Fall Protection

Washington University School of Medicine is comprised of nearly 5 million square feet of building space with several large buildings on campus.  Maintenance staff and service workers access the rooftops of campus facilities often – and preventing hazardous conditions to protect their safety is of the utmost importance.

Oates Associates conducted a fall protection assessment for the rooftop and roof access points for ten priority buildings, as identified by the University.  The assessment consisted of two components – information from users to determine how their work coincides with potential risks and information gathered from the field to identify and document potential hazards.

The assessment began by creating a questionnaire that was distributed to maintenance staff responsible for the oversight of each facility.  The staff’s responses identified how often they access the roof, the type of work they perform and the equipment they use, and hazards they encounter.  A field investigation was conducted by our Qualified Fall Protection personnel to identify and document potential hazards on the rooftops, around equipment and at each roof access point.

Oates prepared a report with an itemized list of hazards, recommended repairs, and cost estimates.  The report provides a clear picture of the hazards and assists in prioritizing risks and improvements to provide a safer environment.