Fall protection is a topic that really separates the “I’ve been there” from the chair-borne “experts.” (Why is it so many are instant experts about things they’ve never experienced?)
OSHA rules? Just a few observations. . .
— Even in the most intrusive settings, I’ve never heard of a “work plan” or a “rescue plan.” You’re on your own — which is usually a good thing!
— The rules are, IMO, completely out of touch with reality. Just to make one example, the exact equipment that I would use when climbing El Capitan (Yosemite) or the Matterhorn (Switzerland) is specifically defined as being inadequate when I’m changing light bulbs in an office;
— The rules are rather used to manage by bullying. Somehow a ladder becomes a “work platform” the moment you do anything from it — and heaven forbid you use the ladder to step off onto another level!
That said, a funny story . . .
The last job I had before entering the trade, I was working as a temp for a contractor setting up shelving in a massive warehouse. We were working on a mezzanine (second level) about 10-ft. Above the main floor. The mezzanine was also under construction at the time, and there were no guard rails; in some places the floor decking was also absent.
arriving on the job I noticed a substantial dried blood trail across the mezzanine floor. The day before someone had been badly cut by sheet metal (gee, now I know why I was hired!). A cluster of management types arrived to inspect the site of the accident.
The next day we had our only safety meeting. The boss told us: Don’t cut yourself — and if you do, don’t bleed on the floor! A voice from the crowd called out “And if you fall from the mezzanine, be sure to shout ‘I quit’ before you hit!”
The boss was confused; he didn’t get the joke. It was even funnier watching him pretend to laugh while not understanding the humor.
