NIOSH Testimony to DOL on the Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationProposed Rule; Limited Reopening of the Rulemaking Record on Safety Standards for Scaffolds Used in the Construction Industry by R. W. Niemeier, June 28, 1993

摘要

This testimony summarizes the opinions of NIOSH regarding the proposed exemptionfrom fall protection requirements for employees erecting scaffolds. The Scaffolding Institute of America (SIA) has indicated that requirements to tie off during erecting the scaffold is not justified by accident statistics. NIOSH contends that such statistics are not available as scaffold assemblers do not have a specific code which would allow data on their falls to be examined separate from the data on other people falling from scaffolds. Based on data provided by SIA, the fatality rate for falls during scaffolding erection and dismantling would be 33 to 39 deaths per 100,000 workers per year, which would exceed the average annual fatality rate of the construction industry. The use of safety monitoring systems for fall protection and the response of human subjects to suspension in three types of fall protective harnesses were discussed.