Jason Wible Frenchcreek Speaks On the Purpose, Function, and OSHA Laws
Safety against falls has been a major concern in the construction industry. Back in the 1920’s workers used to wear body belts which were not at all effective to prevent falls and businesses were not liable to provide safe working conditions for them. Considering the fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enacted strict rules and guidelines to protect employees from falling resulting in injuries and death. In the 1990s full-body harness become the standardized fall prevention tool, which has now become an essential element in different industries including the construction industry, says Jason Wible Frenchcreek.
The purpose of a safety harness
For employees who need to work at heights, wearing safety harnesses for them is most important. This tool has been specially designed considering the possible risk factors of workers like roofers, painters, and window washers experience every single day while working and accordingly protect them from a potential fall. The harness enables the workers to attach themselves to any stationary and solid object at the site and thereby ensure they will no more hit the ground even being tripped or slipped from height. As per studies, falling from high areas is among the leading causes of workplace injury in the United States so ensuring the workers performing at the heights remain outfitted with the appropriate equipment should be an employer’s paramount concern.
According to Jason Wible Frenchcreek, apart from reassuring employees’ safety when they work in hazardous conditions, it allows them to work comfortably without any worry keeping both hands free since the harness remains attached to the body. Thus, it increases their productivity while making a business profitable.
How safety harness functions
- A safety harness comes with a body harness, and connectors apart from an anchorage also called a D ring. The purpose of each element is as follows
- A body harness is a protective tool consisting of straps worn by a worker tightly enfolded around both the torso and legs.
- Connectors define secure attachment accessories offering life support and lanyard.
- With a sliding-back mechanism, a D-ring harness should be located among the shoulder blades. This facilitates the worker to grasp the force of a falling human body while distributing its impact all across one’s chest, shoulders, buttocks, waist, and legs.
- Safety harnesses are designed to be connected with safety lanyards.
OSHA mandates using safety harnesses in construction industry under the following circumstances:
- At the time a worker is performing the job 6 feet or more then above the ground and if the site has no guardrail or is equipped with a safety net
- At the time of erecting or disassembling scaffolding, if it is more than 10 feet above the ground and the site does not have any handrail system
- While using aerial devices that require the employee to work above 6 feet the ground
- When an employee works at heights and the space of working is lesser than 6 feet away from the roof opening or floor edge.
- There is no minimum height in a workplace if an employee is performing a job with dangerous equipment, machinery, or any other hazardous substance exposed, where they could fall.
To conclude, employers must be serious to adhere to the rules and specifications of safety harnesses before using them. This will help them to boost employee morale, and productivity and avoid high penalties and workplace litigation.
