Electricity Today T&D Magazine

Struck-by, struck-against and back-over incidents are far too common:

• 421 Hudson St., Manhattan, NYC: Construction worker killed by scaffolding plank.
• Woods Hole Golf Club, Falmouth, MA: Construction worker injured in back-over accident.
• Interstate 440-East, Raleigh, NC: DOT workers seriously injured when motorist crashed into highway maintenance truck.

They can happen any place at any time, which is why they’re so difficult to prevent. Contributing factors to struck-by incidents include:

• Poor visibility when working at night or in inclement weather;
• Untrained workers using tools improperly, wearing the wrong (or no) PPE, or engaging in horseplay;
• Fatigue distracting workers or motorists in...

A personal fall protection arrest system (PFAS) is comprised of three vital components: an anchorage, body wear (full-body harnesses), and a connecting device (a shock-absorbing lanyard or self-retracting lifeline). The safety of at-height workers depends on these three components, and each one must be in place and used properly to provide maximum worker protection.
When discussing fall protection, anchorage connectors and full body harnesses receive a lot of attention. We don’t always stop to think about connecting devices like self-retracting lifelines or shock-absorbing lanyards, and yet these are the two components that bear the greatest forces during a fall.
Before...