"Hands-Free" Safety

Stressing the importance of ladder safety has been a great priority of ours, and this article from ISHN magazine is a great aid to that effort. There have been critical updates to important OSHA regulations, and it’s important to stay up to date with every standard and discover the best ways to keep your workers safe.

To better protect workers at risk of falling on the job, OSHA revised their Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Standards. One of the key points emphasized by these standards is climbing technique in safety, which has heavy ties to the “Three Points of Contact Rule.” With this rule, workers need to both feet and one hand, or both hands and one foot stable while the free foot or hand is in motion.

However, especially in communications work, your workers are most likely carrying equipment and tools on the ladder that are necessary to get the job done, which makes it hard to comply with the OSHA regulations. A great way to transport tools up and down ladders is to invest in hoist buckets, topped tool pouches and tool holsters. These devices are designed to secure items while being moved up into the air, freeing up workers’ hands.

It is also important to make sure those hoist buckets are covered and to inspect them, along with the ropes and cables responsible for securing them. The combination of these three steps can help greater ensure the safety of your workers as they climb ladders.

For information on fall protection, fall safety training, and procedures, please visit FallSafety.com where fall safety is #1. 

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