the matching grant and installed the machine.

The end result: A safer and more efficient process. The step that previously required three workers now takes only a forklift driver, who operates the pallet wrapper with a remote control.

“The machine prevents the possibility of strain injuries and struck-by injuries, plus saves time,” explained Bentdahl. “It wraps the material in a fraction of the time, and it’s much more secure. It eliminates quality issues, and eliminates injuries.”

Focus on training from day one and return-to-work

Since Jones Metal became an SFM policyholder in 2015, it has taken full advantage of SFM’s safety resources. Working in a higher risk industry, Jones Metal is never complacent about injury prevention. Their safety committee proactively recognizes and addresses risks.

“They’re on the leading edge of adopting changes that are safer for their employees,” Wendel said.

They train employees on safety from day one, and experienced workers — their skilled workforce averages 14 years of experience — continue to receive safety training. They leverage the Minnesota Safety Council for specialized training.

Most of their safety training takes place through the online learning management system SFM offers free of charge to policyholders, called Vivid Learning Systems.

Vivid offers interactive 20- to 40-minute modules employees take individually, when it fits in their schedule. Topics cover a wide range of occupational health and safety subjects. Jones Metal makes use of online trainings for hearing protection, lockout/tagout and more.

When an injury does occur, Jones Metal supervisors respond quickly. Very few of their claims become lost-time claims because they understand the importance of bringing injured employees back to work as soon as possible. Jones Metal works within any medical restrictions to find transitional jobs for their workers, and they involve themselves with the claims process.

Even with a good loss history and an e-mod that has improved almost 20 percent in the last three years, Jones Metal continues to emphasize injury prevention.

“They’re always striving to do better than they’ve done before and looking for more resources to prevent injuries for their employees,” Wendel said.

Photo courtesy of Jones Metal

Due to an aging population and the high cost of hospital visits, there has been increased need for alternative care options for the sick, elderly or disabled. One of these solutions is the use of home health care.

For home health care workers, there is very little control over hazards they are exposed to. They face many unique safety risks while on the job.

Getting to and from work safely

If you are driving to work, make sure your vehicle is in good working order and keep emergency supplies on hand. While travelling, keep your car locked and stay on well-traveled roads. Park in well-light areas and avoid underground parking lots, dark alleys or parking next to large vehicles.

If you are using the bus or walking, stay in well-lit areas with high pedestrian traffic. Be aware of your surroundings, making sure to look and listen. Make sure any oncoming traffic can see you at all times.

Slips and falls

Indoor hazards include:

• Uneven or slippery floors
• Wrinkled or worn carpets and curling vinyl
• Clutter in rooms, hallways and stairs
• Lack of handrails on stairs
• Electrical cords on floors or that cross walkways
• Open drawers

While working indoors, keep your shoes on if allowed by the client and be sure to check the floor surface before walking on it. Watch out for clutter and suggest to the client that items be stored properly, electrical cords get tucked out of the way, and drawers stay closed. Always use handrails when going up and down stairs.

Outdoor hazards include:

• Slippery surfaces, such as sidewalks, steps and wooden ramps covered with water, ice, snow, leaves or moss
• Uneven or damaged sidewalks and driveways
• Debris or items left on walkways
• Poor lighting

Wear footwear with a good tread and check all walking surfaces before taking a step. Move cautiously when exiting your vehicle and when walking on uneven, wet or icy surfaces. Be sure to notify your client representative and supervisor of any hazardous conditions.

Violence prevention in the home

Violence refers to any physical force that may cause injury, as well as threatening statements or behavior. Clients and their family members or visitors may become violent or argumentative due to frustration caused by the client’s condition. Clients may also be experiencing difficulties due to trouble communicating, effects from medication, physical or cognitive limitations or frustration over being dependent on others.

Be sure to read over the care plan before visiting clients. Assess their mood before starting your duties and be sure to tell them what you’re going to do before you do it. Make sure you have easy access from the home.

