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- What is fall protection?
What is fall protection?
If you search for the following words "Fall protection meaning" or "What is fall protection?" there never seems to be a conclusive answer.
For many people, it is not clear what fall protection is, or what kind of fall protection they require.
Our definition of the word
It is the measures of protection that is put in place in order to prevent serious injury or death where there is a risk of a fall from height. It's not the fall that injures you, it’s the stop at the end and Fall Protection is used to reduce the amount of force released in a fall.
Work at height means:
Working at any height that is at or below ground level in which you can be injured from a fall.
Obtaining access to or egress from such place while at work, except by a staircase in a permanent workplace.
Falling from any height can result in serious injury or death and fall protection must be used when work is carried out at height.
Tasks such as roof repairs, gutter maintenance & façade access are obvious forms of working at height where the hazards are clear, however, other tasks such as maintaining an air conditioning unit or solar panels, maintenance of green roofs and lightning protection could also place the operatives in a position where they would be classed as working at height.
So what protection should we use?
Eurosafe have a range of solutions that can be put into place to ensure that you are safe when working at height.
Following the steps set out in the Hierarchy of Risk Control, the safest method is to eliminate the risk by removing the requirement for work at height completely. The use of Reach and Wash for window cleaning and Drones for roof inspection can eliminate the need to work at height.
Collective fall protection such as guardrails and barriers are the next safest solution for when regular work is being carried out on roof areas. The use of these products combined with a designated walkway can ensure that a safe area is created with the least amount of risk.
If the above measures cannot be achieved, systems that require the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) should be implemented.
Fall Restraint or Fall Arrest systems such as anchor points or cable systems can be installed to most structures and will provide the end user with a safe means of carrying out work at height.
These systems can be designed to provide protection for up to 10No’ users at any one time, and can be installed horizontally, inclined or vertically.
With any kind of fall arrest or restraint system, Personal Protective Equipment such as harnesses, lanyards, helmets, Transfasteners, or fall arrest blocks should always be worn when required. All users of the equipment should also be fully trained and a rescue plan should be in place prior to its use.
