Another component of a site-specific Tilt-Up safety plan is a description of controlled access zones. For example, if a crew will be lifting a 30-foot-tall panel, how far away should everyone stand, not including the lifting crew? Most industry standards apply a safe distance equal to the height of the wall plus a buffer distance. What will your company determine as your effective standard? Many Tilt-Up experts suggest a controlled access zone of one and half times the panel height.

Next, the Tilt-Up safety plan should include a description of panel erection activities and procedures. These actions must follow design specifications without any modification. Remember, don't:

• substitute or interchange,
• use expansion anchors,
• use worn equipment,
• ride on panels, or
• alter rigging or strongbacks.

In addition to panel erection activities and procedures, a Tilt-Up safety plan must address fall protection. Although Tilt-Up has an advantage with regard to fall protection since the method eliminates much of the work performed off of scaffolding and at higher heights as common with under methods, falling is the second most common cause of work-related deaths on all construction sites. The numerous mandates for fall protection may be confusing to the Tilt-Up worker. For example, fall protection is mandated at 6 feet. For scaffold builders, fall protection is mandated at 10 feet. Steel workers must wear fall protection when working at or above 15 feet, but not tied on until upwards of 29 feet. Instead of workers trying to figure out each day if they are connectors or scaffold workers, make a rule that applies to all workers — such as, "Anyone working at 6 feet or higher must wear fall protection." For the Tilt-Up industry, 100 percent tie-off is suggested.

Not only should workers be protected from falls but also from falling objects. When standing a panel, debris such as mud and rocks can fall off the panel. Hard hats and controlled access zones are two of the best ways of protecting employees from such falling objects.

Another important aspect of a Tilt-Up safety plan that shouldn’t be overlooked is certification for training workers who perform panel erection. Do you have specific people who only work on Tilt-Up projects, do you use a different crew each time, or do you subcontract your Tilt-Up work? How do you identify that all of these workers are trained? Many companies use different-colored vests or hard-hat stickers to indicate an employee's training level.