If a situation becomes stressful, stay calm and face the person with your elbows at your sides and arms out. Watch for signs that the person might strike out. Don’t argue or raise your voice. Reassure the person that their concerns will be dealt with as soon as possible and tell them how to make a complaint to your supervisor. Tell your supervisor about the situation as soon as possible.

Overexertion and repetitive motion

The five main risk factors that cause overexertion and strain from repetitive motion include:

• Force
• Repetition
• Awkward postures
• Static postures
• Contact stress

Signs of overexertion and strain from repetitive movements include:

• Redness
• Swelling
• Loss of normal joint movement
• Shooting, dull, sharp or aching pain
• Tenderness
• Weakness
• Pins and needles
• Hot or cold sensations

Transferring, repositioning, dressing and bathing clients, as well as housekeeping work, can put you at high risk for strains and sprains. Plan your tasks to reduce the potential for injury.

Transferring or repositioning clients

The best way to avoid injury when transferring or repositioning clients is to use equipment and transfer assist devices, such as lifts or low-friction slide sheets. Clearly communicate your intentions and instructions the client. Avoid having a client hold on to you.

If you have to lift manually, it’s important to practice safe patient handling. Lift from a position of power by keeping your head up. Get close to the client while lifting and make sure you have a good hold. Use a staggered stance by positioning one foot in front of the other and remember “nose follows toes” to avoid twisting. Bend your knees and avoid jerking motions.

Dressing and bathing clients

When dressing a client, try to avoid awkward positions, such as reaching to dress the client, and static postures, such as supporting the client in one position for a long time. Keep your body upright and shift your weight with your legs when helping the client move.

Other best practices include starting with the client’s weaker side when putting on clothes, helping your client lean forward when putting on shirts and sitting on a stool when assisting with socks and shoes.

When bathing a client, avoid awkward and static positions, using the same set of muscles repeatedly without a chance to rest and contact stress from kneeling on the floor or leaning against the tub. Be sure to gather all equipment and supplies you need and position them in easy reach. Before you help clients into the tub, be sure to seat them on a transfer bench or shower stool.

Housekeeping hazards

While on the job, there are several household tasks that you might not think are hazardous, including making beds, cleaning and doing laundry.

When making beds, avoid bending at the back and flexing your knees as you make the bed. Walk around the bed instead of reaching over it. If you have to work from one side, keep one hand on the bed for support.

While cleaning, use equipment with long handles for hard to reach areas, place a folded towel under your knees while kneeling and make sure protective gloves fit well to prevent using extra force with gripping.

Carry loads you can comfortably manage while doing laundry. Avoid bending forward, fold clothes at a comfortable height and avoid twisting when lifting.

Resources for home health care workers

• Getting to and from work safely 5-Minute Solution
• Slips and falls 5-Minute Solution
• Violence prevention in the home 5-Minute Solution
• De-escalation Team Training – health care
• Overexertion and repetitive motion 5-Minute Solution
• Transferring or repositioning clients 5-Minute Solution
• Dressing and bathing clients 5-Minute Solution
• Housekeeping hazards 5-Minute Solution

With four distinct generations now working together, employers must create and adapt safety and health programs to engage baby boomers, generation X-ers, millennials and the newest generation.

Members of the youngest generation, lacking an agreed-on name, but commonly called Generation Z, are just beginning to enter the workforce, according to the Pew Research Center . Millennials, now in their 20s and 30s, may soon surpass Baby Boomers as the United States’ largest generation .

These generations have dramatically different cultural, societal and educational experiences that shape their perspectives, motivations and “norms” about their work lives. They also have different safety needs.

prior to 1946

1965 – 1980

1997 – present

Make changes to keep older workers safe

Older employees have delayed retirement far longer than previous generations, and they simply cannot do the physical work they once did in the same manner without increased risk of injury. 

Cumulative trauma from age, work and lifestyle can start to exhibit itself in soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries. Physical strength and muscle mass also decrease as we age.

Employers should take a fresh look at work tasks and processes and try to engineer out manual aspects or incorporate devices or design to reduce the physical burdens of the job.

