Fall Safety in Steel Construction: A Research Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bobick, Thomas G. ; Hause, Matthew G. ; McKenzie EA Jr.
• Description:
  Key takeaways: Workers at elevation can be exposed to falls to a lower level when working. A personal fall arrest system is designed to stop workers from experiencing free fall, but even after the system engages, a worker will continue to fall. A NIOSH study compared the end effects of using a proper and improper personal fall arrest lanyard in a 12-ft free fall foot-level tie off. A 12-ft free fall personal fall arrest lanyard should always be used for free fall distances greater than 6 ft. A 6-ft free fall personal fall arrest lanyard should never be used at foot-level tie off. The personal energy absorber reached its maximum effectiveness during pullout and stopped extending. When this occurred, an excessive force spike was measured before the fall was fully arrested. Energy is absorbed in the mannequin's harness, as well as the personal fall arrest lanyard during a fall arrest, resulting in a shorter pullout length of the personal fall arrest lanyard as compared to a drop weight. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Construction Industry Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Construction Industry Fall Protection Falls Injury Prevention Protective Equipment Safety Equipment Steel Industry
• ISSN:
  0099-0027
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  20-29
• Volume:
  70
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070518
• Citation:
  Prof Saf 2025 Feb; 70(2):20-29
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Professional Safety
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:75fb18507b793fa47ff13c3e9f4f616e2fb698e4a44297d3a84bde81aa80164d7111140125941ed46a39937122329b32911b27bfd54496772fef7b89f57d6fc8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208713/cdc_208713_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 721.86 KB ]