OSHA wants improved fall protection equipment standards in home construction

Workers on commercial construction sites benefit from safety regulations that require employers to provide fall protection equipment such as fall arrest kits. Now, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it would like to extend those requirements to the residential construction sector.

In a presentation on the OSHA website, the federal agency said it would rescind previous fall protection equipment standards established in 1999. In its place will be new regulations, which require residential construction firms adopt many of the same regulations currently enacted in the commercial construction industry.

Falls have consistently been the leading cause of death on construction sites, and while companies may have to invest resources into updating their fall protection equipment, such an investment would pay off in the form of reduced liabilities, said the agency.

Residential contractors have a few options when determining the safety equipment used for professionals working six feet or higher. Guardrail systems, safety nets and fall arrest systems are all viable options, according to the presentation.

"We cannot tolerate workers getting killed in residential construction when effective means are readily available to prevent those death," Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, was quoted as saying in the presentation.

Fall arrest kits can be effective solutions for residential contractors on the lookout for affordable and reliable fall protection equipment. Workers fasten the restraints around their shoulders and midsection, and the unit is anchored to a tie-off point - often a support beam or scaffolding.

The equipment may be an effective way to reduce worker injury on a construction site. OSHA data estimates more than 800 construction workers die each year while roughly 20 percent of workplace injuries occur in this industry.