Pet food manufacturing facilities, like other food processing plants, are complex workplaces which include many potentially hazardous areas. Falls are a frequent danger, and pet food manufacturing facility safety requires addressing and minimizing this risk. To protect employees, stay productive, and keep your facility OSHA-compliant and safe from fines, you need to understand the areas of greatest fall risk within your facility and what you can do to make them as safe as possible.
In this article, we will look at pet food manufacturing facility safety, identifying the areas of greatest concern where it comes to fall hazards and identifying OSHA-compliant solutions.
Roof Fall Prevention
Most pet food manufacturing facilities have low-slope rooftops, as defined by OSHA 1926.501(b)(10): a slope of less than or equal to 4 inches of vertical rise for every 12 inches horizontal length (4:12). Since there is little danger of the roof angle causing a fall, most falls on rooftops in the pet food manufacturing industry happen when workers step over the edges. These may be the normal perimeter edges of the building, or leading edges (unprotected edges and sides of a floor, roof, or other walking/working surface which changes location during construction or repairs).
Both edge types require passive safety protection, like rooftop safety rails. These safety rails must meet OSHA requirements for guardrail systems. The requirements give specifications for weight-bearing ability, thickness, and height. The guardrails must be strong enough to bear at least 200 pounds and be between 39 inches and 42 inches high. They must also be at least .25 inches in thickness, with a smooth surface. To protect employees and your rooftop itself, there are premium models of rooftop safety rails available which are easy to move and securely reposition without penetrating or damaging the roof.
Ladder Safety
Another large focus for maintaining pet food manufacturing facility safety deals with your building’s ladders. Whether used to access the rooftop, a mezzanine, or other elevated work area, ladders pose a risk to both the workers using them, as well as to those workers in areas above and below the ladder. OSHA regulations state that "fall protection must be provided whenever the length of climb on a fixed ladder equals or exceeds 24 feet." If such ladders were installed after November 2018, they require a "personal fall arrest system or a ladder safety system." Ladders installed prior to that date must be updated with such systems by 2036. Personal fall arrest systems include harnesses, lanyards, and lifelines. Other recommended ladder safety systems include ladder guards that restrict ladder access when not in use, and rooftop mount ladder safety rails for fixed roof access ladders.
Ladders can also access the roof via hatches, and these openings present fall risks of their own.
Keeping Roof Hatches Safe
The simplest safety measure you can take if your pet food manufacturing facility rooftop has rooftop access hatches is ensuring that these hatches are closed immediately after workers pass through them. But in the real world, that may not also occur. You can also prevent hatchway falls by installing specialized rails, such as fixed-position rooftop safety rails and grab bars. OSHA requires that the railings around a roof hatch be as strong as those around roof edges, and they should include a self-closing gate for passing through.
Skylight Protection
Skylights are another common feature on many pet food processing facility rooftops. OSHA regulations require you to consider skylight protection with the same degree of safety and seriousness as your roof hatches. Specialized cages and guards are available for protecting your employees from falling through skylights. Also, you should place portable safety rails around these openings whenever workers are performing skylight maintenance, installation, or repair. Skylight protection becomes even more difficult when the rooftop is obscured by debris or snow, so providing permanent passive fall protection around these hazards is definitely recommended.
Preventing Falls from Mezzanines and Loading Docks
Up to now we’ve mostly focused on rooftop fall risks, but there are other areas in a pet food manufacturing facility that require OSHA-compliant fall protection. Most of these utilize mezzanines to store supplies, materials, and equipment. While they can help to maximize use of space, these raised areas pose a danger of falls to workers. OSHA requires you to protect your mezzanine edges with sturdy guardrails and safety gates and standard toe boards to prevent small items and tools from rolling over the edge.
Loading docks present another area of concern in these facilities. These often busy workspaces are a serious fall hazard, and should be adequately protected with loading dock safety gates to ensure OSHA compliance and a safe environment.
Fall Safety and Stairways
Finally, the most frequently used means of getting from one level of a workplace to another is also the biggest area of fall risk. OSHA stairway regulations specify a wide range of spacing and structural requirements for stairways, as well as requiring handrails.
In addition to standard stairways, your facility may include alternating, ship, or spiral stairs. These specialized stairway types have variable safety requirements as detailed in OSHA section 1910.25 (d-f).
You must also keep all stair areas properly lit, clear of dirt and clutter, and as dry as possible. And where needed, a properly placed self-closing safety gate at the top or foot of the stairway will keep employees safe as they move from one floor to the next.
Trusted Fall Protection Partners
Fully addressing fall protection in your facility is not a one-time activity, and it’s not something you should try to handle entirely on your own. BlueWater is an experienced fall protection partner and a trusted leader in the field. Our consultants can help you get the right fall protection solutions to maintain pet food manufacturing facility safety and create an OSHA-compliant workplace. Talk to us today.