Safety and Health Program- Scaffold Upgrade Chapter

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Scaffold Safety Program

Policy:

It is the policy of the Company to take all practical measures possible to prevent employees from being injured by falls from scaffolds and ladders. The Company will take all necessary steps to eliminate, prevent, and control fall hazards. The Company will comply fully with the OSHA Fall Protection standard (CFR 1926, Subpart M, Fall Protection).

Workers may die or be injured if scaffold equipment, ladders, and fall protection systems are defective or misused.

"Scaffold" means one or more working platforms suspended by ropes or other means from an overhead structure. Recent investigations by OSHA suggest that fatal falls occur as a result of defective scaffold equipment, improper installation or operation, improper training of workers, or a failure to use appropriate personal fall protection equipment.

Safety regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establish specific requirements for suspension scaffolds and their operation, including the use of fall protection systems. Our Company will ensure that all supervisors, and worker(s) involved in work from suspension scaffolds will comply with these regulations.

Background:

Falls are a leading cause of traumatic occupational death. The U.S. Department of Labor indicates that falls accounted for 8% of all occupational fatalities from trauma. Personal fall protection equipment was used in several of these incidents, but it was used improperly in each case. In several incidents, workers fell out of their improperly fastened safety belt or in the other incidents, excessively long lanyards broke or separated after victims fell 30 feet.

Responsibilities:

Supervisors of all employees that are required to work from scaffolds will ensure the following procedures are taken:

1. Comply with the current and proposed OSHA regulations for working with scaffolds.

2. Assure that design and construction of scaffolds conform with OSHA requirements.

3. Shield scaffold suspension ropes and body belt or harness system droplines (lifelines) from hot or corrosive processes, and protect them from sharp edges or abrasion.

4. Inspect all scaffolds, scaffold components, and personal fall protection equipment before each use.

5. Provide personal fall protection equipment and make sure that it is used by all workers on suspension scaffolds.

6. Use structurally sound portions of buildings or other structures to anchor droplines for body belt or harness systems and tiebacks for suspension scaffold support devices. Droplines and tiebacks should be secured to separate anchor points on structural members.

7. Provide proper training for all workers who use any type of suspension scaffold or fall protection equipment.

8. Follow scaffold manufacturers' guidance regarding the assembly, rigging, and use of scaffolds.