Falls are among the most common causes of fatalities in the construction industry, accounting for nearly 38% of fatalities in 2019. While falls tend to involve several factors, proper training and safety equipment can typically prevent them. Fall protection measures help prevent falls, which can reduce the number of workers that get injured on the job. One of the most significant benefits of fall protection is that it can save lives. Fall protection keeps workers from falling and getting seriously injured. As an employer, your workers’ safety should be a top priority, and you should stress the importance of fall protection to your workers, as well.
As you assess the work area, create a fall protection plan based on what fall protection systems are necessary. Providing your workers with the proper fall protection is your responsibility. Look at your workplace to see if any of these methods of fall protection are applicable:
- Guardrail systems: Guardrails are barriers installed to prevent workers from falling over an edge to a lower level.
- Safety net systems: Safety nets are installed under workspaces that require employees to be suspended at heights or over machinery. For example, safety nets would be applicable under skywalks or bridges.
- Personal fall protection systems: You can use these systems — also known as personal fall arrest systems — to safely stop workers before they fall to lower levels. These systems are used to anchor the workers to the level they’re working at.
- Warning lines: Warning lines are commonly used on roofs to draw attention to unprotected sides and edges. Warning lines warn workers of hazards nearby so they can avoid risks.
- Controlled access zones: Controlled zones are areas where specific work is being done without conventional fall protection. Access to these areas is typically limited to only the necessary personnel to prevent overcrowding hazardous areas.
The 11 Types of Fall Protection Equipment
With construction, working at height is common-and unfortunately, so are falls. Quality safety equipment isn’t just necessary to be following OSHA, it’s critical to keep your workers safe and well. Let’s look at the forms of fall protection equipment in more detail.
- Safety Harnesses: Also called a body harness, these straps secure the worker in a way that distributes fall arrest forces over at least the thighs, pelvis, waist, chest, and shoulders. The straps spread out the force of the fall. According to OSHA, safety harnesses must have the capability of being attached to other components of a personal fall protection system.
- Lanyards (Shock-Absorbing and Positioning): Lanyards are flexible lines of rope, wire, or strap with connectors at each end suitable for supporting one person. One end fastens to a safety belt or harness and the other is secured to a safety line. Our lanyard systems, when paired with safety harnesses, allow workers to work with both hands and prevent falls.
- Lifelines: Per OSHA, lifelines are ropes capable of supporting one person that attach to a lanyard or safety belt. Once attached, they allow for horizontal or vertical movement along a defined path.
- Horizontal Lifelines: Ideal for working on roofs, a horizontal lifeline system is a cable attached to two or more anchor points on an elevated work area. This type of lifeline can be positioned at the base of a structure, overhead, or somewhere in between the two points.
- Vertical Lifelines: Designed for jobs that involve upward movement, like climbing ladders or power poles, vertical lifelines are usually attached to a full body harness and lanyard. The anchor point travels with you above the d-ring, allowing for upward and downward movement the entire height of the line.
- Self-Retracting Lifelines (SRLs): This is a vertical, spring-loaded cable that activates in the event of a fall to arrest, or stop, the worker mid-fall. Functioning much like a car seat belt that “brakes” with tension, they are larger in size and stronger than PFLs, or Personal Fall Limiters.
- Fall Limiters: Often called Personal Fall Limiters, these are a subtype of Self-Retracting Lifeline. They are shorter in length, usually no more than 8 feet, and smaller in size for more mobility. Unlike SRLs, PFLs are body-mounted and connect directly to the worker’s safety harness.
- Carabiners: This recognizable piece of safety equipment is a metal loop with a screwed or sprung gate used to easily connect or disconnect components in a fall protection system. For added safety, our range of carabiners meet OSHA standards and have locking mechanisms to prevent them opening by themselves.
- Guardrails and Safety Railings: These safety barriers prevent access to hazardous areas without the need for PPE or worker engagement. They fall under the umbrella of passive protection systems and are particularly suited in situations where technical controls can’t alleviate all hazards.
- Safety Nets: A critical piece on your fall protection equipment list, safety nets deflect impact energy and limit the distance that workers can fall. According to OSHA, safety nets should be used in areas where ladders, scaffolds, safety belts, or safety lines are impractical.
- Roof Anchors: Roof anchors are used in conjunction with SRLs, lanyards, and other forms of tie-off when securing materials at-height. A d-ring is a form of these anchors. Roofers and maintenance personnel frequently use our roof anchors.
- Fall Arrest Extensions: Extensions add an extra length of line between your harness and anchor point for greater freedom of movement. Fall arrest extensions come in shock-absorbing and non-shock absorbing variants and are used in combination with d-rings.
- Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS): A type of personal fall protection, these systems are used to stop workers mid-fall from a walking-working surface. They consist of a body harness, anchors, and connectors. Forms of connection may include lanyards, deceleration devices, lifelines, or a combination of the three.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Fall Protection: Personal Protective Equipment, according to OSHA, is equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries. Commonly referred to as PPE, examples include items like gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs, hard hats, respirators, vests, and full body suits. PPE is best used in conjunction with PFAS.
- Fall Protection Accessories: One accessory you can never have enough of is carabiners. Additional fall protection products include rope grabs, safety traps, ladder extensions, and bungee cords.
While we hope you never have to use it, fall protection systems are critical for workers’ safety across many industries. Everyone has experienced or been around a fall hazard at some point. Whether it's a roofing job or a rescue mission, fall protection isn’t just about complying, it’s about choosing equipment that you trust with your life.
From fall protection PPE, SAMS SOLUTIONS is here with the products and education necessary to help you build a fall protection program for your workplace. We are rated as one of the best fall protection PPE suppliers in Dubai, UAE. Contact us with your questions about fall protection, we can help you our with our top-notch products from Brand: JECH.