Fall Protection for Towers

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Fall Protection for Towers
Fall Protection for Towers
1. Review of CPL 2-1.36
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Disclaimer

• This material was produced under Grant No.
  46F3-HT13 from the Occupational Safety Health
  Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It
  does not necessarily reflect the views or
  policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor
  does mention of trade names, commercial products
  or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S.
  government.

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Competent Person

• Is capable of identifying existing and
  predictable hazards in surroundings or in working
  conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous or
  dangerous to employees
• Has authorization to take prompt corrective
  measures

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Qualified Person

• Has recognized degree, certificate or
  professional standing, or has extensive
  knowledge, training and experience
• Has successfully demonstrated ability to solve or
  resolve problems related to subject matter, the
  work or project

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Crew Chief

• Is authorized, designated and deemed competent
  and qualified by the employer

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Authorized Person

• Is approved or assigned by the employer to
  perform a specific duty type(s) or to be at a
  specific location(s) at the job site

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Equipment

• Anti- two-blocking device
• Used on all hoists except when an employer can
  demonstrate that ambient radiation frequency (RF)
  precludes such use

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Equipment

• In such case, a site-specific safety and health
  program will be established and maintained onsite
  to ensure that
• Two-blocking cannot occur
• Effective communications between the hoist
  operator and personnel being hoisted is maintained

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Equipment

• Anti-two-blocking tower mount transmitter

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Riding the Line

• No more than two employees may be hoisted on load
  line at one time (effective 3/26/02)
• Pre-lift meeting reviews procedures and
  appropriate requirements in this guideline (CPL
  2-1.36)

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Riding the Line

• Equipment
• Anti-two-block device used on all hoists
• Rigging, hoist line and slings shall have factor
  of 10/1
• Hoist line used to raise or lower employees
  equipped with swivel
• Spin-resistant wire rope prohibited

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Riding the Line

• Equipment
• When hoisting personnel, the hoist capacity load
  rating de-rated by a factor of 2 (reduced by
  half)
• All employees provided with and required to use
  proper PPE, which inspected before each use

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Riding the Line

• Equipment
• Guide line used except where employer can
  demonstrate specific circumstances or conditions
  to preclude use

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Anti-two-block warning system
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Riding the Line

• Equipment
• Gin poles thoroughly inspected by competent
  person before each use to determine theyre free
  of defects, including but not limited to
• Damaged and/or missing members
• Corrosive damage
• Missing fasteners
• Broken welds at joints
• General deterioration

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Rooster head
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Riding the Line

• Equipment
• Gin pole attached to tower as designed by RPE,
  and minimum of two attachment locations at bottom
  and near top
• Personnel load and material capacities of lifting
  system in use posted onsite near hoist operators
  location

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Riding the Line

• All trial lifts, inspections and proof tests
  documented and documentation left onsite
• Except where demonstrated that its use is
  precluded, a personnel platform must be used to
  hoist more than one employee to work station
  (1926.550(g))

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Riding the Line

• When a Bostswains seat-type or full body harness
  used to hoist employees, the following applies
• No more than two employees at a time
• Harness attached to hook by lanyard
• Only locking type snaphooks used
• Harness equipped with two side rings and at least
  one front and one back D ring

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Riding the Line

• Hoist line hook equipped with safety latch which
  can be locked in a closed position
• Use of free-spooling (friction lowering)
  prohibited
• When hoist line used to raise or lower
  employee(s), no other load shall be attached to
  any hoist line

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Riding the Line

• No other load shall be raised or lowered at same
  time on same hoist

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Riding the Line

• As-built drawings approved by RPE provides
  lifting capacity of gin pole and available at job
  site
• Gin pole raising line not to be used to raise or
  lower employees
• Employees must maintain 100 tie off when moving
  between hoist line and tower

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Riding the Line

• Maximum rate of travel shall not exceed 200 feet
  per minute when guide line used to control
  personnel hoists
• When guide line cannot be used, rate of hoisted
  employees travel shall not exceed 100 feet per
  minute

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Riding the Line

• In all personnel hoist situations, maximum rate
  shall not exceed 50 feet per minute when
  personnel being lifted approach within 50 feet of
  top block

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Speed control and speed indication are required,
especially for personnel rated hoists.
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Communications During Lifting Operations

• Employees being hoisted shall remain in
  continuous sight of and/or in direct
  communications with operator or signal person
• When radios used, shall be non-trunking, closed
  2-way selective frequency systems

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Communications During Lifting Operations

• When hand signals used, employees must use
  industry standard hand signals

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Pre-Lift Meeting

• Held prior to trial lift at each location
• Meeting shall
• Be attended by hoist operator, employees to be
  lifted and crew chief
• Review procedures to be followed and all
  appropriate requirements
• Be repeated for any employee newly assigned

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Documentation

• All trial lifts, inspections and proof tests
  documented, with documentation remaining onsite
  during length of project
• Pre-lift meeting documented, with documentation
  remaining onsite during length of project

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Fall Protection

• Fall protection during climbing is necessary
  part of fall safety. However, climbers sometimes
  faced with climbing in areas with inadequate
  anchorage points (typically during antenna
  climbing). In these cases, first man up carries
  and attaches safety rope for use during time of
  work performance. Fall protection rope removed
  when all work completed.

