ANSI/ISEA 121

Dropped object prevention solutions

ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 is a standard that consists of design, testing, performance and labeling requirements for tool tethering systems and containers used to transport and secure tools and equipment at heights.

History
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) adopted 121, which was developed by the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), a group that represents manufacturers of safety equipment.
This standard was prepared by members of ISEA’s Dropped Objects working group with the following companies as members at the time of the approval of the standard: 3M Company, Ergodyne,
Guardian Fall Protection, Hammerhead Industries, Ty-Flot and West Coast Corporation.
Voluntary consensus standards for safety products are the formalization of requirements for equipment, giving manufacturers’ guidelines for designing and testing product. These often become a way for end users to set a best practice on the job for what safety products to use.

Definitions
A dropped object can be:
• An object that falls from a height by its own weight and gravity, or
• An object that falls from a height due to contact with an energy source.
• According to Dropped Object Prevention Scheme (DROPS), an object that weighs less than three pounds if dropped from a height of 30 feet can be fatal.


DROPS classifies the consequences of a dropped object in the following manner:
• Light: A First Aid Case. No injury, or the injury is limited. First aid may be the only treatment needed.
• Minor: A Recordable Incident. A work-related injury that does not involve death, day(s) away from work, restricted work or job transfer, and where the employee receives medical treatment beyond first aid.
• Major: A Lost Time Incident (LTI). This is a nonfatal traumatic injury that causes any loss of time from work beyond the day or shift it occurred. A major incident is also referred to as Day Away From Work Case (DAFWC).
• Fatality: Death resulting from an injury or trauma.

Requirements
The requirements of this standard will create formal distinction of a proper tethering system compared to duct tape and string and other inferior solutions. ANSI/ISEA 121 is to dropped object prevention equipment what ANSI Z359 is to fall protection equipment.
• This standard DOES NOT specify proper use of this equipment for workers or specify what needs to be tethered and when it needs to be tethered.
• Proper use of the equipment is specified by the manufacturer.
• When a worker needs to tether and what they need to tether is specified by a company or a regulatory body.
• OSHA does require employers to address falling/dropped objects hazards on the job. OSHA mentions this both in General Industry (1910.23; 1910.28) and Construction (1926.451; 1926.501; 1926.759) standards. This establishes that OSHA does require mitigation of falling/dropped objects risk.
• There is no argument that preventing dropped objects all together is a better practice than hard hats, canopies and ground-based safety zones. The latter can minimize damage and injury of a struck by falling object, but they do not prevent the items from falling in the first place.
• ANSI/ISEA 121 formalizes and codifies the above to two points, creating the variables of an equation for OSHA to cite under the General Duty Clause. The equipment (attachments, tethering, containers) in 121 are the solutions to the equation.