APPLICATIONS
		Access Platforms, Stairs, & Gangways
		Roof Top Fall Protection
		Guardrails
		Catwalks
		Crane Rail
		Confined Space & Rescue
		Horizontal Lifelines
		Vertical Lifelines & Ladders
		Personal Protective Equipment
	INDUSTRY
		Truck Fleet
		Steel & Foundry
		Machine Guard
		General Industry
		Municipalities
		Oil – Gas – Petrochemical
		Construction
		Aircraft Hangars
		Rail Car
	PRODUCTS
		Uni-Track
		Single Point Anchors
		Uni-Grab / Uni-Ridge
		Swing Gates
		Roof Hatch System

General Industry and Machine Maintenance Fall Protection

In the past, fall protection for workers engaged in machine maintenance was justified on moral grounds. Protecting maintenance personnel working at height was seen as the “right thing to do.” In an era of increasingly competitive markets, plants with the fewest injuries and OSHA citations, are not only sporting a winning safety record, they also have a better bottom line. Anticipating plant equipment failures that require maintenance and devising fall protection strategies to keep your employees safe is imperative. Consider the following scenarios involving routine maintenance of plant machinery.

Rigid beam fall arrest system with SRL’s for maintenance and repair application.

In our first scenario, a valued member of your maintenance team is asked to repair a hydraulic pump that is positioned on top of a twenty foot high vertical mill. The pump is prone to frequent failure, and when its failure idles the number 2 mill, production is halted plant-wide. In order to reach the pump, a worker must place an extension ladder on the side of the machine, and climb to the top of the mill. Once on top, there are no guard rails on the work surface because they interfere with path an over head crane. Because the pump is leaking hydraulic fluid, the surface is slippery. The worker is wearing a full body harness that was never inspected after a worker fell wearing it six months ago. His lanyard is attached to a horizontal lifeline, which was purchased from an online vendor, and then installed by your maintenance staff rather than a competent person. What seems like a routine maintenance situation turns into a tragedy when the worker slips from stepping in hydraulic fluid and falls over the unprotected edge of the machining center. The lifeline’s anchor fails, resulting in a fall from 20 feet. The lack of a comprehensive fall protection plan and a series of poor managerial decisions put a life at risk.

In our second scenario, plant management contacted DFP to assess and mitigate the fall hazards presented by work on the mill. Since the mill is critical to the plant’s entire manufacturing process, and because the pump has been prone to failure, a DFP safety engineer recommends the installation of a permanent ladder to access the top of the machining center. A work platform is custom fabricated and installed to provide safe footing. Perforations in platform’s surface prevent leaking hydraulic oil from pooling and creating a slipping hazard. A fold away guardrail system allows the overhead crane to pass freely. The worker’s life is secured with a fold-away, articulating jib system that also allows the overhead crane to pass when maintenance is not being performed on the vertical mill. In this scenario, management anticipated the mill’s periodic shut downs, and planned for both fall restraint and fall arrest. The pump was quickly and safely repaired and the mill was returned to service. This comprehensive fall protection strategy was planned and anything but accidental.

 

Single Source Turnkey Responsibility

You receive single source responsibility for the design, engineering, fabrication, installation, training and certification of permanent and temporary fall arrest and fall protection equipment.

Fall Protection / Fall Prevention Training Programs

Glossary

FAQs

OSHA Fall Protection Compliance