AEDC participates in nationwide Fall Protection Focus Published May 8, 2015 By Robert Tate Contributing Writer ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. -- Today AEDC joins the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Air Force in a two-week (May 4-15) nationwide "Fall Protection Focus" to raise awareness of fall hazards in our day-to-day lives. Historically, fall-related injuries and deaths rank as a leading cause of workplace fatalities, second only to highway crashes. This year is no exception. The OSHA Fiscal Year 2015 Worker Fatalities Report documents 516 worker fatalities for the period Oct. 1, 2014, through March 3, 2015. Of these, 130 - or 25 percent - are the result of falls. Historically, AEDC has experienced 16 fatalities of which 4 - 25 percent - were the result of falls. As with other fall-related deaths, investigation into the cause found these deaths could have been prevented with the use of appropriate fall protection. AEDC uses a variety of fall restraint (FR) products to protect workers from falls from heights. These devices have evolved to include lanyards and self-retracting devices which can vary in lengths to restrain workers to prevent falls at various heights. The success of these FR devices requires users to pay close attention to fall clearance calculations to account for swing falls and contact with lower-level obstructions. Another recent product in use at AEDC is the trauma relief strap. After a fall occurs, the body quickly feels the effect of the full-body harness webbing, mainly in the legs and torso due to compression on the femoral artery. Trauma relief straps allow a fall victim to deploy a small device that provides a place to stand to relieve the pressure on the leg and leg straps thus improving blood circulation and preventing serious and fatal injuries. While these products aim to make workers safer, misuse is still a problem. A main area of concern is completion of the required pre-use and annual inspections performed by a competent person. Using life safety equipment without inspecting it can spell disaster during a fall. During pre-use inspection, each piece of fall protection/restraint (FR) equipment is checked to ensure it meets specifications. At AEDC, it is then assigned a unique FR number which the inspector uses to enter appropriate information into a database before assigning it to a specific custodian for use in the field. This makes it easier for the inspector to find the equipment for the annual inspection once the equipment is being used. Improper fit of equipment is another danger. An example would be the loose fit of a full- body FR harness to the worker. A loose fitting harness causes more trauma to the body during fall arrest than a properly adjusted harness. AEDC provides classroom and computer-based training reinforced by recurring toolbox meeting emphasis to ensure workers have proper training on how to use equipment for particular applications, understand fall clearance distances and understand proper anchor points. One of the most overlooked aspects of using fall protection systems is developing a rescue plan. Employees at AEDC are fortunate to have excellent emergency responder capability via the AEDC Fire Department. But, a rescue plan that depends on a fallen worker being able to reach a mobile phone and call 911 is not a very good plan. A medical emergency, trauma during the fall, or simply a circumstance where a worker couldn't reach the phone renders this plan ineffective. For this reason, a rescue plan should be in place before working at heights. Failure to have a good plan might delay rescuing a fallen worker in time to prevent serious injury or death. There are many facets of maintaining an effective Fall Protection program, and according to the number of fatalities related to falls that occur each year, many companies are falling short of ensuring their companies maintain a commitment to their employees' safety. AEDC is committed to ensuring adequate equipment and training to ensure the upmost safety of our employees.