The Basics of Fall Protection

Falling from heights is one of the leading causes of accidental deaths and critical injuries in construction. Having the right fall protection equipment can help in eliminating the hazards or controlling the risks associated with working at heights.

Identifying Fall Hazards

Employers are responsible for identifying tasks and locations where potential injuries may occur due to a fall from a height. Employers, managers, and safety officers need to regularly walk around the workplace and coordinate with workers to find out what tasks are being carried out that could result in falls, and what fall protection equipment would be preferred and appropriate so as to prevent these accidents. Specifically, the following are some tasks that need particular attention:

• Working on any structure that is being constructed, installed, demolished, dismantled, inspected, tested, repaired, or cleaned.
• Working on a fragile or potentially unstable surface such as cement sheet roofs, galvanized metal sheets, rusty metal roofs, fiberglass sheeting roofs, or collapsible ground
• Using equipment such as ladders, elevated work platforms or scaffoldings
• Working on a sloping or slippery surface where it is difficult to maintain balance.
• Working near unprotected open edges, such as an incomplete stairwell.
• Working near a hole, shaft, or pit into which a worker could fall such as trenches, lift shafts, or service pits.

Types of Fall Protection Equipment & Devices

One of the most commonly used fall protection devices are safety lanyards, primarily because they are easy to use and relatively inexpensive. Most safety lanyards are shock-absorbent, and hence are used in conjunction with safety harnesses. Shock absorbing lanyards have a built-in woven shock pack that expands during the fall to ensure that the fall arrest force is significantly reduced on the worker. Shock-absorbing lanyards are available in our store in a wide variety of lengths and hook combinations. Elaborated below are the different types of fall protection equipment that we offer. **Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRL):** Self-retracting lifelines immediately stop falls, similar to the conventional safety belt in a car. It pulls out and retracts easily at slow speeds, but will engage and stiffen when the worker suddenly slips or falls; the self-retracting lifeline’s internal braking system functions such as to disperse the energy of the fall over a short distance, and thus limiting the force applied to a user’s body. Finally, the self-retracting lifeline is designed to be anchored above the worker’s head. **Full Body Harnesses:** The full body safety harness is an integral part of an active fall arrest system. It primarily serves to, firstly, distribute fall forces safely across a worker’s body in the event of a free fall, and, second, provide adequate freedom of movement to allow the worker to effectively perform the task at hand. The full body harness supports the hips, upper legs, shoulders, and chest, combining the features of a sit harness and a chest harness. **Rope Grabs:** Vertical lifelines and rope grabs are used in tandem. Rope grabs are another means of fall protection between a worker wearing a full-body harness and an anchor point. You can use rope grabs on roofs, climbing ladders, and other construction activity when the worker is on an elevated surface. **Carabiner:** Carabiners are used to connect parts of the fall protection system in a flexible but safe and secure way. These are commonly used in rope-intensive activities such as climbing, rope rescue, construction, industrial rope work, and window cleaning. Choosing the right fall protection equipment for each job and each worker is vital. Application requirements, size, weight limit, number of attachment points, worker comfort, and freedom of worker movement while in the harness are all factors that must be considered when selecting the right safety lanyards or fall protection devices.

Asiong's Industrial Products

Safety starts with us. Asiong’s Industrial Products is at the forefront of providing authentic, high-quality, and reliable safety solutions that fit best to your needs. Whether you’re purchasing a piece of safety glasses or a pair of safety gloves or a respirator, we provide an extensive range of safety equipment. Our team is also available to answer any of your safety-related questions on the phone or on our Facebook chat plugin on the lower right side of the screen.