The possibility of suffering a life-altering or deadly fall at work is a tremendous threat for any construction worker in our part of the country. Too many workers are seriously injured or killed in construction site falls. Read, Deadly Construction Fall Accidents in Illinois and Indiana.
OSHA recently issued a number of warnings, for instance, of construction fall protection failures on Illinois construction sites. See. Illinois Worker Warnings of Deadly Risks on the Job in Recent OSHA Citations.
Furthermore, construction is not the only industry where someone faces an unacceptably high risk of a severe or fatal fall from a height. Here in Illinois and Indiana, those working in the telecommunications industry (with its cell phone towers, for instance) as well utility workers; miners; railroaders; manufacturing plant employees; agri-business workers; and those on the job in our warehousing and distribution industries are all at risk of serious or fatal injuries suffered from a fall on the job.
For more, read: Power-Line Work is One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the Country and Fall Protection on the Job Remains Top OSHA Safety Violation for 12th Straight Year.
Employers Have Legal Duty to Protect Workers from Fall Accidents
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, all employers, regardless of the industry, have a legal duty to keep their workers safe from harm while on the job. Read, What is the Employer’s General Duty Clause?.
This legal duty is refined further by numerous safety laws designed to make sure that employers spend the money and time to keep people safe from fall accidents on their worksites. General industry regulations are in place, and there is a separate litany of safety regulations specific to the construction and longshoring industries.
OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry and eight feet in longshoring operations. In addition, OSHA requires that fall protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.
When there is the risk of someone falling and getting hurt on the worksite, the employer must understand those particular risks and take steps to protect everyone from fall accidents. This can involve all sorts of things, from warning signs and barriers, to guardrails and scaffolding on the site itself.
Hard Hats
Keeping workers safe from falls also requires a consideration of each worker’s particular job and how they perform their tasks each day. Hard hats, for instance, should be provided to every construction worker to protect against head injuries in a construction site fall. Read, Hard Hats and Worker Injuries on the Job in Illinois and Indiana.
Headgear is far from enough to keep most workers safe from fall hazards, of course. This is why there are standardized “personal fall arrest systems” that have been developed to protect against falls.
Personal Fall Arrest System
A personal fall arrest system is made of a (1) connection point; (2) rope or lifeline; (3) lanyard; and (4) harness. As defined in 29 CFR 1910.140:
Personal fall arrest system means a system used to arrest an employee in a fall from a walking-working surface. It consists of a body harness, anchorage, and connector. The means of connection may include a lanyard, deceleration device, lifeline, or a suitable combination of these.
One of the most basic fall protections for these workers is Personal Protective Equipment provided by their employer that involves an appropriate and properly fitting safety harness. Providing harnesses to workers asked to work at any height is mandated by federal law and industrial standards.
Safety Harness: PPE and Training Duties
The safety harness, or “body harness,” is worn by the worker. It is connected to a secure point (the “anchorage”) by a lanyard or lifeline using a “carabiner.” All of these should be inspected by the employer and others with possession or control of the worksite to insure they are in proper working order. See, Supervisors, Safety, and Work Accidents on the Job in Illinois and Indiana.
1. Harness Types
There are different styles and types of safety harnesses, depending upon the task involved and the potential fall length hazard. They include 1-point, 2-point, and rope access harnesses.
Regardless of their variety, all safety harnesses should be able to absorb the force of a fall, in the event that there is an accident, by protecting the worker from internal injuries, fractures, or blunt force trauma injuries. The harness does this through a design that takes that energy and dispenses it appropriately through the accident victim’s body (head, neck, chest, abdomen, legs).
Harnesses should be commonplace on all industrial worksites where there is any risk of fall accidents. Employers know they have a duty to provide fall safety harnesses to their workers. Today’s safety harnesses are cost-effective and readily available online as well as the local Home Depot or Walmart. Many of these safety harnesses are manufactured by a handful of companies, such as 3M; Honeywell; and Condor/Grainger.
2. Harness Training
Additionally, employers should train their workers on how to wear the safety harness on the job. There are several steps to take in fitting and wearing a safety harness, and they include shaking out the harness; making the connections; and adjusting the harness afterwards for a safe fit. Read, “6 Steps to Fitting a Full Body Harness,” written by Safeopedia Staff and published by Safeopedia on July 4, 2021.
How Safety Harnesses Protect Against Injury
The importance of proper fit and function of all safety harnesses cannot be underestimated. These devices are worn by the worker while at work. They must be comfortable and still able to protect against catastrophic injuries in an instant.
The material construction should be free from rips, tears, snags, or weakness from use. There are straps that wrap around the torso and legs. They should be secure and also free from flaws. The built-in harness connection should fit in an exact spot on the individual worker’s body so any drop centers the falling energy in the safest place on the body.
In a D-ring harness, for example, that will be positioned between the worker’s shoulder blades: not too high on the neck (risking injury to spine or brain) or too low on the waist (risking internal organ damage).
The harness itself must be able to handle a sudden force and dropping dead weight of 5000 pounds. It must be so sturdy that it withstands this force as it maintains its connections to the anchorage.
It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure all employees are trained in wearing safety harnesses and that all components of every safety harness on the site are ready for use and in proper working order.
Worker Injuries from Safety Harness Failures
When there is a failure in a safety harness, a work accident can have tragic results in a fall that happens within seconds. Failing to provide a harness, or working with a flawed or faulty safety harness, can cause the worker to suffer:
- Amputation of limb
- Burns
- Fractures
- Internal organ damage (and possible internal bleeding)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Death.
Justice for Workers Hurt or Killed in Work Accident Fall
Employers in Illinois and Indiana are supposed to make sure all workers on their jobsites are safe from harm. This includes legal duties to inspect the site for any fall dangers and to make sure that workers are provided with fall protection, including safety harnesses, that will protect against work accident falls.
The employer must purchase the safety harness and make sure it is in proper working condition before allowing its use on the site. Each worker should be trained in the wearing of a safety harness, including what to do in the event of a fall while wearing one.
In the event of a safety harness failure when a worker falls on the worksite, state and federal laws can provide avenues for justice to that worker victim and their loved ones. This includes claims against the employer, as well as other third parties with custody or control of the site such as the landowner, other contractors on the site, and possibly design professionals. It may also entail legal liability for any manufacturer, distributor, or seller of a defective safety harness.
For more, read:
- Who Can Be Held Liable for Construction Worker Accidents?
- Multiple Employers on the Construction Site: Who Is Liable For Construction Worker Accidents?
- Premises Liability and Workplace Accidents: Third Party Injury Claims
- The Six Basic Injury Dangers Facing Workers in Illinois and Indiana
- Worker Rights Under Federal Law: OSHA Protections and Employer Violations
- Shocking New Federal Rule for Construction Worker Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Safety harnesses are commonplace on many industrial workplaces here in Indiana and Illinois. Workers should be safe from harm from fall accidents through employers providing harnesses and fall protection systems that prevent fall injuries. Sadly, too often harnesses are not given to workers (like roofers on a residential construction site), or the harnesses are flawed in some way and destined to fail in a fall. Please be careful out there!
