Introduction
If you are a civil engineer or a project contractor, you must be aware of the importance of fall protection on a job site. There are hundreds of accidents that occurred in the past just because workers fell from the height they were working on. For the high reputation of your organization, it is important to know about fall protection options.
If you are a civil engineer or a project contractor, you must be aware of the importance of fall protection on a job site. There are hundreds of accidents that occurred in the past just because workers fell from the height they were working on. For the high reputation of your organization, it is important to know about fall protection options.
Not having the proper fall protection at your site will make your site less safe for workers. To deal with such an issue, you must know about the three most common fall protection options. If you don’t know what those options are, don’t worry! This blog has everything for you.
Note that these fall protection options are defined by OSHA CFR Part 1926.502.
Guardrail Systems
Guardrail systems are fixed or stationary protection systems to protect people that may fall from height. It is interesting to note that guardrail systems are mostly preferred at work sites. The reason behind this fact is that a worker does not need to get any particular training for it. Anyone can take advantage of guardrail systems. They prevent falls on height, balconies, roofs, etc.
Guardrails are mostly used when a worker is exposed to an unprotected edge. You have to make sure that the guardrails are installed at the edge before the work gets started. Guardrail systems mostly come in various materials and forms. It can be a roof guardrail system, base guardrail system, or parapet guardrail system. To help you make a better decision about guardrails, there are benefits and requirements listed below:
Benefits
- Guardrails are easy to install as for the installation of guardrails you don’t need to penetrate floors and rooftops.
- Guard rails save both time and money in the installation process.
- Guardrail systems are portable they can easily be disassembled and then assembled to place in different areas.
- APAC offers guardrail systems with amazing capability with different ranges of concrete slab thickness. You can easily choose the one that matches your requirements.
- It can also be customized for special purposes e.g high temperatures with dry climates or for aesthetic look’s
Requirements
- Make sure the structure is capable of supporting the grabber. It should be made sure that the decking of the slab has got the capacity to support the installer and the system.
- You have to ensure that there exist no hazards in your workplace.
- You have to space and measure the location of each slab grabber. It should be arranged in a way that each one is not more than 8 feet. It should not be more than 12 inches from any inside or outside corner.
- If you want to open the post clamp a little larger than your slab decking thickness, you should rotate the handle in a counter-clockwise direction.
- Maintain a perpendicular position of the post to the slab surface.
- You have to adjust the top handle by tightening it in a clockwise motion.
- Check the measurements given by the manufacturer for the top rail and mid rail post adjustment.
SAFETY NET
Safety net systems are used as a barrier to prevent falling from a height. This is another most commonly used option at work sites for fall protection. In other words, you can also say that it is a passive way to protect from falling. It is due to the reason that safety nets help to catch a worker safely if he falls from a height. In other words, it reduces the seriousness of the injury.
However, it is also important to note that safety nets cannot prevent a person’s falling. It can only prevent injuries. For a safe worksite, it is important to install guardrails and safety nets combined at the worksite. These safety nets are mostly used when there is no place to install barriers and guardrails at the worksite. You can combine both for a safer practice.
Benefits
- Minimizing fall incident effects and reducing potential falls.
- Passive safety
- Broad activity can be carried out without restrictions
- Allows greater mobility.
- Reduction of crane costs and time.
- Can be used with normal scaffolding.
Requirements
- It should be placed very close to the location where workers are working.
- It should be tested for drop situations before it is used.
- The potential fall area should be unobstructed when safety nets are utilized on bridges.
- The inspection should be done according to recent certifications.
- Make sure that the safety net is not defective.
Personal Fall Protection
Personal fall protection is also known as the personal fall arrest system. There doesn’t lie any rocket science in installing personal fall protection. You just need to wear it for your safety. In case you fall from a height mistakenly, this system will arrest you for falling. Note that these systems are mostly used combined with safety nets or guardrails at your worksite.
Personal fall protection systems are composed of connectors and ropes and layers. These are connected in such a way that you can easily get your body supported. They are built with shock-absorbing facilities and the set length is 6 feet maximum. In case you fall from a height while wearing personal fall protection, it is more like you will be hanging in the air without getting injured.
Benefits
- Personal fall protection systems allow an unrestricted movement of workers wearing them. This is considered the main advantage of this system.
- You can rely on it and work more effectively rather than installing a complex fall protection system.
- It prevents workers to reach the area where they can get injured.
- Personal fall protection systems help you to do your job more efficiently while ensuring safety from obstacles and risks.
Requirements
- You should inspect them before using them. You should check in terms of deterioration, mildew, and damage.
- Harnesses, lanyards, belts, and ropes must be compatible with the connectors used in the system.
- Harnesses, lanyards, belts, and ropes must be protected from damage, melting, abrasion, and cutting.
- There should be a prompt rescue for workers in the event of a fall.
- It should be worn in such a way that body is fully supported.
Conclusion
All the above-mentioned benefits and requirements of different fall protection systems may help you decide better. You can choose based on your job site and other requirements. If you want a customizable and high-quality fall protection system, contact us now.
