Falls accounted for 451,385 of the reported workplace mishaps in 2022 and were only second in fatalities to automotive accidents of transport workers. Unfortunately, most of these mishaps were either preventable or injuries could have been minimized by meeting the OSHA requirements for protection. During my time in the military the worst mishap investigation I conducted was a young Airman who while working on the nose of a FA-18 fighter jet overreached and lost his balance from atop a ladder. The result was a catastrophic fall from 14 feet in the air headfirst on to concrete. While he survived the fall it ended his military career and left him with lifelong disabilities.
In teaching fall protection literally around the world for the last ten years I have always asked my classes to prevent or minimize the injuries of the Airman with what they learn in my class. I have had some not great answers like "I'd teach my troops how not to fall off ladders. " I've had OK answers that usually involve either covering the Airman in every bit of protective equipment they have or buying a scissor lift. Finally, in 2018 a young sailor said, "why don't we just build a work platform that fits all the way around the jet so he can't fall?" Immediately she was told by senior personnel that it would never work and that it couldn't be done. Imagine their horror when I clicked to the next slide and the picture below appeared.
In the above image we can see that the rolling work platform allows employees to access every area of the jet without the need of leaning over or moving ladders. Also we conducted a structural analysis of the building and installed retractable fall protection lanyards in the rafters allowing employees to be protected wherever they were working. The result of this investment was 100% employee compliance and 10 years later there has not been another fall injury.
Although the overhaul of the aircraft facility was expensive there are more affordable options to ensure employee fall safety. Pictured above sailors engaged in a reenlistment ceremony on the top of a ship's mast can be seen wearing standard fall protection equipment. This equipment consists of a harness, and arresting strap (yellow strap connected to harness.) In the event of a fall the strap slows the decent to prevent a sudden stop. The most critical part of using this system is that a certified fall protection person determine if the anchoring point is of sufficient strength and that the correct mathematics are done to ensure that with expansion of the webbing and the velocity of the falling body that it arrests the person before they hit a lower surface or the ground. This option will likely allow an employee to survive with bruises and possibly minor broken bones instead of a much worse outcome.