OSHA seeking feedback on shipyard fall protection revisions
Photo: nightman1965/iStockphoto
Washington – OSHA is seeking public comment on potential revisions to standards related to fall protection for shipyard workers.
The standards, which have not been updated since 1971, address stairway and ladder access and egress, protection from falls and falling objects, and ship scaffolding safety, states the Request for Information, published in the Sept. 8 Federal Register.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40 percent of fatalities in shipyard employment from 1992 to 2014 were the result of a fall to a lower level.
Data from OSHA’s Integrated Management Information System indicates 32 falls – 24 of which were fatal – occurred in the shipbuilding and ship repair industries from 2002 to 2014.
BLS data also shows that from 2003 to 2013, an average of 642 injuries involving slips, trips and falls resulting in days away from work occurred annually in shipyard employment. Slips, trips and falls were the industry’s third-leading cause of days away from work, trailing overexertion and contact with equipment.
Comments and information must be submitted by Dec. 7.
Post a comment to this article
Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)