Construction workers have many people looking after them now. The days when it used to be a dangerous field are long gone now. Not only are the government authorities jumping up to ensure their safety in the workplace but even the companies employing them are becoming more and more sensitive to their needs. Engineering and construction is now a respectable field to be working in today as opposed to being the world of daredevils and adrenaline junkies And another major contributing to help bring about this change has been OSHA.

With the number of fatalities and accidents occurring in the construction sector, OSHA made many significant changes in its policy and regulatory guidelines with respect to fall prevention systems in 2010. There are many safeguards that are now stringently implemented to ensure the safety of construction workers. If a worker has to be placed at a position higher than six feet in the air during any construction or residential roofing job, the employer is now required by OSHA to have guard rails, safety nets and fall arrest systems in place to prevent accidents. And if the employer can prove that these systems create a greater hazard for the worker, they will have to develop a fall prevention plan that will be approved by the concerned authorities before any work begins on the construction site.

Construction jobs require workers to deal with a variety of situations. When working in aerial lift or boom-type platforms, including scissor lifts and bucket trucks, it is now necessary to have guard rails and other types of fall prevention systems to ensure their safety. The worker can also be securely anchored to a place to arrest the fall. There are many ways in which this can be managed.

There are restraint devices like body belts and harnesses that prevent the worker from falling any distance. Then there are positioning devices that allow construction workers to lean and position their bodies against while having both their hands free to work. These are usually vertical surfaces like poles and are allowed a maximum fall distance of only 2 feet. If the scaffold or aerial lift is capable of absorbing the vertical and lateral loads of a fall, fall arrest systems may also be used to prevent any accidents. However, these devices necessitate the use of harnesses rather than body belts. Also, positioning systems are not fit for use in scissor lifts or bucket trucks are they require the worker to be positioned on a horizontal platform. The OSHA fall prevention system guidelines are pretty specific in regards to all these matters.

OSHA has been quite strict when it comes to implementing these regulations as well. In fact, there have been cases when it has imposed fines for as much as $70000 on construction companies found to be lacking in their safety measures. You too should make sure that all the checklists are complied with in your own construction company. For more information on fall prevention systems visit CAISafety.com.

About The Author

Brent Owens is a safety expert who works hand in hand with many construction companies across the country to ensure that employees are always protected while at work. He recommends CAISafety.com as the best name to trust for high quality fall protection systems.