Shipyards have a lot of potential hazards. From the potential danger of the water to the small enclosed spaces where employees must work, shipbuilding has its share of workplace risks. One specific and common issue in shipyards is falling, especially from heights. When your employees climb scaffolding or utilize cranes or other high access, you need to take additional precautions to ensure their safety. Here are a few ways you can protect workers from falls in your marine environment.
Fall Protection Programs
In your shipyard, it’s crucial to implement and commit to a fall protection program. This is a series of regularly reinforced safety training for your team members. To create this program, refer to the specific OSHA requirements for shipyards and marine cargo handling facilities. Put together a class schedule and make participation a requirement for staff members who work in or around heights in your shipyard.
Provide Safety Gear
You will need to provide fall arrest systems, among other safety gear, designed to keep workers safe when working at an elevation. Review the specific requirements for scaffolding or different heights and the kind of equipment that will best serve your team. This also applies to the type of ladders or scaffolding used to reach these elevations.
Regular Inspections
Fall prevention is also about inspections. You need to ensure that your equipment and structures are always in working order. Regular inspections are essential and should be performed regularly by experts hired for this specific purpose in your shipyard. When employees work from elevations, there should be a significant planning process to ensure that everyone understands where and when they should be accessing these heights.
Reevaluate Training
Safety orientation and training are critical, but they are also changeable. Reevaluating the processes and procedures should happen regularly, and changes should be made when new information is understood. Instituting regular safety training meetings and courses to refresh your team on the protocol will be an essential step in maintaining a safe environment.
Do you want to maintain strict safety standards in your shipyard to prevent injuries caused by falls?
Call the team at Hutco to learn more today.
