Workplace Safety Addressed by Fall Reduction Standards by ASSE

American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Offers New Fall Workplace Standards

As slips, trips and falls continue to represent significant exposures and hazards driving costs up in the workplace, the ASSE announced the approval of three new fall protection standards by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), aimed at preventing these workplace hazards.

Of the 5,657 fatal on-the-job injuries occurring in 2007, 847 were attributed to falls according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

The ASSE standards (effective November 16, 2009) aimed at preventing injuries and death due to falls are:

1. “Specification and Design Requirements for Active Fall Protection Systems” (ANSI/ASSE Z359.6-2009).
Specifies requirements for the design and performance of complete active fall-protection systems, including travel-restraint and vertical horizontal fall-arrest systems.
2. “Connecting Components for Personal Fall Arrest Systems” (ANSI/ASSE Z359.12-2009).
Establishes requirements for the performance, design, marking, qualification, test methods and removal from service connectors.
3. “Personal Energy Absorbers and Energy Absorbing Lanyards” (ANSI/ASSE Z359.13-2009).
Requires all energy-absorbing lanyards and personal energy absorbers to reduce the forces implied on the user to less than 10 times the normal gravitational pull of the earth. In addition, users of energy absorbing lanyards must weigh within the range of 130 to 310 pounds (59 – 140 kg).

“I applaud the ASSE and the devoted group of professionals on the ANSI Z359 Accredited Standards Committee for their dedication to the development of these ground-breaking standards,” said Randall Wingfield, the ANSI/ASSE Z359 Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) chair and president and CEO of Gravitec Systems Inc.

“Because falls from heights make up a significant portion of workplace fatalities and injuries, the creation of authoritative documents for workers at height and their employers is essential. Years in the making, Z359.12 and Z359.13 expand on existing standards in which connecting devices and personal energy absorbers were initially addressed,” Wingfield added. “Standards devoted solely to these components were necessary because new research and testing have provided us with a better understanding of how these products are used.”

“The new Z359.6 standard tackles fall protection systems design for the first time and is intended for engineers with expertise in this area. The release of these standards marks considerable progress toward the completion of the Z359 Fall Protection Code, a living document that will continue to grow as ten additional standards are drafted and adopted,” he said. (workersxzcompxzkit)

The ASSE Fall Protection Code currently includes six standards:

1. “Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest (Z359.0-2007).
2. “Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components” (Z359.1-2007)
3. “Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program;” Z359.2-2007
4. “Safety Requirements for Positioning and Travel Restraint Systems” (Z359.3-2007)
5. “Safety Requirements for Assisted-Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems, Subsystems and Components” (Z359.4-2007)
6. Historical ANSI/ASSE Z359.1-1992 (R1999).

The ANSI/ASSE Z359 ASC for Fall Arrest/Protection is working on 10 additional Z359 standards projects aimed at protecting workers from falls.

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-786-8286.

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