b"HARPUpdate Another YearSame Old Problem . Frank J. Marino, CSP MRCA Safety Adviser On August 4th of thisr, afeet (1.8 m) abovelower levels,may not be soious. This is when yea 22- obvyear oldroofer tel I 32feet toh bypersonalfallarrest systems,workers areorming work on a isperfdeath through aThe acci c orguardrailsystemsroofthathasskylights - andthe skylight.overs, dentoccurredsomewherenearerected around such holes.work d not involve the oesskylights. Webste Texas,couldbeen1926.501(b 4 ii)Walking by alight is justdanr,buthave)( )( sky as anyroofing contractor aroundtheEachemploy ona walking/gerous,if notmoreso,thanthe ee country.w ingsurfaceshallbepro activities mentioned above. orkA h h I do not haveof thetectedfromtrippinginor step If10skyligh arelocated lt oug allts details of this accident,I have thepingintoorthroughholesb nur crew's ladder and th r etwee yo eionereallyeed ro diedcovers.atedoronlyIn : Aofer(including skylights) bydesign w k area,youhave a from azard we all know too well.1926.501)(4)(iii)significantfallexposure.J t ha (b usIn 2008, the Occupational SafetyEach employeeona walking/because the roof area containing the and HealthAdministration(OSHA)working surfaceshallbepro skylightsis not includedinyour Ongoing awarenesslevied fines in excess of 10 milliontectedfromobjectsfallingscope ofrk,can s ll pose an wo theytidollars relatedtofallprotectioninthroughh (including sky immediate hazard.E hazard training is vital forolesffective the roofing industry. In aper lights) by covers.assessments by your project manstudy formed by the National Institute foryo cothe safety of allagement as well asurmpetent O upationalSafety&Healthperson should be able to anticipate ccemployees.(NIOSH), seven States revealed thatand eliminate these hazards - the approxim ly 22% ( 64) of thebest being toeif at ate 14 ofavoid thes areas fatal falls reported to State occupa a p . llossibletionalsafetyand healthofficialsItldbe noted that-shou alsoskyoccurred when workers fell throughlight falls have occurred when pr{/ skylightopeningsorsmoke-ventcautionshave taken place. NIOSH tsom men caseerewor er skyligh (translucent plastic d esdocu ted awh akthatserveasbothsky ightsandleft the work area to get all Isma piece automatics ventsinc ofof d material to finish a mokeaseeckingjob. fire) (NIOSH, 2009).When thedid not return in 5 victim N IOSH goes on to say that deathsIt is important to re er thereminutes, the crew searched for him membcanbepreventedbycomplianceare many w employees becomeandfoundhim lyingunconscious ays withexistingOSHAstandardsforexposedtosky ighthazards.Theon the fifth floor of the stairwell. The I guardingroofopeningsandbyfirst, and most o ous, is when theyvictim h removed aby 6-foot bvi ad3-improvement inworker's aware are actuallyr on a nearpiece of decking that covereda thewo kingnd/or2-nessofthehazardsinvolvedinthe skylight. Weather it be flashing,foot squareila openingin vent tion workingnearskylights,skylightinstallingboard,orinstallingthethe top of the stairwell; apparently, openings, and other roof openingsskylight itself,need to behethensteppedforwardandtel I employees (NIOSH).protected.through the opening (NIOSH,. 2009)nyrgu itinfeasible This information is nothing new,Ma a eisto useOngoingawarenesstrainingis so why do we continue to see fatali conventionalfallprotectionwhilevital for the safety of a employees. ll ties like the one in Webster, Texas?workingona skyligh k pinginIf you think forgetting to label af t,ee rooIt coulddue to our understandingmindyou CANNOTusea safetyopening cover is nodeal, bebigimagof what the hazard is.monitor as fall protection for theseine tryingtell thatfamily of toto the The OSHAstandardregardingactivities. I might have agreed withthe guy mentioned. aboveopen holes is pretty simple:thisargument15 yearsago, b I hard toit h been one utt'sbelieveas 1926.501 (b 4)(i)modernfalprotectiont n year since Ian a icle for this )(Iech ologywrotertEach employee on walking/h virtually eliminated these infea pub cation referencing aold work asli 26 year ingsurfacesshallbeprotectedsibilities (don'tbelieveme, checkworker who fell 56 feet to his death fromfallingthroughh outtorsafety.com).through aAnother year. oleswww.rap skylight. (including skylights) more than 6The second skylight fall exposuresame old problem. 4,"