Working on a high rise or hundreds of feet in the air isn’t for the faint of heart. For those brave men and women who do, making sure they don’t fall or drop their tools is a serious consideration. Fall protection is regularly the number one OHSA violation every year. According to the agency, there are over 50,000 incidents of people being struck by a falling object. With the right safety equipment, many of these violations and events could have easily been prevented. To minimize this issue, contractors simply need to provide their workers with Drop object prevention.

 

When working at a significant height these are the Drop Tool Kits that should always be implemented:

 

• Attachments points
• Drop Tool lanyards
• Wristbands
• Tool holsters
• Tool belts
• Tool pouches
• Spill control buckets

 

Dropped Tool Danger

Dropping objects from several stories up generates a tremendous amount of force on the streets below. An 8 lb wrench dropped from two hundred feet would generate 2,833 lbs per sq inch! A dropped hammer or tape measure from several stories up is highly likely to kill someone below. Construction workers always wear hard hats and harness to tie on, but too often their tools are forgotten. A dropped object can cause a worker to fall as their natural reaction is to try and catch a dropped tool. Even if debris nets and toe boards are set up, tools can still slip past and end up on the ground.

 

Deploy Drop Object Prevention

Now that you understand the urgent need to secure your tools from being dropped, here are the steps that can be taken to successfully deploy them in the field. Be sure that there is not any resistance with attachment points, Drop Tool lanyards and wristbands so tools can be easily used. Tools should not be modified in any way to accommodate tether tape, anchors or rings. Tools that weigh over 5 lbs. need to be attached to a fixed structure. Review and adhere to the load ratings for each attachment point. When purchasing multiple items of Drop object Prevention, stick with the same brand as they will typically work better together than mix and matching from different manufacturers.

 

Drop Tool Prevention Kits

The best way to ensure all of your items and tools are secured is to purchase a drop tool prevention kit. These kits are comprehensive and cover:

 

• Helmet Lanyards
• Bungee Tool Lanyards
• Tool Tethers
• Tether Loops
• Tether Tape
• Phone Cases
• Coiled Tool Lanyards
• Belt Anchors
• Hoist Buckets

 

Contractors typically only purchase safety equipment after an injury occurs or when they get fined by OSHA. Before you send your workers out on their next project, be sure to purchase Drop Tool Prevention Kits. Their tools will remain in place and there isn’t any potential for injury or loss of life from a falling object. In addition, if you have workers in the area don’t forget to post warning signs, barricade the ground area and use debris nets and toe boards to help prevent falling objects too. Safety should always be our number one concern.