Fall Protection PPE – Inspection, Maintenance & Care Are you familiar with the phrase, “if you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” When it comes to PPE that is designed to stop your fall to a lower level, do-overs don’t apply. Roles & Responsibilities as it Relates to Fall Protection PPE •The Qualified Person is designated by the employer to determine the overall design of your fall protection system and its components. •The Competent Person is responsible for the day-to-day monitoring of fall hazards and activities; this person has the important role of ensuring that workers are using and caring for their fall protection PPE properly. •The Authorized Person is the employee who will be using the equipment, who is responsible for inspecting the equipment for damage or deterioration before each use, as well as properly storing and caring for the equipment. Training – Always at the Core, Never an Option Employers have a duty to provide training by a person qualified in the proper selection, inspection, use, storage and maintenance of fall protection PPE. Workers have the duty of ensuring they have received proper training before being asked to use fall protection equipment. At a minimum, training is to be provided: • Before employees are assigned duties where fall protection equipment is required. •Whenever there is a change to any part of a worker’s fall protection equipment, system or related job duties. •Whenever an employee’s knowledge or proper use of the equipment is in question (just one of the reasons why the role of competent person is so important). WHY DOES IT MATTER? Workers need to know what to look for. Fall protection training must include how to identify if equipment has been subjected to a fall, how to inspect for equipment defects, what to do if defects are found, and who to see about replacement equipment. Workers should be given special recognition when they have identified and communicated issues with their PPE. SAFETY
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