Being proactive is almost always better than being reactive, but unfortunately, this advice is not always followed with tethered tools programs. Too often, companies will not even seek out options for securing tools until after a drop incident has caused serious damage to the tool, the worksite, an employee or even an innocent bystander.
Establishing a reliable tethered tool program requires understanding what’s at stake, investing in the proper equipment and enacting thorough protective measures. Once properly set up, a tethered tools system should be like auto insurance—but better.
While insurance steps in after the fact to lessen the financial burden of a mistake that has been made, a tethered tool program stops the mistake from happening in the first place. Understanding both the stakes and the building blocks of an effective tethered tool program can help companies successfully protect their employees and business.
Damage Control
Many businesses I’ve met with have indicated hesitancy for installing a tethered tools program because they fear it would show a lack of faith in their workers. However, while someone who has worked at height for decades without a drop is certainly worthy of trust, there are factors outside of their control that can cause a tool to drop. For example, outdoor applications can see a sudden change in the weather, such as high winds or rain. And, whatever the work environment, tools can also shift out of pockets or slip off whatever they’re gripping and cause an unwelcome surprise.
Regardless of the external factors that can act on a tool, having a backup to keep it from falling is critical. Someone can go years without dropping a tool, but all it takes is one incident to understand just how deadly the consequences can be. No amount of post-incident training can bring back a human life.
The Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme (DROPS) has calculated the damage a dropped object will inflict based on the weight of the item and height of the drop. Tools as light as 1 pound can cause fatal damage when dropped from 90 feet. That’s a much lighter weight and lower height than some of the high rises, windmills and other applications where tools will be out and in use.
At the other end of the spectrum, tools over 20 pounds can result in fatality when dropped from as low as 6 feet, according to the DROPS imperial calculator. Even with safety measures in place for workers on the ground, a hard hat simply cannot protect workers beyond a certain height and weight.
People aren’t the only ones who can be impacted by a dropped tool. Damaged equipment from a tool can be a financial nightmare for companies. I was once called to assist at a nuclear power plant after one of the workers dropped a tool into the reactor. This was a multibillion-dollar piece of equipment; fixing it was not cheap. If they had made the upfront investment in a tethered tools program, they would have saved a considerable amount of time and money, not to mention avoided safety concerns altogether.
Tool Design Considerations
Given the stakes when tools are used at heights, the security measures need to be meticulously designed and tested. Occasionally, facility managers will try to circumvent the cost of tethered tools programs by engineering their own solutions with materials they already have. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with these options.
1. Flimsiness
Key rings are a common choice for securing smaller tools, but those are designed to hold keys. They may also be designed for organizational purposes, but they are not intended to catch dropped items of any weight. Tools heavier than a key possess a higher force; they can stretch and ultimately break a standard key ring after just a few drops.
Specialized key rings are available for this exact purpose. Comprised of a stronger alloy steel, these specialized rings have been drop tested to ensure safety at different load sizes. This solution offers the same convenience as a key ring for smaller tools but offers additional safety reassurances.
2. Adherence and Durability
Similarly, many people have used tape to wrap around larger tools and secure them. Not only is this process difficult to standardize, it also has an expiration date. Tape dries out after a while. If a tool has not been rewrapped for a prolonged period, the adhesive will likely be completely ineffective in the event of a drop.
Specialty fabric straps designed for specific tool weights are consistent, reliable options for catching a dropped tool when typical attachment points utilizing holes in the tool aren’t an option.
3. Task Interference
Another important feature of a specially designed safety measure is that it doesn’t interfere with workers’ ability to use the tools or perform their tasks. Often, homemade solutions are awkward and can interfere with operation, especially on screwdrivers or other tools that require spinning.
Engineering a solution to the tool, such as spring coils to attach a tether to wrenches or spinning tabs to screwdrivers, allows the tools to be used with fewer adjustments, making them more efficient and safer to use. When the safety measures don’t get in workers’ way, they are also much more likely to use the tethered tools instead of getting frustrated and detaching them.
The Importance of Thoroughness
Just because a tool is tied to something does not mean that it’s safe to use. For starters, the tool needs to be tied to the right item.
Smaller tools can be attached to workers, but once the tool reaches a certain weight, doing so can be dangerous. A falling sledgehammer, for example, rapidly picks up speed and will exert tremendous force on whatever it is tethered to when the strap goes taut. Attaching those tools to metals bars on the lift box ensures that impact is felt by an inanimate object, not a human being.
The location of the attachment point is just as important as the strength of its material. Tool use is significantly more common than tool drops, and the person maneuvering and using the tool needs to be able to do so safely. This requires the tethering material to be positioned in a way that will not interfere with operation, knock into anything else or clutter the workstation and cause a potential drop. When an engineered tethering system is installed, the guesswork of how or where to safely tether is eliminated.
Proper safety measures also require single-use solutions for heavier tools. After a large item is dropped, the strap or chain it is attached to will have experienced significant strain from catching it. Like a car windshield, these items are designed to absorb the force of the incident, and even if they crack, they will not break.
However, this also means that damage will likely reduce the tether’s ability to save future tools from reaching the ground. Replacing them after a drop is the only way to guarantee safety. Some straps will assist operators with an extra stitch designed to rip when the tether catches a tool of the labeled weight. The ripped stitch serves as a clear visual reminder to replace the strap.
Escalating Urgency
Businesses that have not implemented a tethered tools program put their employees and equipment at risk.
Far too many businesses will only take action after a dropped tool injures someone or damages equipment in a way that significantly impacts the operation. Others will wait to act until the industry makes the decision for them. Unions and insurance companies are increasingly requiring tethered tools solutions for businesses to qualify for their services. Unless businesses can operate without employees or insurance, they will likely need to adopt the program to maintain operations.
Regardless of why a tethered tools program is developed, the outcome is monumental, though sometimes difficult to demonstrate. Most of the impact of this added safety will not be noticed, as the dangerous consequences of dropping an unsecured tool will be eliminated. However, that is not to say that there will be no perceptible difference in the business at all.
Though you can’t put a price on someone’s life, OSHA has put a price on the results of effective safety protocol. The administration estimates that every $1 spent on safety prevention yields a $4-$6 return on investment as a result of reduced workers’ compensation, lost-time costs and employee turnover rate.
Workers notice the investment, or lack thereof, that companies make in their safety. People are happier working for companies that are protecting their best interest—and stopping a tool from falling on their head is definitely in their best interest. Put that way, investing in a $50 strap to tether a tool is a priceless way for companies to demonstrate their commitment to workers.