Why Does My Company Need
an Indoor Fall Safety Audit?

According to OSHA, falling is one of the most common causes of injuries and fatalities in the workplace. There are several areas throughout your facility that are likely to put employees, contractors, and visitors at risk of falling. So it’s important to take a closer look at these areas and make sure they are well-protected.

Falling at work is unfortunately a part of life in the workplace for many different types of facilities – from schools to manufacturing plants to pharmaceutical companies. It’s easy for even the most experienced workers to slip or lose their balance. To protect them from injury, it’s important to take a look at the latest OSHA standards and take the proper fall protection precautions in the riskiest areas in your building. This guide can help you get started.

12,600
Workers injured on the job every day
104,000,000
Production days lost to work-related injuries
169,936
Preventable injury-related deaths

*SOURCE: 2017 National Safety Council Statistics

4 Areas of Concern for Indoor Fall Safety

Stairways

Stairways can be hazardous in almost any work environment. People often go up and down the stairs quickly, paying little attention to what’s ahead. So it’s important to take these steps to keep stairways safe in the workplace:

  • 1. Evaluate Lighting. Poor lighting in stairwells can greatly increase the risk of falling. Make sure all stairways are well-lit whenever your employees or visitors will be using them.
  • 2. Check the Tread. Tread should be uniform throughout the entire stairway. Providing a visual contrast (surfaces colored safety yellow are ideal) allows people to ascend and descend your stairways safely and with ease.
  • 3. Install Gates and Rails. Industrial safety gates and safety rails installed according to OSHA guidelines will keep workers safe both as they ascend stairways and as they reach each platform or opening.
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Mezzanines

Elevated platforms and mezzanines come with their own set of safety hazards. Both those working on platforms and those passing underneath need to be protected. Here’s your checklist to ensure the safety of everyone in your facility:

  • 1. Assess Mezzanine Space. Before you decide how to protect your employees, it’s important to determine how the space will be used and what types of items will be moved to and from the platform.
  • 2. Secure Openings. You can’t be too careful in mezzanine areas. Be sure to determine your need for mezzanine safety gates, and possibly even a special counterbalanced gate, to ensure that your employees are always safe when they are near the edge of the platform.
  • 3. Look Down. People working on a raised platform aren’t the only ones at risk of injury. Those passing below are also at risk, especially if tools are being used up above. A toe board will help prevent objects from falling over the edge and injuring passersby.
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Loading Docks

Warehouses, manufacturing plants, and all types of industrial buildings use loading docks with great frequency. It’s important to protect employees who use them, as well as those making deliveries to your building. Here’s how to get started:

  • 1. Mark Floors and Edges. Yellow paint or tape can help warn workers from a distance about barriers, openings, and edges.
  • 2. Prevent Falls from Heights. All openings in your building should be well guarded, but especially the loading dock, since it will likely experience heavy traffic. There are many easy-opening loading dock gates that also provide excellent resistance to keep your employees safe from falling.
  • 3. Train Personnel. Any employees who will be using the area should be well-versed in the fall safety rules associated with loading docks. This is one of the most important fall safety tips for any industry.
SCHEDULE A SAFETY AUDIT FOR YOUR FACILITY >>

Ladders

Many falls happen not just when workers are in high places, but when they are accessing them via ladders. It’s important to survey all ladderways in your facility and make sure they are protected. Here is what to look for:

  • 1. Assess Unprotected Openings. Ladders are one of the most common unprotected openings inside facilities. Be sure to take inventory of which ones are protected and which ones pose the biggest risk to workers.
  • 2. Clear the Area. It’s important to make sure that all areas around the tops and bottoms of ladders remain clear at all times. This will help prevent slips and falls.
  • 3. Guard All Ladderways. Ladders can be easily guarded by safety gates and rails to ensure that workers are safe regardless of how high they have to climb.
SCHEDULE A SAFETY AUDIT FOR YOUR FACILITY >>

Schedule an Indoor Fall Safety Audit

A comprehensive indoor fall safety audit is the first step toward ensuring the safety of the employees and contractors working at your facility. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our fall safety specialists in your area.

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Related OSHA Regulations:

1910.25(b)(4)
Stairway landings and platforms are at least the width of the stair and at least 30 inches (76 cm) in depth, as measured in the direction of travel;

1910.25(b)(5)
When a door or a gate opens directly on a stairway, a platform is provided, and the swing of the door or gate does not reduce the platform’s effective usable depth

1910.25(c)(1)
Are installed at angles between 30 to 50 degrees from the horizontal;

1910.25(c)(2)
Have a maximum riser height of 9.5 inches (24 cm);

1910.25(c)(3)
Have a minimum tread depth of 9.5 inches (24 cm); and

1910.25(c)(4)
Have a minimum width of 22 inches (56 cm) between vertical barriers

1910.25(e)
Ship stairs.

1910.25(e)(1)
Are installed at a slope of 50 to 70 degrees from the horizontal;

1910.25(e)(2)
Have open risers with a vertical rise between tread surfaces of 6.5 to 12 inches (17 to 30 cm);

1910.25(e)(3)
Have minimum tread depth of 4 inches (10 cm); and

1910.25(e)(4)
Have a minimum tread width of 18 inches (46 cm).

Related OSHA Regulations:

1910.28(b)(1)(i)
Except as provided elsewhere in this section, the employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following:

1910.28(b)(1)(i)(A,B,C)
Guardrail systems; Safety net systems; or Personal fall protection systems, such as personal fall arrest, travel restraint, or positioning systems.

1910.29(b)(1)
The top edge height of top rails, or equivalent guardrail system members, are 42 inches (107 cm), plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm), above the walking/working surface.

1910.29(b)(2)(i)
Midrails are installed at a height midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working surface

1910.29(b)(3)
Guardrail systems are capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) applied in a downward or outward direction within 2 inches (5 cm) of the top edge, at any point along the top rail.

Related OSHA Regulations:

1910.28(b)(1)(i)
Except as provided elsewhere in this section, the employer must ensure that each employee on a walking-working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 4 feet (1.2 m) or more above a lower level is protected from falling by one or more of the following:

1910.28(b)(1)(i)(A,B,C)
Guardrail systems; Safety net systems; or Personal fall protection systems, such as personal fall arrest, travel restraint, or positioning systems.

1910.29(b)(1)
The top edge height of top rails, or equivalent guardrail system members, are 42 inches (107 cm), plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm), above the walking/working surface.

1910.29(b)(2)(i)
Midrails are installed at a height midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working surface

1910.29(b)(3)
Guardrail systems are capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) applied in a downward or outward direction within 2 inches (5 cm) of the top edge, at any point along the top rail.

Related OSHA Regulations:

1910.28(b)(3)(iv)
Each employee is protected from falling into a ladderway floor hole or ladderway platform hole by a guardrail system and toeboards erected on all exposed sides, except at the entrance to the hole, where a self-closing gate or an offset must be used.

1910.29(b)(13)
When guardrail systems are used around holes that serve as points of access (such as ladderways), the guardrail system opening:

1910.29(b)(13)(i)
Has a self-closing gate that slides or swings away from the hole, and is equipped with a top rail and midrail or equivalent intermediate member that meets the requirements in paragraph (b) of this section;

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