For example, it may mean breaking down packaging to decrease the weight lifted, or moving keyboards and monitors into more ergonomically correct positions. Job rotation or cross-training can be used to reduce physical strain on employees and prevent repetitive motion injuries. Functional strengthening or flexibility exercises can make employees more resistant to injury and incorporate wellness into the work process.

These improvements can also serve younger employees and promote safety for all employees.

Mentor younger employees on safety

When older employees begin to retire in large numbers shortly, a knowledge vacuum could occur if steps aren’t taken to prevent it. Hundreds of years of collective information about the employer — especially about equipment, machinery, buildings and processes — could be lost.

Begin using mentorship programs or relationships to transfer knowledge to younger generations so their safety isn’t jeopardized when long-term employees retire. A side benefit of mentorship: younger generations can give a fresh look at established processes and generate ideas to make them safer or more efficient.

Take advantage of younger employees’ tech savvy

Younger generations can be incredibly savvy with technology. Use their knowledge to assess opportunities to introduce technology that will advance safety in the workplace. Diversifying training and communication methods to include online, video and teleconferencing benefits all employees.

However, be aware that people’s preferences may differ. Some employees prefer the phone over instant messaging; set guidelines so everyone is communicating effectively. As more and more digital applications enter the workplace, ensure that less technologically advanced workers receive the training and instruction they need to use them safely.

Emphasize wellness among all workers

Total Worker Health — incorporating safety with health promotion on and off the job — benefits all generations in your workplace. Younger generations may expect employers to promote physical activity, mental health, work-life balance and proper nutrition, and they may buy in more quickly than older workers.

Use younger employees’ momentum, energy and leadership to engage older employees in your efforts. Total Worker Health can help reduce the occurrence of chronic, age-related conditions that increase the risk of workplace injury and delay recovery.

Give immediate feedback to younger employees

All employees need and want feedback about their performance and safety efforts. Even so, they differ considerably in what they perceive to be the optimal amount and timing.

All new employees should have a safety orientation, even those who may not be new to the industry. You can’t make assumptions about employees’ safety knowledge based on their ages. Rather, you must train all employees and provide feedback that is best suited for them.

After the initial safety orientation, incorporate ongoing safety messages into team huddles or meetings to combat the information overload that can happen at the beginning of a new job. SFM’s 5-Minute Solutions and Supervisor Initiated Trainings are two tools to add short safety messages into daily work.

Younger employees often look for immediate feedback or response, while older employees may take more of a “no news is good news” approach. Make sure management and employees are all on the same page and understanding of each other’s needs for safety communication.

Having so many generations in the workplace at once presents challenges as well as opportunities. Thinking through your safety program with all of your employees’ needs in mind will take time and effort, but it should pay off in the form of safer, more knowledgeable employees of all ages.

Will your company take part in Safe + Sound Week August 13-19?

The second annual Safe + Sound Week raises awareness about the value of safety and health programs. The theme is taken from the phrase, “Safe workplaces are sound businesses.” Throughout the week, companies are encouraged to hold events demonstrating their commitment to safety.

The Safe + Sound Week information on OSHA’s website offers multiple activity ideas for each of the three main elements of a successful safety and health program:

• Management leadership
• Worker participation
• Finding and fixing hazards

All organizations, regardless of industry or size, may take part. Participating businesses can be listed on the map of events and receive a certificate and badge recognizing their efforts.

Led by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the coalition of organizers for Safe + Sound Week include:

• American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
• American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
• Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• National Safety Council (NSC)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPP)

Learn more about Safe + Sound Week or register your event .

In the United States, trench and excavation hazards cause more than 100 deaths and 1,000 injuries every year. Eventually, all excavations and trenches will cave-in, but knowing proper safety procedures and what hazards to watch for will greatly reduce the risk of injury.

The National Utility Contractor’s Association (NUCA) is holding a safety stand down week for trench and excavation safety from June 18-23. This event, endorsed by OSHA, provides companies with an opportunity to have a conversation with employees about trench and excavation hazards and best practices to prevent injury. Take a break to talk about trench and excavation safety, plan a safety event or provide training for all workers.

