What is the Best Fall Prevention System

What is the best fall prevention system?

Fall protection is a critical aspect of safety in all workplaces. But determining the most effective system for your particular situation can be a challenge.





OSHA has a hierarchy of fall protection that guides which types of fall prevention methods are most appropriate for a specific job site. This hierarchy identifies situations from most dangerous to least dangerous, and it is a great way to think about what fall protection solutions your facility needs.

First, the best system is one that prevents falls from happening in the first place. This type of system includes hazard elimination and physical barriers that keep workers away from edges where the most hazards exist.

Eliminating fall hazards means removing or relocating equipment and machines that present fall risks. personal medical alarm For example, relocating HVAC equipment from by the edge of a roof to lower floors will greatly reduce the risk of falls.

The next best fall prevention system is passive fall prevention, which includes guardrails and other physical barriers that protect workers from falling off of elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls. These systems may be as simple as a guardrail around every elevated platform, or they could include an entire set of covers for every floor hole in which a worker could accidentally fall through.

The least effective fall prevention method is administrative controls, which are work practices or procedures that give workers a "heads up" about fall hazards but do not provide any actual physical protection. These include safety monitors, warning lines, control lines and other similar devices.