Understanding and Respecting the OSHA Fall Zone

The majority of industries worldwide experience a load being lifted somewhere along the supply/production lines. To be specific, a lifted load is commonly classified as a load that is being lifted, manipulated, lowered, or carried in a way that could potentially pose a risk to workers. As of 2018, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that over 50,000 lifted load injuries are documented annually. 

The Fall Zone

According to OSHA, a fall zone is defined as “the area including, but not limited to, the area directly beneath the load.” Current regulations prohibit workers from standing in the area under any kind of raised load, other than an employee that is tasked with hooking, unhooking, or guiding. 

The Importance of Avoiding the Fall Zone

Given the nature of dealing with overhead loads, there are many different factors to take into consideration when determining what is safe and what isn’t. The biggest concern related to overhead loads is usually judging what a safe distance is to maintain from the load. 

The fall zone’s size is directly correlated to the complexity of the load itself. When evaluating the fall zone, factors such as material, weight, shape, and height need to be considered. Higher load weight and height usually result in the fall zone being larger. The shape of the load is important to take into account because a fall zone will not always be a perfect square or circle. A complex shape of the load will result in the fall zone matching the complexity of the load’s shape. 

Safety Tips for Consideration:

• Maintain a minimum of a ten-foot radius from where the load could fall. Should the load be higher, increase the radius. 

• Refrain from guiding loads over workers or commonly used walkways. 

• Understand the path that the load will follow if it moves. 

• Conduct a sufficient amount of training with any worker who is directly involved in the handling of a load or anyone who may come in indirect contact with it. 

• Maintain a level of safety through sufficient communication and warnings of potential hazards. 

• Remember that outside work can be greatly influenced by weather factors like wind and rain. 

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Production Quality in the Automotive Industry

Taking on the task of quality assurance on an assembly line is a tough, yet vital position in ensuring customer satisfaction with your company’s product. The complexity of the automotive industry only adds to the complexity of the quality assurance process. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines quality as “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements where a requirement is a need or expectation.” 

Since vehicles are typically considered to be big-ticket purchases, consumers expect a high level of quality for what they are paying for. An automotive brand will struggle to be successful with a spotty track record for consistency and quality in its vehicles. The automotive industry can divide the measure of their quality into three categories. 

First is the quality of the product. The quality of the product is a direct measure of how well the vehicle will fulfill its expected functions including various features, fuel economy, and engine efficiency. 

The second is the quality of production. The quality of production is a measure of how consistently the factory will produce vehicles that meet or surpass the minimal quality rating. 

Thirdly, the quality of ownership refers to the level of satisfaction that a customer feels during their ownership of the vehicle. Included in this title is everything from the customer experience when buying the vehicle to the enjoyment that they experience after the purchase. 

For the specifications and in-depth explanations on the current automotive production regulations, the International Standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems is a reliable source.

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OSHA and the Issue of Powered Industrial Trucks

Many industries around the globe rely heavily on the capabilities of powered industrial trucks. These trucks often referred to as forklifts, are used for the vast majority of the heavy lifting in warehouses, factories, and industrial workplaces. 

Given the nature of these pieces of heavy machinery, there is a natural risk of workplace injury. In fact, the most common citation for hazards in the workplace from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is directly related to powered industrial trucks. Common accidents with forklifts in an industrial workplace are:

• Lift trucks being accidentally driven off loading docks

• Employees or pedestrians getting struck by a lift truck

• Lift trucks falling between an unsecured trailer and a dock

• People falling off of an elevated pallet

A supply chain is a moving puzzle that consists of air, land, and sea travel; however, powered industrial trucks are often found at the end of each step in the supply chain in order to load and unload cargo. All powered industrial equipment poses similar safety hazards, and forklifts are no exception. Accidents are primarily collisions, falling loads, and fire/explosion hazards. 

It isn’t a secret that OSHA has instilled a strict list of rules and regulations to be followed at every workplace. These regulations are responsible for a drastic decline in workplace incidents; however, accidents are always bound to happen. It is a collective responsibility of an employer and the employees in ensuring that the regulations are followed to ensure that the highest level of safety is being met in the workplace.

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