Does OSHA require fall protection in my lineman training program?
As part of Standard 29 CFR 1910.269, OSHA has not considered apprentice lineworkers, or "employees undergoing training" as qualified employees, therefore, "unqualified employees (including trainees) are required to use fall protection any time they are more than 4 feet (1.2m) above the ground" on poles, towers, or similar structures.
What are the benefits of training with Lifehook® systems?
Reduces Insurance and Worker Compensation Costs
Innovations exclusive to Lifehook® products help provide a safer fall protection system for your apprentice climbers. Lifehook® systems will better protect your apprentices from potentially fatal falls and serious fall-related injuries over competing products.
Saves Time and Increases Training Productivity
Lifehook® systems allow a trainee to overcome their fear of falling while learning proper pole climbing skills. Instructors using Lifehook® systems have claimed a 20% increase in the number of successful graduates of their training programs with at least a 30% reduction in injury claims.
Prevents Serious Injuries and Saves Lives
According to the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Safety Council, lack of adequate fall protection or failure to properly use fall protection are among of the most cited safety violations and a leading cause of workplace injury and fatality. Training your apprentice linemen to climb at heights on a utility pole without a compliant personal fall arrest system may be placing your trainees at risk of serious injury.
What else should I consider when outfitting a Lifehook® system?
There are several considerations of anchor, connecting device, and body gear used to determine how to outfit a personal fall arrest system to the specific needs of your training program. Specifications such as anchor type and range of rotation, cable length and material, working capacity, locking speed, arrest force, stop distance, and service intervals may vary with your selection of components. As for being a good value and providing a reasonable return on your safety investment, it is important to know that the price of a Lifehook® personal fall arrest system has been found to be less than one tenth the average cost of a single non-fatal fall related injury.
Can I use a choking pole strap for training?
Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about choking pole straps. Many have recently come on the market to join similar products that have been available for years. These products, like traditional safety straps, are simply work positioning devices. Although these devices are enhanced with an intermediate strap designed to “choke” around the pole and restrict travel, they are not a personal fall arrest system, nor can they protect the trainee from many common, costly, and unnecessary injuries that a personal fall arrest system can.
Voluntary standards referring to the use of choking pole straps are intended for qualified climbers in the field to use these devices as an upgrade over traditional safety straps which lack travel restraint capabilities. The intention of these standards is misinterpreted when suggesting that substituting a choking pole strap in a training environment will provide an equivalent level of safety, or compliance with current regulations, as a personal fall arrest system.
A worker learning to climb is not a qualified climber. In a training environment, the likelihood of serious injuries to an unqualified climber is exponentially greater when the employee undergoing training is unfamiliar with, unaccustomed to, or lacks confidence in, the techniques and practices required to safely climb a utility pole regardless of climbing method. For the comprehensive prevention of serious injuries when training a climbing apprentice, a positioning device like a choking pole strap should not be used in place of a personal fall arrest system.
Personal fall arrest systems have numerous safety advantages over work positioning devices. When activated, a personal fall arrest system will bring the climber’s torso away from the pole saving injuries from impact with the pole and from contact with creosotic splinters; whereas, a choking pole strap will cause the climber’s body to strike or contact the pole with potential for serious injuries. Personal fall arrest systems significantly reduce fall arrest forces to the climber. Personal fall arrest systems attach to a dorsal D-ring at, or above, the shoulder height of the climber to assure the trainee will remain upright for easier recovery from a cut-out and therefore, reducing the need of requiring rescue. Additionally, because personal fall arrest systems use a dorsal (fall arrest) D-ring instead of waist (positioning) D-rings, they will not concentrate fall arrest forces to the waist or lower back area of the climber. Personal fall arrest systems prevent a wider range of serious injuries over choking pole straps.
We advise employers implementing choking pole straps in a training environment do so only as an upgrade over traditional safety straps, and only after a personal fall arrest system has been provided to the unqualified trainee. As stated in ANSI Z359.3 regarding safety requirements for work positioning and travel restraint systems; "work positioning systems must be used in conjunction with a separate and independent personal fall arrest system". For the greater safety of the trainee, for employer compliance with federal regulations, and for the financial savings in worker compensation claims and insurance premiums, a choking pole strap should not be used in place of an approved and compliant personal fall arrest system.
