production framming and osha fall compliance
My question is has anyone come up with a cost effective and compliment means for oshas’s new enforcement of 6′ fall hazard in residential construction?
I formally was a commercial site safety director for 4 years of a $120 million job; I know the laws pretty well. Now doing residential and working with a production homebuilder to develop a comprehensive safety program the only sticking point is I have no suggestions for their framing crews.
Production rate is 2,500 -3,000 sq ft in 2-3 days., the framers are a small family based sub so their pricing contributes to the overall low cost of the housing and resulting maintained sales numbers in this economy. ($187,000, for 2,000 sq ft)
Currently they use a non-compliant homemade man basket with the sky track to set windows and stand second story trusses. Even if they switch to an approved articulated man lift, that isn’t legal to hoist material. I cannot see cost maintained if they used a crane and man lift, or used three guys taking the windows through the house and taking longer to do so.
I won’t even both getting into tying off, opinions abound on that but even still no over head tie exist let alone being able to withstand the required 5000 lbs impact load for anchorage.
Do they really spend 2 days scaffolding the entire perimeter?
Canopy nets I see being a logistical problem because the sky track reach is than too far.
Safety monitor is the best option but I doubt OHSHA sees justifying any of the above options as “infeasible”.
It’s frustrating that this new compliance has been issued with cant’s and can’s but no hows.
Replies
Call OSHA
I'd call the OSHA training branch, and ask for their input.
They are the experts, and are charged with help[ing you to develop a program that can work.
I've been through inspections and training and unfortunately, their going to tell you how to safely do it by the letter which I already know the answer to I don't have an efficient or cost effective means.
We would also rather not put ourselves on the map approaching ohsha just yet since our safety development is in its infancy yet were the largest builder in the area and have managed to stay under the radar. If we invite OSHA in there is the potential of them than being a stone’s throw away from 15-20 houses underway at any given time.
If you can't meet the exact letter of the law, at least make as safe a place to land as possible. Be sure the area around the house is cleaned up (no rebar, concrete block or other ugly stuff you wouldn't want to land on, laying around).
Sometimes it is hard to get subs to actually do everything OSHA says they should be doing.