Checking In on Tying Off

Whether in the office or on the jobsite, STO Building Group employees start every meeting with a “safety moment.” Sharing these short stories or lessons helps remind our staff and partners about the importance of 360-degree awareness and our safety culture— everybody, everywhere, every day. The following account is a recent example from a Pavarini North East superintendent, illustrating how carefully inspecting harnesses and abiding by specific safety regulations are essential to avoiding accidents.

On a recent project, we worked on a new two-story bank with the top of the roof at 30ft above ground. On the second day of erecting steel, I noticed the ironworker connecting the roof steel was straddling the beam with both feet on the bottom flange and walking to the next beam. As he was bolting the connections, he was wearing a harness that wasn’t tied off. I stopped the project to review safety with the subcontractor. The steel subcontractor did have a 60ft boom lift on-site, which the other ironworker used to connect the beams. During our discussion, the foreman noted that OSHA 29CFR 1926.760 Subpart R allows connections up to 30ft in a controlled decking zone. I reminded him that PCC zero tolerance is anyone above six feet must tie off. He asked me to confirm with my safety department, and he agreed that his workers would use a “beamer” and tie off while I followed up.

I contacted my safety officer, who explained that connectors must have site-specific training for each project, not just connector training. Thankfully, the ironworkers were tied off for the remainder of the project.