M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal — Owners, Developers & Managers — May 2023 — 15A
www.marej.com
O wners , D evelopers & M anagers
E Partnership ensures OSHA-compliant load testing/certification for over 190 buildings ECS Mid-Atlantic and Clean & Polish Building Solutions join forces for safe building façade access CS Mid-Atlantic, an engineering firm with structural engineers
contractors working on fa- çades. When access is by rope descent, OSHA places the responsibility of providing anchorages on the building owner (OSHA 1910.27(b)(1) (i)). Anchors must be iden- tified, tested, certified and maintained by the building owner, including an annual visual inspection of anchor- age and certification at least every 10 years. Many anchor- age systems designed and installed by manufacturers require their anchors to be load tested every five years.
OSHA provides guidance as to the required anchor- age strength but defers to industry standards for the layout of roof anchors. OSHA also provides options allow- ing fall-protection systems that are “designed, installed and used under the supervi- sion of a qualified person.” Structural engineers, such as those at ECS, are con- sidered a qualified person. The takeaway is that OSHA subtly acknowledges that each building is different and there is no one-size-fits-all
system. When a fall-pro- tection system is carefully considered and designed by a professional, qualified per - son it has met the standard OSHA looks for. While C&P is the mouth- piece for safety and provides in-house training for their staff and clients, ECS pro- vides engineering expertise which elevates the position of a “qualified” person. To- day, ECS uses engineering staff to perform the annual inspections required by in- dustry standards and uses
licensed staff to provide de- sign and certification services for anchors. Additionally, ECS generates contractor- use plans on behalf of build- ing owners. A contractor-use plan provides the limitations of the fall-protection anchor system, locates acceptable tie-off anchor locations and the required safety measures needed to use them and helps the building owner to commu- nicate anchor restrictions to contractors using the anchors, including limitations set forth by industry standards. MAREJ
and specialty testing capa- bilities, and Clean & Polish Building Solutions (C&P), a building-exterior restora- tion specialist and one of the largest window-cleaning companies in the mid-At- lantic region, have teamed up to provide safe access to building façades using rope descent systems in Wash- ington, DC, and the mid- Atlantic region. Since 2015, nearly 200 buildings have completed OSHA-required load testing/certification from this partnership. In ad- dition, more than 1,200 an- nual visual inspections have been completed per OSHA requirements and many older buildings retrofitted with new anchorage. C&P promoted anchor- safety systems before the release of early façade-access safety standards, such as the International Window Clean- ers Association (IWCA) ANSI I-14 safety standard in 2001. ECS Mid-Atlantic met C&P more than a decade ago on a large portfolio project certify - ing anchorages on buildings nationwide for a large real estate owner. As registered professional engineers, ECS provides anchor certifica- tions, design services and annual inspections. ECS and C&P realized their interests in safe access aligned and partnered to bring additional safe oversight and profes- sional expertise to building owners with or without roof- anchor systems. In 2017, OSHA released the walking-working surfac- es and personal fall-protec- tion systems which brought roof-anchor safety to the forefront for many building professionals and owners. C&P and ECS were there to provide now-required testing and support. The OSHA requirements for fall protection are wide ranging and encompass any falls more than 4 feet in height as well as fall re- straints, anchor systems, guardrails, safety nets and/ or work positioning. While fall prevention is the safest option, utilizing roof anchors as part of a fall-protection system is often the only or most cost-effective option for
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