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Safety is at the core of the Genie culture, and we want it to be at the core of your company culture too. In support of OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction week, this week — May 8-12, we would like to encourage you to talk with your employees and customers about why safety on aerial jobsites is so important. And, it is our goal to help you raise awareness of fall hazards and help you educate others on working safely at height.

The OSHA National Safety Stand-Down occurs annually to raise awareness of best practices for working safely at height. One of the biggest challenges in the aerial industry is increasing awareness about why safety is so important, especially as the standards change. With the changes to the ANSI A92 (United States) and CSA B354 (Canada) standards, there is a need for education, especially in the aerial market, about the implications of the new standards, as well as how they will work with current industry regulations.

Changing standards in North America

One of our efforts at Genie in support of OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down has been to make our Upcoming Changes to ANSI A92 & CSA B354 Standards presentation available to your customers and key industry stakeholders to better understand the changing industry standards. This overview explains how the standards are changing and why. The changes affect how products are referenced in North America, as well as how subjects such as design, safe use and training are covered. The Genie^® presentation provides details on the new standards includes changes in design such as platform load weighing and, for owners and operators, requirements to perform jobsite safe use planning and risk assessments.

With the standards in North America changing so significantly, aerial equipment owners and operators can benefit from the opportunity to be more educated of what is changing and how it will affect them. Changes in the new standards include:

• Equipment Terminology
• Equipment Design Standards
• Safe Use and Planning
• Risk Assessment Planning
• Training (Operators, Supervisors & Occupants)
• Maintenance and Repair Personnel Training

Why are the standards changing?
The ANSI and CSA standards have, for almost four decades, provided best practices for safe, reliable access to work at height and have delivered a consistent benchmark for safe machine design in North America. Standards set a safety level for all participants in the market. Good standards also bring global markets closer together, driving commonality and stronger market competition.

ANSI and CSA both require periodic updates to all standards. The updating process incorporates the inclusion of international standards (ISO) which will more closely align products produced by North American aerial lift manufacturers, including Genie, with products offered in global markets like Europe, Australia and China. These updates may allow aerial equipment owners to more easily trade new and used equipment worldwide. It is important for the people working in the aerial access industry to understand for what will be different and start preparing now.

Resources to help you communicate the standards changes

This new Genie Upcoming Changes to ANSI A92 & CSA B354 Standards presentation shares the latest information on these changes, as well as how new Genie aerial equipment will follow and apply them. We also offer high-level information regarding the ANSI A92 and CSA B354 changes through a video presentation, which can be accessed at https://terex.wistia.com/medias/wkvcya7ko8#.

According to OSHA, fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for 350 of the 937 construction fatalities recorded in 2015 (BLS data). The National Fall Prevention Stand-Down effort raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries. OSHA is encouraging everyone to share Stand-Down stories on social media with the hashtag: #StandDown4Safety. For more information on OSHA’s Safety Stand-Down efforts, visit https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/.