Fall Protection
THE FALL PROTECTION CHAMBER
The Fall Protection Chamber of the IWH represents Companies, Partnerships and Individuals engaged in activities that require the use of fall arrest, fall prevention or fall restraint.
All persons working at height (where there is a risk of a fall) are to be trained and competent to the relevant standards. No work at height, in a fall risk environment, is to be performed alone, such work must be properly supervised.
What is the difference between Fall Arrest and Fall Prevention?
FALL PROTECTION: The generic term that covers the complete mitigation process and actions covering both Fall Arrest and Fall Prevention
FALL PREVENTION: The processes and actions implemented to eliminate the risk of falling.
FALL RESTRAINT: Physical equipment used to limit or prevent the freedom of movement that could lead to a person getting into a position where they can fall.
FALL ARREST: Processes and actions implemented to ensure controlled deceleration of a falling person.
FALL PREVENTION METHODS
- Barricading
- Guardrails (hand and knee height)
- Toe-boards (minimum of 150mm high)
- Safety Netting (maximum 2m fall distance)
- Warning boards and barrier tape
- Skylight screens
FALL ARREST METHODS
- The principles of fall arrest are that whenever working in a position where you could fall, then fall arrest equipment and techniques will need to be used. This is to stop the fall and lessen the effect on the person and possibly those around them.
- A fall arrest system consists of a full body harness, a fall arrest device and an anchor point. Sometimes they can also incorporate a work positioning system but you must be attached to at least one point at all times in order to be considered safe.
FALL PROTECTION PLAN
The Construction Regulations 2014, CR10 (a) – (e), state that :
“any work where there is a fall risk will need to have a Fall Protection Plan in place”
In order to compile a Fall Protection Plan you need to first designate a competent person.
It is recommended, especially in the case of site specific, that a site survey is conducted before hand. The site survey must include identifying the work areas as well as access to these areas and what techniques are to be used. This will also depend on the scope of work that is going to be performed.
In some cases there will be areas that need to be accessed by means other than conventional fall arrest methods and therefore other access methods need to be identified; i.e. mobile elevated work platforms, scaffolding, suspended access platforms, towers, ladders, etc.
The following SANS standards apply to the Fall Protection Industry:
SANS 50341:1992 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Descender devices
SANS 50353-1:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Guided type fall arresters including a rigid anchor line
SANS 50353-2: Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Guided type fall arresters including a flexible anchor line
SANS 50355:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Energy absorbers
SANS 50358:2008 Personal protective equipment for work positioning and prevention of falls from a height
Belts for work positioning and restraint and work positioning lanyards
SANS 50360:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Retractable type fall arresters
SANS 50361:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Full body harnesses
SANS 50362:2008 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Connectors
SANS 50363:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Fall arrest systems
SANS 50364:1992 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
Test methods
SANS 50365:2008 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height
General requirements for instructions for use, maintenance, periodic examination, repair, marking and packaging
SANS 50566:2008 Mountaineering equipment
Slings – Safety requirements and test methods
SANS 51891:1998 Personal protective equipment for the prevention of falls from a height
Low stretch kernmantel ropes
SANS 33:1999 Equipment for use in industrial rope access work
SANS 50795: Protection against falls from height- Anchor Devices
Requirements and tests (including temporary anchors and permanent life lines)
SANS 1397: Industrial safety helmets
SANS 94-1: Textile slings
Safety Part 1: Flat woven webbing slings, made of man-made fibres, for general purpose use
SANS 94-2: Textile slings
Safety Part 2: Round slings made of man-made fibres for general purpose use
Related standards (BS & EN standards as international good practice) that also exist:
EN 12492: Mountaineering equipment – Helmets for mountaineers
Safety requirements and test methods.
The IWH Professional Body will issue licenses to individuals for recognition to work as
- Fall Arrest Technicians and Practitioners
- Advanced Fall Arrest Rescuer
- Fall Protection Planners
- Fall Arrest Supervisors
- Fall Arrest Rescue Coordinators