The new standards in fall protection, the ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Code, have become the preferred way to conduct a fall protection program. However, the need to conduct surveys and assessments has never been greater, not just because the Z359.2 requires it but because even if the code is met, the chances of workers complying must be factored into the plan.
For example, 70% or more of the fatal falls are from ladder, roof and scaffold incidents. When looking at portable ladder use, the 3.5 ft extension above the dismount level is long-known to be the proper way to set up a ladder in addition to the ¼ slope. But if you ask workers and watch what they do, the 3.5 ft extension is rarely to be seen, especially in residential construction and maintenance. Instead the extension is more likely to be six inches and maximum two feet. The reason for this is based on various access alternatives where the steepest roofs are typically reached with ladders but the transfer from ladder to roof gets very difficult. The sudden shift in center of gravity to the steeper roof support becomes destabilizing to the ladder and a dangerous maneuver. When the extension is short, the worker can make the transition over the top of the ladder more easily. Thus a major program training issue becomes the other means of access to a sloped roof and fall protection when leaving the aerial lift or scissor platform.
Another thing to consider is the prevalence of holes in a roof, such as for a roof hatch or fan replacement. The idea that holes in walking surfaces should be covered is well understood part of the program, but far less understood is the way in which they are fastened down so that they are not easily removed and require a subcontractor huddle when the need arises to think of replacement of cover fall protection when torchdown work is being conducted by waterproofers, for example. Here is where the need for two methods of fall protection overlapping comes into play. A net attached to the underside of the deck is preferred in many instances and also to protect the carpenter for hatch installation or HVAC unit duct installation. A net system for laying over skylights has recently become available to recognize the danger of skylights when workers pass by and occasionally fall.
Carpenters are inventive constructors and will come up with new and perhaps untested methods. Here is an example of a carpenter who installed an eight foot railing in window openings in a concrete building and which was wedged in place to hold vertical 2×4"s backed up by a secondary 2×4" top rail and a mid-rail. It is foreseeable that another worker in a different trade who was working kneeling at the edge would get up and use the railing to pull himself up, at which point the railing fell into the building and he fell out.
