Employers have many responsibilities. In addition to guiding their employees to all of the actions that serve customers and clients, one of the major responsibilities an employer has is to make sure that appropriate measures are taken to keep both employees and customers safe. In settings like manufacturing plants and large warehouses, for instance, it is especially important to make sure that the best fall protection systems are in place. From wire rope slings to offering frequent fall protection courses, the work that employers do behind the scenes to keep their workers safe adds to both worker moral and company profits.
Fortunately, fall protection systems are closely regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other governing agencies. Forcing employers to make worker safety a priority means that not only are working environments more safe, but that consumers and the nation save money as well. For while it may cost to implement the necessary and required safety measures, it is far more expensive to lose a life or pay for long term disability that results from an unsafe work space:
In a time when the nation is increasingly concerned about the cyber security that we all need, it may come as a surprise that an entire industry is focused on the security that is provided by various fall protection systems throughout many warehouses and manufacturing plants. Consider some of these safety measures that are a part of the production of items and materials that we use every day:
- A test weight of 300 pounds, plus or minus five pounds, should be used during fall arrest testing systems, according to OSHA.
- Plan, provide, and train is the three step process recommended by OSHA to prevent dangerous falls and save lives.
- When working where temporary floors and scaffolds are not used and when the fall distance exceeds 25 feet, safety nets can be used to lesson the fall exposure.
- General fall arrests, like nets and personal fall arrests, like lifelines, are the two major types of fall arrest systems.
- A person can fall up to seven feet in two-thirds of a second if fall arrest and/or safety equipment is not in place.
- Between the 1972 and 2011, worker injuries and illnesses are down. More specifically, the number dropped from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 3.4 per 100 in 2011.
Employers have many tasks, but few are as important as assuring the safety of their employees.
