The problem with fall protection training is that a majority of lectures seem to simply restate well-known OSHA standards over and over again with no real solutions provided to attendees as to how industry can translate those standards into protection for workers.
Industry needs a methodology which can be used for many applications which allows management and workers to develop solutions as to why they can use fall protection instead of being limited by the paradigm for why they cannot.
The long held supposition that unique measures are required for structures to support fall protection systems is based on the 29 CFR 1926 502(d)(15) 5,000 lb. requirement that anchors must support that load in order to comply with the OSHA standard without acknowledging that the regulation has a second part which allows a more realistic anticipated load requirement. This type of back-end approach has been obviated by engineers, safety professionals, and qualified persons. Those aforementioned have taken a front-end approach by designing fall protection systems that limit loads applied by a falling worker to well below 5,000 lb. - on the order of 700 lb. or less. Thus, the criterion for structural designs to support the uncertified 5,000 lb. requirement for a falling worker is nullified where workers use fall protection systems designed by a qualified person.
There has also been an unsubstantiated exaggerated argument in the construction industry that fall protection for workers adds unacceptable costs to the job. Some suggest providing fall protection could cost $5,000 or more per structure. This is an arbitrary number that the authors' research and real-world experience cannot reconcile. The reality is that the average cost of providing fall protection adds between $200 and $500 for a single family house, far from an unacceptable cost. Another prevailing argument is that fall protection always requires modifying and reinforcing structures prior to use, which requires the services of an engineer who must also validate and certify the fall protection system. Others have voiced concerns, based on the guidance publications of equipment manufacturers, that there is not enough ground clearance on typical single-family structures for workers to use fall arrest systems.