Cave-ins pose the greatest risk and are much more likely than other excavation-related accidents to result in worker fatality. Keep an eye out for warning signs, such as bulges in the walls of the excavation and cracks running parallel to the edge.

Other trench and excavation risks include:

• Asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen
• Inhalation of toxic materials
• Exposed utility lines, underground and overhead
• Falling objects
• Water in the excavation
• Moving machinery near the edge of the excavation could cause a collapse
• Vehicle traffic

Trench and excavation safety recommendations

When doing trenching and excavation work, a competent person capable of identifying and correcting hazards and who has the authority to stop work must be present. Prior to beginning work, underground utilities should be located. Before an employee enters the excavation, test the area for hazardous atmospheres such as oxygen deficiency and high concentration of combustible gas or other hazardous substances. If detected, clear away prior to entry.

Depending on the depth of a trench, different safety requirements are necessary. Access or egress must be provided for an excavation of four feet or greater. If an excavation is more than five feet then a protective system of either a bench, slope or shield must be in place. When the excavation exceeds six feet, fall protection is required.

Examine equipment used for protective systems for damage that could impair its function. Remove and replace damaged equipment.

Spoil piles should be a minimum of two feet away from an excavation’s edge and placed so that rainwater runs away from the excavation. Ladders are required to enter or exit a trench and must be within 25 feet of all workers. Employees should not work outside of a trench box or shoring. All workers need appropriate personal protection equipment: hard hats, safety boots, safety glasses and Class II high visibility vests.

By following these safety recommendations and keeping aware of your surroundings, you can significantly reduce the risk of injury.

Other resources

Visit SFM’s resource catalog for more construction safety materials.

Did you know that falls are the leading cause of worker death in the construction industry? Falls from elevation accounted for 384 of the 991 fatalities in construction in 2016. Fall prevention is an easy an important way to keep your workers safe and save lives.

One of the reasons falls are so common is due to lack of proper equipment and training. In 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) included fall protection general requirements, scaffolding requirements and fall protection training requirements on their list of the top most cited violations for the year.

May 7 – 11, 2018 is National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction week. This is a voluntary event where employers are encouraged to engage their employees on the importance of fall prevention. Companies can take a break from work and allow supervisors and employees to have an open discussion about safety.

Fall prevention

Proper fall protection is key to prevention. According to OSHA, fall protection is any equipment, device or system that prevents a worker from falling or that diminishes the effects of a fall. Safety standards for construction require that workers use fall protection whenever they are more than six feet off the ground. In general industry, the requirement is four feet.

Hazards that may cause a fall include leading edge work such as roofs or bridges, roof holes and manholes, ramps and runways, steel erection, articulating lifts, bore pits, shafts and work over open tanks. Fall protection is required in hoist areas, runways, areas above dangerous equipment, wall openings, repair pits, stairways and scaffolds.

There are many options for fall protection:

• Covers
• Guardrail systems
• Personal fall arrest systems
• Positioning devices
• Warning lines
• Controlled access zones (CAZs)
• Safety net systems
• Travel restraint systems
• Ladder safety systems

Before beginning a task, workers should utilize pre-task planning to reduce the chances of falling. Workers should also assess the task to choose compatible fall arrest equipment. Ensure sturdy construction and anchor points prior to starting the job.

Personal fall arrest systems must be properly selected, maintained, inspected and utilized. Do not mix components from different models. All open sides of the work area should be marked with warning lines at least 6 feet back from the edge. Clearly mark the lines with high visibility flags.

Training also plays an important role. A qualified person must train workers on how to correctly identify and minimize hazards, use personal fall protection and maintain, inspect and store equipment or systems used for fall prevention. If your company doesn’t have someone trained in fall protection, bring in an expert to help.

Additional resources

• Fall protection – Construction Supervisor Initiated Training
• OSHA updates walking-working surfaces and fall protection standards
• Fall protection 5-Minute Solution
• Fall protection 5-Minute Solution – Spanish