At the same time, the data shows that falls
have certain properties, which may help designers to devise preventive
approaches on low rise buildings. OSHA
data shows that nearly half of the fall accidents occur on projects involving
commercial buildings and single family dwellings. However, whether it is a commercial building,
multi-storey building or even a single storey building; the potential for falls
remains a significant hazard on low-rise buildings and construction sites.
OSHA data shows that falls occurred at what
some would consider relatively low elevations. About 75% of falls occurred at elevations of
less than 30 feet, and 45% were less than 20 feet.
Environmental
Concerns
Over half of the fall injuries are related to
environmental factors involving the working surface (icy or wet conditions for
example) or building layout conditions (awkward or inconvenient roof layouts).
Human Errors
Resulting In Falls
Analysis of human errors showed that “misjudgement
of the hazardous situation” is the most frequent type of error involving
falls, accounting for 30% of all the accidents.
Location
Of Falls
80% of all building fall accidents took
place:
- from roofs,
- from or with scaffolds,
- from or with ladders, and
- through openings.
The bottom-line is; fall protection equipment is need:
- In Canada, where any section of the parapet wall is less than 36 inches (and someone is subject to a 10 foot fall)
- In the USA, where any section of the parapet wall is less than 42 inches (and someone is subject to a 4 foot fall)