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Fall Protection

How to Select the Best Fall Protection Equipment for Your Application

person Devon McCarty
event January 28, 2019

Selecting the right fall protection equipment starts with identifying the hazards associated with the work being performed. A job safety analysis and working-at-height risk assessment can help determine whether a fall hazard can be eliminated or whether a fall protection system is necessary.

In this video, Kevin Muldoon, Product Manager for Lifeline Systems and Fall Protection at Mazzella Companies, explains how to select the best fall protection equipment for your application. He walks through the steps of evaluating the job, identifying fall hazards, and comparing the results with the hierarchy of controls for fall protection.

You’ll learn why eliminating the fall hazard should be considered first and when other controls may be appropriate. These can include passive systems, such as guardrails or safety nets, and fall restraint systems that prevent workers from reaching the hazard.

What You’ll Learn About Selecting Fall Protection Equipment:

  • Why the selection process should begin with a job safety analysis
  • How a working-at-height risk assessment helps identify job-site hazards
  • Why eliminating work at height may remove the need for fall protection equipment
  • When passive controls, such as guardrails or safety nets, may be appropriate
  • How a fall restraint system prevents workers from reaching a fall hazard

Who This Is For:

  • EHS and safety professionals responsible for working-at-height programs
  • Facility, operations, and maintenance managers
  • Safety trainers and supervisors
  • Employees responsible for completing job safety analyses and risk assessments
  • Contractors and workers who use fall protection equipment
  • Organizations evaluating fall hazards and fall protection systems

Need Help Selecting Fall Protection Equipment?

Contact Mazzella’s Fall Protection Division for help identifying fall hazards, evaluating your application, and selecting fall protection equipment for your job site.

Transcript

Intro

Today, I’m going to teach you how to select the right, or the best, fall protection equipment for your application.

I’m Kevin Muldoon, Product Manager for Lifeline Systems and Fall Protection for the Mazzella Companies. Today, I’m going to help you select the best fall protection equipment for your application.

Start With the Job Safety Analysis

So, where do you start? The best thing to do is look at your JSA and look at the height assessment form that you may have completed. If you haven’t, please complete that.

Follow Up With the Working at Height Risk Assessment

After completing one of those, you will have a great understanding of the hazards associated with the work that you are performing on the job site. And quite frankly, that will determine if you use any fall protection at all. Why? Because you could eliminate it altogether.

If you’re changing light bulbs and you can eliminate being on a ladder and use a pole, do it, because you’ve just eliminated the fall hazard.

If you can’t do that, then you have to use other means, such as possibly a guardrail system, which is passive, or a netting system. Or, if you can’t do that, then you’re going to use a fall restraint system. And a fall restraint system keeps you from actually being at the hazard, so you won’t be.

Compare to the Hierarchy of Controls for Fall Protection

After you’ve completed both forms, you can compare those to the hierarchy of controls and select the best application for your job site.

Closing

If you have any questions at all, or you’re having problems filling out your JSA, please contact us at Mazzella. We will help you out in any way we can. Thank you.

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Contact Mazzella

In this video

  • 0:00 – Intro
  • 0:46 – Start with the Job Safety Analysis
  • 0:53 – Follow up with the Working at Height Risk Assessment
  • 1:40 – Compare to the Hierarchy of Controls for Fall protection
  • 1:54 – Closing

Disclaimer:

Any advice, graphics, images, and/or information contained herein are presented for general educational and information purposes and to increase overall safety awareness. It is not intended to be legal, medical, or other expert advice or services, and should not be used in place of consultation with appropriate industry professionals. The information herein should not be considered exhaustive and the user should seek the advice of appropriate professionals.

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