Aerial Lifts

There is still a misconception of what to use in a boom lift or aerial lift.  I have been on many of jobsites and have seen people wearing a 6 foot shock absorbing lanyard in the basket of a boom lift.  This is so dangerous because you could bounce out.  That is why OSHA has changed the rule so you are required to use a 3 or 4 foot non-shock lanyard or a retractable.  This way you are using fall restraint instead of fall arrest.

Fall Restraint vs Fall Arrest

Fall Restraint

When working at heights and having to wear Fall Protection, it is always good to try and place your anchor in an area where it can be used as a fall restraint.  Fall restraint is when you limit the person at risk from being able to get to the edge of the surface.  For example:  if you are working on the edge of a surface and you have on a 11ft retractable lanyard, you would place your anchor 12 feet back from the edge of the surface.  This will keep the worker from ever being able to fall over the edge because they only have 11 feet of lanyard.  By laying out your anchors for fall restraint you are taking out of the possibility that someone could fall and have to be rescued.  Not to mention getting hurt in the fall itself.

Fall Arrest

Fall arrest is when the person has actually fallen over the edge and now the lanyard has stopped them from hitting the surface below.  When this happens, the person is in danger of blood clots, swing fall, and even death.  With fall arrest, you must have a rescue plan in place.  This is an OSHA requirement.  Rescue plans are for all the workers on the same crew to know what to do in case one of their co-workers fall.  Trauma straps can also be helpful in a fall arrest situation.

ACE Concrete Anchor

Guardian Fall Protection recently released the Ace Concrete Safety Anchor. This anchor is ideal for when you can get to the job site before they pour the concrete and you can actually cast and place your Ace Concrete Safety Anchor any where you want in the building. Place and cast the Ace Concrete Safety Anchor in the walls or in the ceiling, select the locations that will serve as the most efficient anchor points.

This anchor is rated for 10,000 pounds so you can run and support a horizontal lifeline and have two people connected to the lifeline.

The Ace Concrete Safety Anchor has a protective cover that can be easily opened by removing two screws. The protective cover or access door serves two purposes. It keeps the anchor protected when it s not in use and keeps the concrete from leaking into the anchor during installation. Inside the anchor you will find a basic D Ring. Once you cast the anchor in place, the unit will be fully encased in concrete.

In order to give you an example of how the Ace Concrete Safety Anchor can be installed, I have prepared a simulated wood form outlined below. Place the anchor into the form box and secure it with screws.

You can see that the anchor is firmly secure in the simulated wood form above. Once the anchor is secure, we will pour the concrete over the top. When the concrete has dried we will take the simulated wood form apart and show you what the anchor looks like.

From the concrete block sample, remove the screws from the protective cover and see your anchor point. The screws can be grounded off, pounded off or bent with a hammer so they will not get caught up on anything.

My name is Mike the safety guy from CarsonSafety.Com and this has been an introduction and sample installation of the Ace Concrete Safety Anchor from Guardian Fall Protection.

See the full video at  http://youtu.be/trrqJi5EwNM

Parapet Anchor

What Fall Prevention Equipment product is the best fit if you are working on the side of a building, you need an anchor point and all you have above is a parapet wall? My recommendation is the Parapet Anchor System from Guardian Fall Protection. This versatile Safety Anchor can be used on a tilt wall, solid wall or solid grounded block.

Parapet Anchor System from Guardian Fall Protection

This blog article is a description and demonstration on how to install this safety anchor on a parapet wall.
For this Personal Protection Equipment or PPE demonstration, we will be using a 20’ Web Retractable from Guardian Fall Protection. Pull all 20’ feet of webbing from the retractable. Look for any frays, cuts or chemical burns. Confirm that the retractable is in good working condition.

Inspect your retractable for frays, tears or chemical burns prior to use

Before the retractable is placed on the parapet anchor, make sure that you attach a safety lanyard retriever line. When you get back down on the ground and are ready to start to work, you will be able to pull down the retractable with the lanyard retriever.

Attach a lanyard retriever line to the retractable

Before you place the retractable to the anchor point, take the lanyard retriever line and hook it onto the connecting device. Then attach your retractable to the anchor point. Make sure that your retriever line is not tangled, once this is confirmed; drop your retriever line over the wall and down to the ground.

Attach the Retractable to the Parapet Anchor System

Once you have your Parapet Anchor in place, before you are ready to start working, take the retriever line and pull it down. I suggest that you use the Guardian Fall Protection 4 in 1 Lanyard as it has an extender that makes it easy to hook yourself on or off. Attach the retractable to the extender. Once this is completed, remove the retriever line. You are now ready to go up or down the ladder to perform your work while fully protected.

Pull down the Retractable with the retriever line

Attach the Retractable to your 4 in 1 Lanyard

The retractable will allow you to move freely up and down the ladder without worrying about adjustments on a rope or having limited room to work as you would experience with a 6’ shock absorbing lanyard. Move the ladder as your work may require and as long as you stay directly under the anchor point, there will be no swing factor. If you move the ladder, make sure that you reset it with the proper angle.
Once you have completed your task, disconnect the retractable and attach the retriever line. Slowly release the line allowing the retractable to wind back into the housing.  Do not let the line go and allow the line to fly back inside the retractable. By doing so you could damage the gears and compromise the metal inside. Proper care and maintenance of your safety equipment is critical. Take care when packing and storing your fall protection equipment. This equipment can save your life so please make sure that you provide the proper care and maintenance.
My name is Mike Maloney, the Safety Guy and this has been a demonstration of the use of the Guardian Fall Protection Parapet Anchor System, 20’ Web Retractable and 4 in 1 Lanyard.

