The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have announced that the long anticipated “Dropped Objects Standard” has been approved.
ANSI/ISEA 121-2018, American National Standard for Dropped Object Prevention Solutions establishes minimum design, performance, and labelling requirements for product solutions that prevent falling objects and guidelines for testing that equipment.
“This is big because it establishes tethering systems and containers as the best practice when it comes to falling object safety,” said Nate Bohmbach, product director at Ergodyne and the chairman of the ISEA committee that developed this standard.
To date, many have been content with PPE such as hard hats or administrative controls such as barricade tape, but those do not prevent items from falling, nor do they eliminate potential injury. Tethering systems prevent the items from falling altogether.
“Safe Work Australia report that in 2016, 17 workers died due to being hit by falling objects, which amounted to 9% of all worker fatalities” says Terry Houlihan, Managing Director of Pryme Australia Pty Ltd.
Until now, there has been no guidance for workers on what constitutes a proper tethering system. Without a standard, there is nothing to differentiate duct tape and string from a properly rated tool lanyard and attachment point.
Ergodyne have led the way in developing this standard and as a result we can now provide Australian companies with workers at heights innovative solutions that meet the standard and which will directly result in less workplace fatalities, lost time injuries and medical treatment cases, says Houlihan.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks as Pryme announces the line-up of ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 compliant solutions available here in Australia.
