The release
of the new A10.32 Standard comes in the midst of an ongoing fall prevention
campaign by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that focuses on providing prevention information and training
materials on three major types of falls: from roofs, from ladders  and from scaffolds. ASSE recently announced
its support of this campaign.

An increased
focus on fall protection on construction sites has been caused by the rise in
injuries and fatalities due to on the job falls. In 2010, more than 10,000 construction workers were injured as a
result of falling while working from heights in the U.S. and another 225 were
killed.

A webinar conducted by ASSE this past December
entitled ‘ANSI/ASSE A10.32-2013 – Personal Fall
Protection Used in Construction & Demolition Operations’ gave attendees an
advance look at the key changes in the Standard.

The purpose of the revised A10.32 is to provide
minimum guidelines for fall protection equipment, to establish performance criteria
for this equipment in construction and demolition and to make recommendations
for use and inspection.

To further
protect the users of fall protection systems the Standard permits:

- Only full body harnesses shall be used for fall
arrest. The fall arrest attachment point of the body harness shall be at the
center of the user’s back near shoulder level.

- Maximum arresting force imposed on the user’s
body shall not exceed 1,800 pounds.

- All equipment used in a fall protection system
shall be compatible to limit force levels, maintain system strength and prevent
accidental disengagement.

- Equipment serviced by the manufacturer or their
authorized representative shall be capable of meeting all performance
requirements of this standard.

“Equally as important as the new equipment criteria
is the standard’s emphasis on the need for pre-planning, job hazard analysis
(JSA) and a written site specific safety plan,” explained Dan Paine, A10.32
Subgroup Chair, adding that the Standard also provides guidance for selecting
passive and active fall protection, as well as qualified professionals who are
able to select proper anchorages.

The A10.32 standard was first approved in 2004, and
was viewed as the replacement of the A10.14 standard released in 1991.

“The A10
Standard has been of tremendous value to the safety, health and environmental
professional,” said Richard King, A10 Standard Committee Chairman. “The revisions
will further enhance our ability to provide a safe workplace for those employed
on construction and demolition sites.”

For more
information on the ANSI/ASSE A10.32 Standard go to www.asse.org/publications, or to learn more about the
ASSE’s support of the OSHA/NIOSH Fall Protection Campaign visit www.asse.org/newsroom/fall-protection.php.

Founded in 1911, ASSE is the oldest
professional global safety society and is committed to protecting people,
property and the environment. Its more than 34,000 occupational safety, health
and environmental professional members lead, manage, supervise, research and
consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all
industries, government, labor, health care and education. For more information
please go to www.asse.org.

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Since the September 11^th, terrorist attacks Dwyer, a
Safety Officer for the city of Boca Raton, FL, has been spearheading a program
to ‘adopt’ fellow employees who are National Guardsmen or Reservists and have
been called up for active duty. Since then, she and the members of her Boca
Raton safety committee have sent greeting cards, care packages, and photos from
home to 14 of her colleagues, most of whom were deployed overseas.

“As safety professionals we need to support our
employees, even if they are not physically at home as they are still part of
our community,” she explained.

Dwyer encourages all safety professionals and their
employers to support employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

“Almost half of our country’s all volunteer military
are members of the Guard and Reserve,” she said. “These employees perform an
important role in the defense of our nation and are deserving of our support
while they are away from their regular jobs.”

The Patriot Award is presented by the Employer Support
of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense Agency that works to
develop and promote a culture in which all American employers support and value
the military service of their employees. More information can be found at
www.esgr.mil. ESGR gives the Patriot Award to citizens who support their
employees currently serving in the military and is intended specifically for
the recognition of individual supervisors or the employer organizations.
Nominations for the Patriot Award are submitted by reserve component (RC)
members, their spouses or immediate family members.

Dwyer was nominated by a colleague, Boca Raton Police Officer
Jeremy Codling, who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy Reserves, who is the
most recent employee to be ‘adopted’ through the program when he was re-called
to active service. Codling and his unit recently returned home safety to the
U.S. and will be given an official welcome home celebration by Dwyer and her
safety committee colleagues in the near future.

In addition, Dwyer also supported fellow members of
the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) profession when she and other
ASSE Gold Coast Chapter members adopted John Carter, CSP, CIH, during two
deployments with the U. S. Army Reserves – one to Afghanistan and one to Iraq.“I got a lot of genuine support from them while I was
gone,” said Carter, who now resides in the Pittsburgh, PA area. “They were
really good to me.”

An active ASSE member, Dwyer is a past president of
the Gold Coast Chapter, and a current delegate. She is also a member of ASSE’s
Public Relations Committee.

Founded in 1911, the Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE is the
oldest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people,
property and the environment. Its more than 34,000 occupational safety, health
and environmental professional members lead, manage, supervise, research and
consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all
industries, government, labor, health care and education. For more information
please go to www.asse.org.
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