Watching two men fall to their death from a suspended platform can leave an indelible impression. So it was with Rob Siegel after witnessing such an accident. Siegel, executive director at ENSA, an organization striving to improve safety at height, has since demonstrated an unstoppable curiosity and a commitment to innovate work-at-height safety in an effort bring workers home safely to their families every day.
Serving on the AWEA safety committee, Siegel has improved the confined-space standards specific to U.S. wind energy. Siegel, not satisfied that the windpower industry understood real-life and unique hazards in confined spaces, authored a white paper on the subject.
Windpower companies once focused on the idea that if hazards arise, an answer lies within the main confined space standard, OSHA’s 1910.147, which defines safety compliance. The standard allowed for interpretation, so Siegel worked to eliminate the ambiguity in his white paper. In the process, he changed the conversation.
The industry trusted what they read, and immediately implemented Siegel’s training protocols, skill evaluations, and learning methods. Workers then had the methods and resources to work more safely at-height.
Before entering the wind sector in 2008, Siegel worked as a fall protection design engineer and consultant. He also earned a degree in occupational health and safety. He has climbed Mount Rushmore, the Great Wall of China, and Big Ben in London.
Siegel has changed the way we think about work-at-height safety. He is an innovator, and his curiosity will continue to bring change and help the industry reach new heights in safety. WPE
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