Fall Protection

This reading sits behind a Safety panel. Every gallery in the Museum of VoTech carries a cautions band, and every student holds an OSHA 10 card before working unsupervised; these readings are the reasons why.

The panel text

Falls are the leading cause of death in construction. Every one of them is preventable.

The rule. Six feet in construction, four feet in general industry: above that, you are tied off, behind a guardrail, or on a net.

The system. Anchor (5,000 lb), body harness, lanyard or self-retracting lifeline, and a rescue plan — because a worker hanging in a harness has minutes before suspension trauma.

The traps. Unprotected edges, floor holes, ladders set wrong, scaffolds without rails, roofs in the rain, and the last ten minutes of the shift.

The trades. Roofer, ironworker, glazier, lineworker, wind technician, painter, telecom tower climber — and the crane operator who watches all of them.

The math. A 6-foot lanyard, a 6-foot worker and a 3.5-foot deceleration distance means an anchor lower than 18.5 feet above the ground will not save you. Do the sum before you clip.

Try it. The harness rig on the wall: put it on, adjust it, and be checked by a docent.

Reading further

The panel's series (Safety) hangs together in Gallery G2, Tools, beside the demo bays. Each panel in the series is printed at 48 inches on aluminum composite, lent to schools and libraries, and archived here with its reading.

The program behind the panel: Roofing

3.0–4.0 months full-time. Curriculum: Shingle; metal; flat/membrane; flashing; fall protection.

Courses

• 1. Universal Core: Safety, Math, Communication & Career — 148 hr (core), $1,185
• 2. Shingle — 49 hr (trade), $675
• 3. Metal — 49 hr (trade), $675
• 4. Flat/membrane — 48 hr (trade), $660
• 5. Flashing — 48 hr (trade), $660
• 6. Fall protection — 48 hr (trade), $660
• 7. Capstone Project — 72 hr (capstone), $720
• 8. Externship / Worksite Placement — 108 hr (externship), $430
• 9. Certification Exam Preparation — 30 hr (exam_prep), $300

Credentials: NCCER Roofing; OSHA Fall Protection.

Every course above carries a written exam, an observed skills demonstration, a signed log and a safety audit; the program ends with the capstone, the externship and the credential exam.