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Fall Protection Systems for the Waste Management Industry

Monitoring and controlling methane gas emissions are essential tasks required to keep your landfill operational, but ensuring the safety of your maintenance staff presents a number of safety challenges. Although often overlooked, providing safe access to your landfill pit requires a comprehensive fall prevention strategy, which includes the proper mix of fall protection equipment, a descent and rescue plan, personnel training, and partnering with a fall protection company that the unique nature of the waste management industry.

We are a complete turnkey provider of fall protection systems designed for the waste management industry and have the years of design and installation experience in the landfill market sector. Contact us for expert assistance with your fall arrest, fall restraint and fall protection requirements.

Fall Protection Solutions

Design Considerations

Waste Management Fall Protection Design Considerations

One of the main fall protection issues facing landfill operators is providing maintenance staff with safe access to the below ground pits containing the instrumentation, valves, pumps, and fans used to monitor and reduce methane gas emissions.  As landfill pits can range in depths from 20-50 feet or more, the process of descent or ascent from the work area presents significant fall hazards.  The leading edge of the pit also poses a potential fall hazard.  Landfill fall protection systems must also facilitate rapid ascent, descent, and rescue in the event of a fall to minimize personnel exposure to methane gas.

Fall hazards posed by the leading edge of a landfill pit can be mitigated with the installation guardrail or single point anchors.  Although a ladder system equipped with a vertical lifeline can be used to access the pit, a bosun chair used in combination with winch and davit system is often the best means to offer fall protection for maintenance personnel accessing the work areas below.  A winch and davit system also provides the means to quickly and safely extract workers who succumb to the effects of methane gas.

Fall protection is also a consideration for the trucks servicing the waste management industry.  OSHA fall protection regulations require the use of low profile track systems, cable systems, or single point anchors to protect maintenance personnel from falling off trash trucks during servicing or repair.

In addition to fabricating and installing a comprehensive fall protection system, DFP can instruct your staff in the proper use of PPE and rescue procedures to ensure your waste management facility is in compliance with all OSHA fall protection regulations.  Diversified Fall Protection has years of experience installing OSHA compliant fall protection and fall arrest systems for the waste management market including:

  • Horizontal Lifelines
  • Vertical Lifelines
  • Single Point Anchors
  • Rigid Track Systems

OSHA Regulations

  • HLL/VLL
    • 1926.502(d)
      'Personal fall arrest systems.' Personal fall arrest systems and their use shall comply with the provisions set forth below. Effective January 1, 1998, body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. Note: The use of a body belt in a positioning device system is acceptable and is regulated under paragraph (e) of this section.
    • 1926.502(d)(8)
      Horizontal lifelines shall be designed, installed, and used, under the supervision of a qualified person, as part of a complete personal fall arrest system, which maintains a safety factor of at least two.
    • 1926.502(d)(9)
      Lanyards and vertical lifelines shall have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN).
    • 1926.502(d)(10) 1926.502(d)(10)(i)
      Except as provided in paragraph (d)(10)(ii) of this section, when vertical lifelines are used, each employee shall be attached to a separate lifeline.
    • 1926.502(d)(11)
      Lifelines shall be protected against being cut or abraded.
    • 1926.502(d)(12)
      Self-retracting lifelines and lanyards which automatically limit free fall distance to 2 feet (0.61 m) or less shall be capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 3,000 pounds (13.3 kN) applied to the device with the lifeline or lanyard in the fully extended position.
    • 1926.502(d)(13)
      Self-retracting lifelines and lanyards which do not limit free fall distance to 2 feet (0.61 m) or less, ripstitch lanyards, and tearing and deforming lanyards shall be capable of sustaining a minimum tensile load of 5,000 pounds (22.2 kN) applied to the device with the lifeline or lanyard in the fully extended position.
  • Personal Fall Arrest Systems
    • 1926.502(d)
      'Personal fall arrest systems.' Personal fall arrest systems and their use shall comply with the provisions set forth below. Effective January 1, 1998, body belts are not acceptable as part of a personal fall arrest system. Note: The use of a body belt in a positioning device system is acceptable and is regulated under paragraph (e) of this section.
    • 1926.502(d)(16)
      Personal fall arrest systems, when stopping a fall, shall:
    • 1926.502(d)(16)(i)
      limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 900 pounds (4 kN) when used with a body belt;
    • 1926.502(d)(16)(ii)
      limit maximum arresting force on an employee to 1,800 pounds (8 kN) when used with a body harness;
    • 1926.502(d)(16)(iii)
      be rigged such that an employee can neither free fall more than 6 feet (1.8 m), nor contact any lower level;
    • 1926.502(d)(16)(iv)
      bring an employee to a complete stop and limit maximum deceleration distance an employee travels to 3.5 feet (1.07 m); and,
    • 1926.502(d)(16)(v)
      have sufficient strength to withstand twice the potential impact energy of an employee free falling a distance of 6 feet (1.8 m), or the free fall distance permitted by the system, whichever is less.
  • Ladders
    • 1926.1053(a)(18)
      Fixed ladders shall be provided with cages, wells, ladder safety devices, or self-retracting lifelines where the length of climb is less than 24 feet (7.3 m) but the top of the ladder is at a distance greater than 24 feet (7.3 m) above lower levels.
    • 1926.1053(a)(19)
      Where the total length of a climb equals or exceeds 24 feet (7.3 m), fixed ladders shall be equipped with one of the following:
    • 1926.1053(a)(19)(i)
      Ladder safety devices; or
    • 1926.1053(a)(19)(ii)
      Self-retracting lifelines, and rest platforms at intervals not to exceed 150 feet (45.7 m); or
    • 1926.1053(a)(19)(iii)
      A cage or well, and multiple ladder sections, each ladder section not to exceed 50 feet (15.2 m) in length. Ladder sections shall be offset from adjacent sections, and landing platforms shall be provided at maximum intervals of 50 feet (15.2 m).

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