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To prevent falls, employers have a duty to anticipate the need to work at heights and plan work activities accordingly. Careful planning and preparation lay the necessary groundwork for an accident-free workplace.
Employers are required to assess the workplace to evaluate whether walking-working surfaces have the strength and structural integrity to safely support workers. Employees are not permitted to work on any surface until the surface is determined to be safe.
Once the surface is found to be safe for employees to work on, employers must determine whether any fall hazard is present. If so, the next step is to select one of the fall protection options for the particular work operation. Employers must make a reasonable effort to anticipate the particular hazards to which employees may be exposed in the course of a job. For example, employers should:
Many employers minimize exposure to fall hazards by having anchorage points for personal fall arrest systems fabricated or designed into structural members and by installing perimeter lines on structural members before those members are lifted into position.
Employers may need to reexamine their traditional safety methods and, when possible, update them by incorporating available fall protection technology and design concepts. Employers should also: