Working from height while overweight
I know no one likes to talk about weight. But at what point do you just say that someone cannot work from heights? I mean, first it is difficult if not impossible to find large enough harnesses, but then when you put together a rescue plan for someone? I'm not trying to be mean or crude (heck I'm overweight) but I want to have a firm argument when I tell supervisors I won't allow an employee to work where a harness is required.
Comments (10)
Osha has a weight limit established for fall protection. So does ansi.
I would refer to the manufacturers guidelines for size limits.
Do you do preemployment physicals or have physical attributes listed in your job descriptions? You may be able to lean on these when you raise the question of if they can be safely rescued and be able to participate in their own rescue.
We have some employees pushing 300+ lbs who utilize our fall protection when using orderpicker trucks and haven’t had any issues.
You'll get no arguments from us! Weight limits exist for a reason - good on you for standing your ground.
During my time in construction I have refused many for overhead work. They usually didn’t have an issue with it (the one being refused). Their company on the other hand was ticked.
Just to consider all aspects, Weight and physical conditioning are totally different factors. Are they physically fit to perform the task or are they overweight? According to the weight charts to my height I'm obese. I say I'm fluffy but, my physical capabilities do not preclude me from doing the physical tasks.
Have ya had a conversation with the employee? Start with the employee and offer some help if that is needed and or available with weight control. There are so many other things that this could effect. Stopping them from doing the work is a surface problem. But if you invest in the employee's health it could pay dividends 3 fold.
And it will more than likely keep ya out of HR's office for discrimination.