Law Department notice on WTC document preservation, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Standard Operating Procedure Page 6 of 15 Fall Protection

5.0 PROCEDURE

5.1 TRAINING

Employees with potential exposure to fall hazards shall receive training that will enable them to recognize the hazards of falling and implement procedures to be followed in order to minimize these hazards.

Retraining will be performed when an employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required by paragraph to recognize and control fall hazards. Circiunstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete, or changes in the types of fall protection systems or equipment to be used render previous training obsolete, or inadequacies in an employee's knowledge or use of fall protection systems or equipment indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill.

Training shall be performed by a competent person qualified in the following areas:

• The nature of fall hazards in the work area; • The correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting the fell protection systems to be used; • The use and operation of guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, safety net systems, warning line systems, safety monitoring systems, controlled access zones, and other protection to be used; • The role of each employee in the safety monitoring system when this system is used; • The limitations on the use of mechanical equipment during the performance of roofing work on low-sloped roofe; • The correct procedures for the handling and storage of equipment and materials and the erection of overhead protection; and • The role of employees in fall protection plans; • The applicable OSHA standards.

A written certification record of employee training will be maintained. The written certification record shall contain the name or other identily of the employee trained, the date(s) of the training, and the signature of the person who conducted the training.

5.2 GUARDRAIL SYSTEMS

The top edge height of top rails, or equivalent guardrail system members, shall be 42 inches (1.1m) plus or minus 3 inches (8 cm) above the walking/working level. When conditions warrant, the height of the top edge may exceed the 45-inch height, provided the guardrail system meets all other criteria of this paragraph. Note: When employees are using stilts, the top edge height of the top rail, or equivalent member, shall be increased an amount equal to the height of the stilts.

Midrails, screens, mesh, intermediate vertical members, or equivalent intermediate structural members shall be installed between file top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working surface when there is no wall or parapet wall at least 21 inches (53 cm) high. Midrails, when used, shall be installed at a height midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the walking/working level. Screens and mesh, when used, shall extend firom the top rail to the walking/working level and along the entire opening between top rail supports.

Intermediate members (such as balusters), when used between posts, shall be not more than 19 inches (48 cm) apart Other structural members (such as additional midrails and architectural panels) shall be installed such that there are no openings in the guardrail system that are more than 19 inches (.5 m) wide.

Guardrail systems shall be capable of withstanding, without failure, a force of at least 200 pounds (890 N) applied within 2 inches (5.1 cm) of the top edge, in any outward or downward direction, at any point along the top edge.

NYC-WTC_000145143