Effective fall safety when working at height

Guest Post

Fall safety is and should be a major concern for any person working at height. Falls from heights are the number one cause of death and serious injury during building projects. Projects that require working at height are generally expensive to run, so if you do not wish to cut the quality of fall safety without blowing your profit margin, renting your fall safety equipment can be a good option for you. A good fall safety strategy will need:

1.) A fall protection plan

Before you start any work at height, it is essential that you assess the dangers and the types of fall that can occur and make a plan as to how you are going to navigate and deal with them. Don’t assume that a harness or a restraint system alone is enough to keep you or your team safe.

2.) A fall restraint system

A fall restraint system is always preferred to a fall arrest system because it is a preventative measure that will keep you and your workers safe. This can be very costly. Erecting scaffold towers, temporary balconies and guard rails requires significant investment. Fall safety equipment carries the responsibility of saving lives, so using up to date and well maintained equipment is of the utmost importance. If you are working on a small building project or you are a small scale supplier of building services, then renting your fall restraint systems can significantly cut your costs. Good rental companies will not only take your fall protection plan seriously before recommending a product, they are also good sources of information on what the best equipment for your particular project is. Rental firms will also make sure that their equipment is inspected daily and has passed all of the necessary requirements for usage which can protect you from injury claims. Most small project budgets are limited, so renting your equipment can allow you to use a fall restraint system that is more cost effective for you.

3.) A fall arrest system

Fall arrest systems are a must if you are working at height however they can be very expensive to maintain, so if you work with varied teams across a range of projects, renting your fall arrest equipment is probably a better option for you, especially if you are not sure of how many you will need and how long you will need them for. Different projects will have different fall arrest needs, so rather than invest in an expensive fall arrest system only to discover later than you need more mobility or a rope belt instead of a harness, you can simply rent from a reputable supplier who will be able to provide exactly what you need, when you need it: a significant cost cutter.

4.) A fall safety rescue plan

Fall safety which does not have a rescue plan in place is a recipe for disaster. Whatever fall protection you decide to use, always remember that should a fall occur, your worker must be rescued within 15 minutes to prevent serious injury.

Ben writes for the building industry and tool hire companies. Health and Safety is a huge part of the building industry and Ben is passionate about ensuring all jobs are carried out safely.