Dropped Objects Standard Comments Due By March 26
"This initiative is a direct effort to fill the void in guidance on dropped object incidents, which have continued to rise in recent years," Boake Paugh, president of West Coast Corporation and a member of ISEA's Dropped Object Prevention Group.
The International Safety Equipment Association is accepting comments until March 26 on its proposed new standard concerning dropped object prevention solutions. The ISEA 121 standard would establish minimum design, performance, and labeling requirements for solutions that reduce dropped objects incidents in industrial and occupational settings, Cristine Fargo, ISEA's director of member and technical services, noted earlier this month in announcing the public comment period is open.
She described the standard as "an industry first" that will help employers and workers avoid injuries from dropped objects such as hand tools, instruments, small parts, and structural components. "The implications from struck-by injuries can range from inconvenience or loss of productivity to life-altering injury or death. This is especially important in oil and gas, construction, energy and telecommunications infrastructure, shipping operations and aviation industries, where elevated work areas are common," she explained.
"This initiative is a direct effort to fill the void in guidance on dropped object incidents, which have continued to rise in recent years," Boake Paugh, president of West Coast Corporation and a member of ISEA's Dropped Object Prevention Group, said in Fargo's article. "ISEA's members remain committed to making tomorrow safer than today and see this standard as a key element of any working-at-height safety program."