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Fall Prevention

• Though free climbing not authorized, antenna
  manufacturers do not presently have way to
  provide fall protection that meets minimum
  anchorage requirements.

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First man up attaches safety line. Once
attached, all others can attach to it. Depending
upon the number of personnel on the antenna, more
than one rope may be required.
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The use of portable type anchorage points can
make difficult attachment locations safe. Cross
arms shown here are one such means.
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Climber is attached with fall protection lanyard
and positioning device.
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Climber is using a cross arm anchorage point to
allow him to work in an area that does not have
an adequate anchorage point.
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Climber is transferring from one anchorage point
to another.
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Proposed Rule

• The following NOT in place and NOT currently a
  rule
• Qualified climber is term used in tower
  industry and by National Association of Tower
  Erectors (NATE)
• Though term used, still not an accepted principle
  by OSHA

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Excerpt From Proposed Change

• Federal Register
• Vol. 55, No. 69
• April 10, 1990
• 1910 Walking and Working Surfaces and Personal
  Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems)

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Proposed Rule (under ladders)

• Indeed, OSHA believes that the amount of time
  employees would spend installing, inspecting and
  maintaining fall protection on fixed ladders
  could substantially exceed the amount of time
  that qualified climbers would be spending to
  climb the ladders.

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Proposed Rule

• Therefore, as an alternative, OSHA believes it
  appropriate to allow qualified climbers as
  defined by OSHA to climb these ladders without
  fall protection under certain conditions.

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Proposed Rule

• First, the employer would have to certify that
  the employee is a qualified climber, as
  provided in 1910.32(b)(5) of this proposal.
• Second, once the qualified climber reaches a
  work station, the employer would be required to
  provide appropriate fall protection.

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Proposed Rule

• Qualified climbers as provided in
  1910.23(a)(2), ladders and step bolts on
  triangulation, telecommunication electrical power
  towers and poles and similar structures,
  including stacks and chimneys, need not have
  ladder safety devices, cages or wells if only
  qualified climbers are permitted to use these
  ladders or step bolts. Such qualified climbers
  shall meet the following requirements.

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Proposed Rule

• (i) Qualified climbers shall be physically
  capable (demonstrated through observations of
  actual climbing activities or by a physical
  examination) of performing the duties which may
  be assigned them.

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Proposed Rule

• (ii) Qualified climbers shall have successfully
  completed a training or apprenticeship program
  that covered hands-on training for the safe
  climbing of ladders or step bolts and shall be
  retrained as necessary to ensure the necessary
  skills are maintained.

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Proposed Rule

• (iii) The employer shall ensure through
  performance observations, and formal classroom or
  on the job training, that the qualified climber
  has the skill to safely perform the climbing.

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Proposed Rule

• (iv) Qualified climbers shall have climbing
  duties as one of their routine work activities
  and
• (v) Qualified climbers, when reaching their
  work position, shall be protected by a fall
  protection system meeting the requirements of
  1910.28.

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Proposed Rule

• 1910.268 Telecommunications
• (g) Personal climbing equipment (1) General
  body belts and pole straps shall be provided and
  the employer shall ensure their use when work is
  performed at positions more than four feet (1.2m)
  above the ground, on poles and on towers, except
  as provided in paragraphs (n)(7) and (n)(8) of
  this section.

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Proposed Rule

• Personal fall protection systems shall meet the
  applicable requirements set forth in Subpart I of
  this part. The employer shall ensure that all
  climbing equipment is inspected prior to each
  days use to determine that it is in safe working
  condition.

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Proposed Rule

• Production samples of personal fall protection
  systems shall be certified by the manufacturer or
  a qualified person as having been tested in
  accordance with and as meeting the requirements
  of Subpart I of this part as applicable.

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Remember

• Currently no program for qualified climbers
• However, if company set up for a qualified
  climber program, the proposed rules would be a
  minimum starting point for establishing safe
  climbers program

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Remember

• Absolute best method for maintaining climber
  safety is 100 fall protection

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Remember

• Accidents from falls do not have to be from
  towers
• Can happen from any height, so think about what
  you are doing

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Questions???