junejuly2024 - 12

Industry Expert Column
Fall Protection Solutions for Ground Support
and Aircraft Maintenance Operations
Falls from heights are a leading cause of occupational injuries and even fatalities.
Vigilance is critical for workers who spend their time working at heights.
BY PHILIP JACKLIN
G
round support operations
and aircraft maintenance
tasks pose unique challenges
for technicians and personnel.
The Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA)
requires fall protection to be used
anytime a worker is 4 feet or more
above the ground, or the next lower
walking working surface.
While repairs and maintenance
are important for the safety of pilots
and their passengers, the safety of
the worker performing the repairs
is also important. Falls from heights
continue to be a leading cause of
occupational injuries and fatalities,
so vigilance on this issue is paramount
for workers who spend most
of their time at heights.
Overhead Anchorage for
Ground Support Operations
Outdoor maintenance or ground
support work can prove difficult to
provide fall protection due to the
dynamic nature of the work.
Fortunately, there are many
mobile fall protection solutions
available that can be deployed to
provide overhead anchor options
for workers. Systems like rigid rail
truss systems, mobile davit arms
or counterweight jib anchors are
some examples of potential solutions.
Overhead anchorage solutions
can allow workers to perform their
regular work while connecting
them into a personal fall protection
system should they happen to slip,
trip or fall. These solutions will
require additional time to mobilize,
erect and place in optimum position,
but the work is worth the effort if it
avoids someone suffering from an
accidental fall.
In other instances, bodywork
needs on an aircraft might require
the use of an elevated platform
to access where work will be performed.
Mobile elevated work platforms
(MEWPs) can help provide an
elevated platform for workers with
the ability to get the worker exactly
where they need to be to successfully
perform their task.
Overhead anchorage systems
will always be the superior method
of protecting workers at heights
as they allow for increased mobility
and safety factors for users.
Unfortunately, most facilities are
designed without integrated anchor
systems and that's why ladders
or MEWPs are commonly used in
maintenance facilities, hangars and
other similar environments. But
just like any other piece of equipment,
improper use or negligence
to personal safety can prove disastrous
for the operators. If MEWPs
are to be utilized, let's explore the
fall protection requirements for
various pieces of equipment.
12 || Ground Support Worldwide || June/July 2024
Non-Articulating Lifts
Is fall protection required on non-articulating
lifts (also known as scissor
lifts)? Here's the answer nobody likes
to hear: it depends.
While federal OSHA code does
not explicitly require fall protection
in scissor lifts, OSHA does require
users to follow manufacturer
instructions when operating equipment.
Nowadays, almost all scissor
lifts have at least one certified
anchor integrated into the side rails
on the lift. They often even include
a small label with a graphic showing
a worker in a harness and indicating
their tie-off point. If the instruction
manual states that a user must
use the anchorage when operating
the lift, many safety professionals
believe connecting a personal fall
protection system is now mandated.
Cal/OSHA (California's state-run
OSHA program) goes even further
and mandates that if a scissor lift
contains an integrated anchorage,
the user must be tied off to it when
operating the lift.
Please note that it is never recommended
to attach a personal fall
protection system directly to the
guardrails integrated on an MEWP.
Integrated anchor points are rated
for 5,000 pounds (or at least 3,600
pounds, depending on the engineered
certification process), but guardrails
are only rated for 250 pounds of
DIVERSIFIED FALL PROTECTION
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