Accidents during steel erection continue to cause injuries and fatalities at construction sites. Based on a review of compliance problems and public comments, OSHA determined that the old steel erection rule, which has been in place with little change for 30 years, needed a complete revision to provide greater protection and eliminate ambiguity and confusion. OSHA believed that reorganizing the standard's requirements into a more logical sequence would help employers to understand better how to protect employees from the hazards associated with steel erection and will thus reduce the incidence of injuries and fatalities in this workforce.
The final rule sets performance-oriented criteria, where possible, to protect employees from steel erection related hazards such as working under loads; hoisting, landing and placing decking; column stability; double connections; hoisting, landing and placing steel joists; and falls to lower levels.
To aid this effort, the final rule contains requirements for hoisting and rigging, structural steel assembly, beam and column connections, joist erection, systems–engineered metal building erection, fall protection and training.
Key provisions of the revised steel erection standard
Examples of structures where steel erection may occur include but are not limited to the following: Single and multi-story buildings; systems-engineered metal buildings; lift slab/tilt-up structures; energy exploration structures; energy production, transfer and storage structures and facilities; auditoriums; malls; amphitheaters; stadiums; power plants; mills; chemical process structures; bridges; trestles; overpasses; underpasses; viaducts; aqueducts; aerospace facilities and structures; radar and communication structures; light towers; signage; billboards; scoreboards; conveyor systems; conveyor supports and related framing; stairways; stair towers; fire escapes; draft curtains; fire containment structures; monorails; aerial ways; catwalks; curtain walls; window walls; store fronts; elevator fronts; entrances; skylights; metal roofs; industrial structures; hi-bay structures; rail, marine and other transportation structures; sound barriers; water process and water containment structures; air and cable supported structures; space frames; geodesic domes; canopies; racks and rack support structures and frames; platforms; walkways; balconies; atriums; penthouses; car dumpers; stackers/reclaimers; cranes and craneways; bins; hoppers; ovens; furnaces; stacks; amusement park structures and rides; and artistic and monumental structures.
Steel Erection Activities
Steel erection activities include: hoisting, laying out, placing, connecting, welding, burning, guying, bracing, bolting, plumbing and rigging structural steel, steel joists and metal buildings; installing metal decking, curtain walls, window walls, siding systems, miscellaneous metals, ornamental iron and similar materials; and moving point–to–point while performing these activities.
Site Layout and Construction Sequence
· Requires certification of proper curing of concrete in footings, piers, etc. for steel columns.
· Requires controlling contractor to provide erector with a safe site layout including preplanning routes for hoisting loads.
· Preplanning of overhead hoisting operations.
Site-Specific Erection Plan
· Requires preplanning of key erection elements, including coordination with controlling contractor before erection begins, in certain circumstances.
Hoisting and Rigging
· Provides additional crane safety for steel erection.
· Minimizes employee exposure to overhead loads through preplanning and work practice requirements.
· Prescribes proper procedure for multiple lifts (Christmas-treeing).
Structural Steel Assembly
· Provides safer walking/working surfaces by eliminating tripping hazards and minimizes slips through new slip resistance requirements.
· Provides specific work practices regarding safely landing deck bundles and promoting the prompt protection from fall hazards in interior openings.
Column Anchorage
· Requires 4 anchor bolts per column along with other column stability requirements.
· Requires procedures for adequacy of anchor bolts that have been modified in the field.
Beams and Columns
· Eliminates extremely dangerous collapse hazards associated with making double connections at columns.
· During the final placing of solid web structural members, the load must not be released from the hoisting line until the members are secured with at least two bolts per connection.
Open Web Steel Joists
· Requirements minimizing collapse of lightweight steel joists by addressing need for erection bridging and method of attachment.
· Requirements for bridging terminus anchors with illustrations and drawings in a nonmandatory appendix.
· New requirements to minimize collapse in placing loads on steel joists.
· Hoisting cables must not be released until the seat at each end of the steel joist is field–bolted.
Systems-Engineered Metal Buildings
· Requirements to minimize collapse in the erection of these specialized structures which account for a major portion of steel erection in this country.
· Rigid frames shall have 50 percent of their bolts or the number of bolts specified by the manufacturer (whichever is greater) installed and tightened on both sides of the web adjacent to each flange before the hoisting equipment is released.
Falling Object Protection
· Performance provisions that address hazards of falling objects in steel erection.
Fall Protection
· Controlled decking zone (CDZ) provisions to prevent decking fatalities.
· Deckers in a CDZ and connectors must be protected at heights greater than two stories or 30 feet. Connectors between 15 and 30 feet must wear fall arrest or restraint equipment and be able to be tied off or be provided another means of fall protection.
· Requires fall protection for all others engaged in steel erection at heights greater than 15 feet.
Training
Requires qualified person to train exposed workers in fall protection.
Requires qualified person to train exposed workers engaged in special, high risk activities including those involved in multiple–lift rigging procedures, connector procedures, and those working in controlled decking zones.
OSHA estimates that, of the 35 annual steel erection fatalities, 8 fatalities will be averted by full compliance with the existing standard and that an additional 22 fatalities will be averted by compliance with the final standard. Additionally, of the 2,279 lost-workday steel erection injuries occurring annually, OSHA estimates that 1,142 injuries will be averted by full compliance with the existing and final standards (303 injuries will be averted by full compliance with the existing standard and 838 injuries will be averted by full compliance with the final standard; figures do not add to the total due to rounding.
This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com
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