Osha Standards
Assignment Instructions
In your required unit resources, you were provided with background materials on four different OSHA standards. Select one of the osha standards you would like to know more about, and compose an essay that summarizes the primary requirements of the standard. In your essay, include whether there are any written program or record-keeping requirements, any particular hazard analysis requirements, and/or any training requirements.
Your essay must be at least two pages in length, and you should include introduction and conclusion sections. You must use at least two academic sources. APA formatting is required. All sources used, including the course textbook, must be referenced. Paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying in-text citations.
Resources
The following resource(s) may help you with this assignment.
SAMPLE STUDENT ANSWER
OSHA Falls Protection in Construction Standard Requirements
The construction sector is one of the workplace environments recording a high number of workplace accidents. One of the main workplace accidences highly reported in the construction sector is falls. According to Brown et al. (2021), falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the construction industry, accounting for about 36.4% of the total number of accidents reported in this industry.
The authors noted that out of 991 fatalities in the construction industry, 401 were as a result of falls. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) responded to the increasing number of falls in the construction sector by developing a standard for fall protection exclusively for this industry (OSHA, 2015). In this assignment, OSHA’s falls protection in construction standard has been discussed by summarizing the primary requirements of the standard.
Primary Requirements
The primary requirement for falls protection in construction is found in Subpart M. Subpart M provides the criteria and requirements for falls protection in construction. One of the requirements is that employers in the construction industry must provide falls protection if their workers are working at a height of 6ft or more above the lower level (OSHA, 2015). The second requirement is that employers have the responsibility to assess the workplace to determine if working or walking surfaces can support workers’ safety.
Employers should allow workers to work only when they are determined that the working or walking surfaces are safe. The third requirement is that fall protection should be provided at heights below 6ft when working near dangerous equipment such as pulleys or gears, machinery with open drive belts, and open vats of degreasing agents or acid (OSHA, 2015).
Another requirement is that employers should provide falls protection to workers working on unprotected edges and sides. If workers are working on unprotected edges or sides which are 6ft and above below the lower level, they must be protected from falling by the use of personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems, and guardrail systems (Kang, 2018).
Fall protection in construction should be provided to workers working or walking on steep roofs, leading edges, overhand bricklaying and related work, roofs, and other walking or working surfaces (OSHA, 2015). There are no particular hazard analysis requirements in falls protection standards.
Falls Protection Plans
If the employer can demonstrate that using personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems, and guardrail systems can increase the worker’s risk of falling, they should develop a safety plan that meets Subpart M requirements (Kang, 2018). However, the plan must be prepared by a qualified individual and for the location where the work is done. The plan should be maintained and updated to ensure that all changes are included.
A qualified person must approve any changes in the plan. the job site must have a copy of the approved plan (Brown et al., 2021). supervision and implementation of the plan must be done by a qualified person and the plan must provide reasons why conventional fall protection methods cannot be used.
Training Requirements
There are training requirements provided by OSHA in a move to protect construction workers from falling while at work. According to the standard, employers must avail of a fall protection training program for employees at risk of falling (Brown et al., 2021). The training must show workers how to identify fall hazards and minimize them. The employer must ensure that employees have been trained as required by a qualified training as highlighted in 29 CFR 1926.503(a)(2) (OSHA, 2015).
The trainer must be competent in OSHA fall protection requirements, understand the role of workers in fall protection and the nature of hazards in the workplace, and correct fall protection procedures. The workers who have been trained must be given a certificate to verify that they attended the training program. The certificate must have the worker’s identity, training data, and a sign of the employer or the trainer.
Conclusion
Fall protection in construction should be done as directed by Subpart M of the OSHA act. The primary requirement is that employers in the construction industry must provide falls protection if their workers are working at a height of 6ft or more above the lower level. The employers are also mandated to assess walking and working surfaces to ensure that they are safe. . The third requirement is that fall protection should be provided at heights below 6ft when working near dangerous equipment such as pulleys or gears, machinery with open drive belts, and open vats of degreasing agents or acid.
If conventional fall prevention methods cannot work, employers should develop a safety plan that meets Subpart M requirements. The plan must be developed, supervised, and implemented by a qualified person. The standard requires that training should be provided to workers at risk of falling. The training should be provided by a qualified person and a certificate given to the worker.
References
Brown, S., Brooks, R. D., Harris, W., & Dong, X. S. (2021). OSHA inspections and citations for fall protection in construction and the impact of COVID-19.
Kang, Y. (2018). Use of fall protection in the US construction industry. Journal of Management in Engineering, 34(6), 04018045.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). Fall protection in construction (OSHA Publication No. 3146-05R). U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3146.pdf
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
OVER
RATING
YEARS
