Fall Protection: Traps that Workers Can't Avoid
...it may be indistinguishable from the decking from the deckers' point of view and work focus. There is a netting product which holds the insulation and which catches falling workers.
7. Floor holes sealed with drywall
Holes sealed with drywall on cracked walking surfaces are gray and look like a concrete floor but this will collapse if stepped on. Short-term decisions may seem convenient to answer a dust problem, but this does little for the interior wall worker who trusts what he or she sees despite any warnings not to.
8. Vertical hand grips can be disastrous
Holding the side rail of a ladder when a foot slides and slips on or off a rung will result in a catastrophic loss of grip and balance. The reason is that hands cannot effectively grasp vertical supports* under dynamic conditions (angle iron is especially lethal for side rails). The need for horizontal grab bars is now a requirement in the Corps of Engineers Manual EM385-1-1 (11/03) for ladder extension side rails and roof hatch openings, and should be incorporated for all industry ladders.
9. Chain or rope guardrails
At height with typical sag, these HFTs are not barriers to falling through or over. A rigid barrier 42-45 inches high is needed with less than 3 inches of sag to avoid becoming an HFT. Gaining or regaining balance is not guaranteed. Worse still is caution tape that provides no effective barrier and is merely an invitation to cross by people who give themselves permission. And no warning or danger tape serves any better
10. Steps that have low lighting.
These HFTs produce trips on the way down. This especially occurs coming inside to a darker stairway from a bright sun exposure. Lighting must be adequate at night as well as day to eliminate guessing where a step may be. This includes steps that are not finished in their construction process.
11. Mats placed over slick spots. These can slide easily when stepped on. Disguising a spill with a mat just greases the path for a serious HFT slide fall if someone innocently steps on top. Effective spill clean-up is needed, not simply obscuring the hazard.
12. Stair rails that can't be grasped continuously
These are ineffective fall-stoppers. Once the stair rail cannot be grasped by curling the hand (e.g. over 2.5 - 3 inches in diameter) during a fall, the rail merely becomes a static guide instead of a fall-stopping tool. It is best to hold the stair rail (1-5/8 - 2 inches in diameter or equivalent) firmly sliding and gripping, sliding and gripping sequentially, using gloves if necessary. Note: some codes reference a low figure of 1.25 inch diameter but unless that rail is atop a glass wall there is the problem of touching the fingers to the intermediate supports, thus ruining the grasp for a firm continuous protection. (1.25 inches around is more suitable for youngsters.)
13. Caged ladders provide dubious protection
Falling backwards from a caged fixed ladder section above ground but under the hoops. This can cause falling over the guardrail if spaced less than 4 ft back. A way to control this is illustrated in the 1910.27 OSHA standard since 1971 based on the A14.3-1956 but is absent from the proposed OSHA replacement standard of 4 10 90 and recent A14.3 standard revisions. Fixed ladders equipped with ladder safety systems or an extension from hoops to railing barriers are alternative retrofit. Note: the hoops don't help either, according to a British report on the subject.
14. The single step hazard
These HFT's are nearly impossible to see if there is no point-of-hazard signal such as a change in color. In fact, although two or three steps call for a stair rail for balance, really we have learned to use that cue as an unconscious approach signal for steps. Thus, where there is no stair rail that can be discerned in our vision, there is no warning. Contrasting tape may be enough to see and observe as we scan 10 ft out but if the environment is harsh then we need something better and more long-lasting. Come to think about it, maybe this is one hazard we need to eliminate by replacing it with a shallow ramp.