July 9, 2007—Recognizing the need to offer more tools and resources for employers to protect workers from fall hazards, which are one of the top four causes of on-the-job fatalities, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently announced approval of the new Z359 Fall Arrest Code, which is a new series of American National Standard Institute (ANSI)/ASSE fall protection/arrest standards.
The standards include: ANSI/ASSE Z359.0-2007, Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest; ANSI/ASSE Z359.1-2007, Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components; ANSI/ASSE Z359.2-2007, Minimum Requirements for a Comprehensive Managed Fall Protection Program ANSI/ASSE Z359.3-2007, Safety Requirements for Positioning and Travel Restraint Systems; and ANSI/ASSE Z359.4-2007, Safety Requirements for Assisted-Rescue and Self-Rescue Systems, Subsystems and Components.
These standards offer employers tools and resources on how to prevent fall-related injuries and deaths. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2005 non-fatal injuries and illnesses involving falls in the private industry totaled 255,750 and fatal-work related injuries due to falls in the private industry amounted to 735 deaths.
ASSE serves as the secretariat for the Z359 Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) on fall protection and related systems. The Z359 family of standards will be available in both print and electronic format. For more information, visit ASSE’s Publications Web page.
