As safety professionals, we must remember these magic numbers and remind employees to use them to save lives.

As a safety professional, you might ask yourself: "Is the standard for fall protection 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet, 10 feet, 15 feet, or 30 feet? Why is there such a big difference in the impact on the human body?" The National Safety Council reported that 146 workers were killed in a fall at the same level in 2019. The concept of horizontal and vertical standards in occupational safety and health is driven by common sense of fall protection. Since no employee is more likely to survive a fall than other employees, these standards are essential to ensure everyone's safety. So why do we have these numbers?

The numbers 4, 5, and 6 represent fall protection standards for the General, Maritime, and Construction (GMC) industries, respectively. When teaching fall protection, I like to use mathematics to help students remember these standards. We start with the three most important numbers representing the general, maritime and construction industries: 4-5-6. After these three numbers are multiplied and added, it can greatly help remember the safety heights that people may adopt in different workplace safety situations. These common heights used in the security industry help determine how far a person may fall before being seriously injured or even killed.

scaffold. According to OSHA's scaffolding standard 1926.451, employees who work on scaffolding over 10 feet must be provided with fall protection. You can remember this standard height by adding the magic numbers 4 and 6: 4 + 6 = 10 feet. Walking/working surface. Under 1910.28 or Fall Protection and Falling Object Protection Responsibilities, employers must provide fall protection for workers who will engage in activities on unprotected edge walking/work surfaces at 15 feet or higher. To remember this standard number, you can use all three magic numbers: 4 + 5 + 6 = 15 feet.

This article was originally published in the November/December 2021 Occupational Health and Safety Journal.

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