The 2015 roofing season is about to begin in earnest in the Northeast, and some experts believe the anemic construction recovery could be offset by the repair market due to this past winter’s ice, wind and tree damage. With OSHA’s continued enforcement of Compliance Guidance for Residential Construction (STD 03-11-002) requiring residential contractors to comply with its Fall Protection Standard (Subpart M, 1926.500), the use of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) must inevitably increase. The roofing contractor’s duty to provide fall protection includes providing prompt self, assisted or technical rescue measures for employees should an arrested fall terminate in a suspended position. Rappelling and auto-lowering retractable lifelines are two common methods for self-rescue (SR) for roofers. Assisted rescue (AR) procedures may include trained and drilled rescue measures by coworkers using portable ladders and aerial lifts. High-angle, technical rope rescue services (TR) may be provided by either a third-party fire department or emergency response team for more complicated or extreme height rescues. The most critical component of all three of these rescue plans is the victim’s ability to prevent the onset of the syncope (faint) cycle while either participating in or waiting for a rescue.
It’s critical that the employer becomes familiar with the engineering, administrative, personal protective equipment and life-support practices available to employees who may accidentally fall in a PFAS. If the system works as designed, every employee who experiences a fall arrest may encounter a maximum deceleration force of 1,800 pounds on the torso (harness-induced pathology, or HIP). This terminal impact force (TIF) is equivalent to driving head on into a concrete bridge abutment at 14.8 miles per hour while wearing a seatbelt. While HIP may initially precede the syndrome of suspension trauma (ST), it may contribute greatly to the rapid onset of ST symptoms.