Mike Maloney the Safety Guy

see the complete video at  http://youtu.be/yTO9lhrmH48

Horizontal Lifelines

Choosing the correct equipment for the job is very important.  It is amazing the creativity you see on the jobsites.  Last week I saw a guy working on a 6ft scaffold on wheels on the 4th floor of a new construction building.  They were framing up the exterior walls.  When I got closer to the worker, I noticed that he was wearing his harness loose and it had a 6ft shock absorbing lanyard on is back.  That is ok, but the lanyard went from his back to the hook of a 30 foot retractable which was tied to a lifting strap they used for lifting the equipment with the crane.  There were so many violations that I didn't know where to start.  I was there to get them OSHA compliant.  I started by making everyone stop what they were doing and take off the equipment they were using.  Now we were ready to start over.

I started with the A,B,C 's of fall protection.  Anchor, Body Harness, and Connecting Device.  Once we got through the basics, I showed them how they should be using a Horizontal Lifeline for what they were doing.  I rigged up a 100' lifeline which has 2 tie-off "D" rings on it.  I placed it up high on the concrete columns so that it would be at the level of the workers.  Once we got the HHL installed, it was time to show them how to put the harness on properly.  For the Connecting device, I set them up with the Guardian 11' web retractable.

Now that we have everything in place, the workers can now be up on the scaffold and move freely and still be safe if they happen to have a fall.  This only took 1.5 hours to train and set up so that everyone could be safe while getting their work done.

Ladder Safety

Carsonsafety.com has recently added a new product to their Ladder safety category.  The Basemate Ladder Leveler .  This product allows you to safely place your ladder in all sorts of real-world job-site conditions.
The following video will show you how to install the Basemate to any fiberglass or aluminum extension ladder.  Mike also shows basic safety tips on the proper use and deployment of extension ladders.
When working around any electricity you should always use a fiberglass and not an aluminum ladder. Always check your ladder for any cracks, bends, chips or anything mechanically wrong that could cause your ladder to fail.
Make sure you are using a ladder that meets the job requirements.  Remember, ladder safety ratings not only include yourself  but your tools and/or materials. Never carry objects on your shoulder while going up a ladder.  When you need to raise material up use a rope, bucket or forklift, etc.
Never carry objects on your shoulder while going up a ladder.  Always have both feet on the rung and never extend your body out more than your belt buckle.  This can cause your ladder to become unstable.
Attaching the Basemate Ladder Leveler:

Simple Installation. No Tools Required.

Adjusting is a snap. Once again no tools required. Check out how Mike places one foot of the ladder a  curb while the other is on flat level ground.  Leveling is accomplished with built in levelers.  The Basemate Ladder Leveler makes placing your ladder a possibility in almost any work condition.

Adjusting the ladder using the Basemate Ladder Leveler

When working on some a type of surface that is somewhat slippery or unstable the Base Mate has adjustable feet to dig into the ground.  Great for icy conditions.

Adjustable Feet

The rule of thumb is for every four feet of height, place the ladder 1 ft away from the wall. When measuring is not an option you can always use this simple trick.  At shoulder height place your arms straight out. You palms should lay flat on the rung while your feet are placed at the base of your ladder.

Rule of thumb for proper ladder angle

This simple arched metal piece attached to your ladder can save you lots of time… and teeth clenching moments.  No more trying to level your ladder  with 2×4′s old tires or your lunchbox. This  product makes life on the construction site go easily and safely.

Premium Cross Arm Straps

The Premium Cross Arm Straps is a versatile safety anchor that is typically used as an anchor point in commercial and residential construction.  This Guardian Fall Protection safety product is available in two lengths.  The Premium Cross Arm Straps twelve foot (12 ft.) and the Premium Cross Arm Straps six foot (6 ft.) safety anchors have a large D-Ring at one end and a small D-Ring at the other end.

Premium Cross Arm Straps

Prior to each use of the Cross Arm Straps safety anchor complete a full safety inspection.  Start by reviewing each D-Ring; make sure there are no cracks, rust or bends. Give the strap a good once over for chemical burns, cuts and tears.

Safety inspection of the D-Ring

My recommendation is that you make a photo copy of the instruction tag prior to first use. Keep this paper copy protected, review the instructions outlined on the tag prior to each use. The tag has a tendency to fade, curl and get damaged over time.  Making and using a copy of the tag and keeping  your safety records on the paper copy will ensure that you will always have access to this very valuable information.

Premium Cross Arm Straps – instructions tag

Many users are unsure about the proper use and installation of this Safety Anchor.  Wrapping the Cross Arm Strap one time around a beam, placing the two D-Rings and attaching a Shock Absorbing Lanyard or a Retractable Lifeline / Yo-Yo is an incorrect use for the Fall Protection product.

Incorrect use of the Premium Cross Arm Straps

The correct use and installation of this Safety Anchor is to wrap the Cross Arm Strap around the beam as many times as possible and removing all slack. If you are not able to take out all of the slack, make sure that you add the length of any slack to your safety / fall calculation. For example if you are using a six foot (6 ft.) Shock Absorbing Lanyard; add the length of the slack from the Cross Arm Strap Anchor into your fall calculation. Always allow for a three foot safety factor in your calculation.

Correct use of the Premium Cross Arms Strap

The Cross Arms Strap Safety Anchor should only be used for Fall Protection purposes only! Do not use this product for hooking it up to a forklift and moving equipment around or pulling a car or truck out of mud or gravel. By using this product for non fall protection uses you can stretch and stress the strap out so it will not provide the Fall Arrest results it was designed to deliver.

My name is Mike Maloney the Safety Guy and this has been an overview of the use of the Cross Arm Strap Safety Anchor from Guardian Fall Protection.