Page 44 - North American Clean Energy July August 2015

wind power

Fall Protection and Prevention
by Robert Siegel

In 2013, the leading cause of deaths in the workplace on construction sites were falls: falls from ladders, falls from structures, etc. In 2014, the
number one violation [8,000+] cited by OSHA was 1926.501 Fall Protection. From October 2014 to date, there have already been 186 workplace

fatalities due to falls. 186 deaths, which all could have been prevented with better training, and with better implementation of work practice

controls, and hazard assessment processes.

Seeing the bigger picture
Training and education in vertical markets need to teach more than the irst principles of and manufacturers to come up with ways to eliminate a hazard, but in doing so risk losing
fall protection. Anytime a technician is expected to climb for a living they should irst be sight of the immediate exposures the workforce faces everyday.

trained in the discipline of “prevention.” Fall Prevention, or “100% Fall Prevention,” is the Training organizations with mature work-at-height programs ofer solutions to reduce
key to reducing injury and death in these markets. Safety professionals and work-at-height risk of the immediate exposures. Global Wind Organization (GWO) Basic Safety Training
experts are forever preaching the hierarchy of risk, while working feverishly to eliminate Standard is a globally recognized, almost harmonized, approach to standardize a culture of
hazards. Often times, professionals dive deep into the weeds by working with engineers
prevention. It consists of ive modules, including:

1. Work-at-Heights;
2. First Aid [Emphasis on Trauma Response
Skills];
3. Fire Prevention and Awareness;

4. Manual Material Handling [Ergonomics
for Wind Techs]; and
5. Ofshore [Marine Vessel Transit/
Transfer]. he ifth [Ofshore] is an

option that most land-based turbine
owners and service providers can opt out
of.

In general, the work-at-heights segment’s
intention is to provide heightened
focus on the prevention of falls through

work practice controls, techniques, and
equipment. Essentially, this upgrade in
equipment, combined with the further
development of knowledge and skills,

allows for a technician to make decisions on
how best to prevent a fall from occurring.
In addition, this training provides for
more skill evolutions to be performed

with the emergency rescue and evacuation
equipment than legacy training has
historically allotted for.
Currently, there are only a handful of

facilities certiied to ofer this standardized
GWO curriculum in training, but those who
are, are seeing an increase in reoccurring

44 JULY/AUGUST 2015
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