Best Practices

At what height is fall protection required?

Every safety professional wishes there was a simple answer. One height across all tasks and industries would certainly make enforcement easier, but this is not the case. OSHA’s intent is to keep people safe across most industries, however, keep in...

Because of OSHA’s various fall protection anchor point requirements over the years, it’s easy to think that every fall protection anchor point needs to be able to withstand a force of 5,000 lb. But that may not be true.

In this article, I will show you how you can choose a fall arrest...

Fall protection regulations consist of some complicated and confusing standards. When exceptions to some of these standards come into play, there’s bound to be some people who get completely lost. To fully understand the fall protection regulation related to scaffolding, you must first...

Falling while working at height represents the leading cause of death and injury in both construction and general industry. Experience has shown us that people seem to be making the same fundamental mistakes while managing work at height. We will share our observations in an effort to develop...

Safety Harnesses are meant to protect your life. But a safety harness that has been worn improperly can put you at risk in multiple ways. This article will equip you with some basic information so that you can ensure you are using your safety equipment effectively.

This is the second article...

This is the last and final article in a series that covers that basics of personal fall protection. First we took a look at anchor points, secondly we reviewed body harnesses, and now in this last article we look at the devices that connect the anchor and the harness.

Safety training isn’t just a good idea; OSHA regulations require that your personnel be trained. Often, it is argued that training is unnecessary because the employee in question had many years of experience with the given work. Years of experience will mean that they most likely know how to...

It is common to see paths present on flat rooftops. They are visible by laying down pavers, rubber mats, or something similar, and they meander around the entirety of the roof. Once you have accessed the roof, ideally this path or walkway will lead you to the necessary areas.

Can you...

Changes to OSHA's General Industry skylight screen requirements may have forced you out of compliance.

We have covered in great detail the changes and additions to the Working/Walking Surface rules posed by OSHA back in January of 2017. The focus, however, has been on the specific...

Installing rooftop smoke vents is a great way to reduce the dangers of a fire in a building.

However, one of the biggest concerns of safety professionals is to ensure that the solution to one hazard doesn’t create a new, unaccounted-for hazard. 

Any time we cut a hole in a walking surface...

There is nothing simple about roof anchor points.

Being that is our aspiration to create simple and safe solutions for all workers at heights, we felt it necessary to address one of our most commonly asked questions.

Unfortunately, like many...

OSHA exists with the intention of protecting employees as they do their work. It is important that workers are safe, so that we can continue to support ourselves and loved ones. There can be a lot of rules to follow, but knowing and understanding them is crucial to workplace safety. However,...

As we venture into a new year, it’s a good time to take stock of where we are and where we’re headed. It’s no secret that falls have been the leading killer in construction for more years than we care to remember and that fall protection (training or otherwise) has led OSHA’s Top Ten list of...

Many don’t think about it except for how much of an eye-sore it can be, but rooftop debris is a dangerous hazard that will compromise your workers’ safety and the facility itself. People can be injured from projectiles, trips, and hidden hazards that would be avoidable if the debris were...

Companies and OSHA make fall protection safety complicated. Being distracted by technical jargon and confused by the wording of OSHA 1910 can leave you paralyzed from addressing known issues.

We are here to simplify fall protection for you. Rooftops have several areas known for creating...

Great news – you get to install a roof guardrail system to keep people safe. This guardrail should perform for many years, especially if a highly durable and maintenance free system like KeeGuard safety railing has been selected.

However, how do you keep your crew safe during the...

Lone worker safety may be something that companies never think about, as the idea of a one-man crew would be unheard of for the type of work they perform. However, many companies find themselves sending lone workers to perform tasks on a regular basis – whether it’s because budgets...

You have employees that work at height. This will require two or more team members working at the same time. You want them to work safely and prevent injury, but fall protection limits productivity with requirements for training, supervision, and equipment inspection.

How do we create a...

The manufacturer states that the guardrail you purchased will exceed OSHA required loads.

Will it be safe after installation?

Often times we look to the manufacturer of the safety rail to ensure the railing will be strong enough for our application. Whether it be a 200 lbs on the top...

When implementing a new safety procedure or system, do you ever consider where it came from and why it has been tasked? Maybe if the task is assigned to the EHS person, those questions are a given.

But let’s say it’s assigned to someone in another...

Fall protection isn’t just for the workplace.

Hunting season is here. The weather changes, the wind is right, and the air is cold and crisp. You hear the crunch of the frost covered grass under your feet as you walk cautiously to your ideal hunting spot.

Quickly scanning the woods,...

Warehouse floors tend to be more dangerous than people think - from forklifts to conveyors, potential hazards linger everywhere and, because of the more static nature of the operation (compared to, say, construction), are often underestimated.

We’ve all heard the news stories about tragic rooftop falls leaving an employee with a tragic injury or worse. Your first thoughts are of the employee and their family. Then the question of whether it was preventable begins to loom. Then you ask, are you making sure your greatest asset –...

It’s tempting to jump straight to PPE. Don’t rush to do this as PPE puts the user in contact with the hazard. Administrative Controls are worth considering. In fact, you already have these in your workplace, but they may not be implemented effectively.

Here are three factors that...

Most employers, at some point, must hire contractors or external vendors to work on-site. These outside parties generally perform non-routine work without much oversite. Hiring contractors introduces risk to the company.  

Contractors can be beneficial for accomplishing a site’s goals...

Every work environment, every task, every piece of equipment, and every single worker are different. 

It would be foolish to think that a company could plan for safety with a one-size-fits-all process.  Yet, many companies still attempt to do just that – provide a one-size-fits-all...

Traveling throughout an industrial area, such as a distribution, warehouse, or manufacturing center, can be risky. Over the years, material handling technology has improved to increase efficiency and put less ergonomic strain on the employees with conveyor systems.

Conveyor belts are large...

Does your worksite have temporary workers? Temporary workers are paid by a staffing agency and are assigned to a host employer (the staffing firm's client) for both quick and long-term jobs. These jobs may be short-term or permanent but staffed by temporary workers. The host employer and the...

Roof safety doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Having 10 different buildings with HVACs doesn’t mean that you must have thousands of feet of rooftop guardrail.  

Let’s be honest, most budgets don’t accommodate the cost for that much railing. So, what do you do? 

We worked with a...