NIOSH TESTIMONY TO DOL ON THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION'S NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING ON WALKING AND WORKING SURFACES AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (FALL PROTECTION SYSTEMS) BY J.D. MILLAR, SEPTEMBER 11, 1990

The testimony concerns the views of NIOSH relating to the proposed rule making of OSHA on walking and working surfaces and personal protective equipment, with an emphasis on fall protection systems. Additional data are presented with the testimony which deal with the minimum tread width for stairway design, the fatality and injury rates for exterior building maintenance workers, the occurrence of injuries from falls into shafts, and additional FACE reports on fatalities involving falls at work. The proposed rule would allow fixed stairs with open risers to have a minimum tread depth of 6 inches. NIOSH presents references addressing the selection of appropriate depth for stair treads but does not have any accident data specifically addressing this issue as a causal factor in falls. Statistical reports identified a fatality rate of 56.2 per 100,000 among window cleaners. The average annual fatality rate for all industry sectors combined was 7.8 per 100,000 workers. In reviewing the Bureau of Labor lStatistics for injury and fatality data involving falls into shafts a total of 4656 such injuries was reported for 1984 and were from workers involved in motor freight transportation and auto repair.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

  944 Chestnut Ridge Road
  Morgantown, WV  United States  26505
• Authors:
  • Millar, J D
• Publication Date: 1990-9

Media Info

• Pagination: 7 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crashes; Falls; Fatalities; Freight transportation; Health; Injuries; Maintenance personnel; Occupational safety; Protection; Regulation; Safety equipment; Shafts (Machinery); Stairs; Surfaces; Walking
• Uncontrolled Terms: Protective equipment
• Old TRIS Terms: Personal injury; Rule making
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00616068
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 31 1991 12:00AM