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Fall Protection

Fall protection is put in place to prevent the risks associated with falling from heights, reducing impact force, restricting obstacles/ground collisions and restricting users from fall hazard areas. Typically implemented when working at height, fall protection equipment is also used when working near an edge or a steep surface.

Before using fall protection, you must consider all reasonable alternatives for the work not to be performed at height, if practically possible, as this is always the preferred method. If the work must be performed at height, then deploy the appropriate preventive measures and work restraint systems.

In circumstances where the risk of falling cannot be prevented, then consider the use of netting or other soft landing equipment together with a suitably developed work position. These may be the use of scissor lifts, cherry-pickers and scaffolding, along with fall arrest systems using the appropriate fall protection equipment for the job.

There are also numerous European Standards which our safety harnesses and other fall protection equipment comply with. Ensure you know which standards you need to comply with before selecting your equipment

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What Fall Protection Equipment Do I Need?

There are three categories of fall protection equipment, and the safety harness you require will depend on the type of work being undertaken at height. These are work restraint, work positioning and fall arrest.

There are also three main areas of consideration to ensure you have suitable equipment, and these are known as the ABC of fall protection. These are Anchorage, full Body harness and connection.

As the name suggests, anchorage is the point of the system that will hold the weight in the event of a fall. These can be permanent, such as railing installed along the top of a building, or temporary lifelines, depending on the requirements of the situation, but either must be able to take a load of at least 10 kN.

The full body harness is designed to securely hold your whole body in the event of a fall, particularly when used as part of a fall arrest system. These also ensure you main the correct way up when being suspended and comfortable.

You then have the connecting devices which link your full body to its anchorage point. Lanyards and arrest blocks are the most common connecting devices, also with lanyards to attach your tools and helmet.


Work Restraint

Ideal for when you’re working at a height, with the risk of a fall being eliminated by limiting the user’s movements to a safe distance from the fall hazard. Often used for rooftop work and facilities management, this is an excellent preventative measure to ensure a safe working environment at height.


Work Positioning

This refers to the application of fall protection equipment in scenarios where users need to be suspended in a work position for jobs that need to be carried out at height. It is common for this type of fall protection to be accompanied by a fall arrest system, and is often used in telecoms, utilities and confined spaces, including work down manholes.


Fall Arrest

Fall arrest systems aim to avoid all circumstances where the risk of falling is a hazard by arresting the fall in a safe and controlled manner. This essentially reduces the impact of a fall being stopped to prevent injuries such as whiplash.

Enabling the user to perform work at height without the fear of serious injury, careful considering is given when setting up these systems to ensure adequate clearance for the user from the ground and to avoid contact with obstacles in the event of a fall. Moreover, a rescue plan in the event of a fall arrest occurring is included in the planning process since prolonged suspension at height can be dangerous.

Fall arrest equipment is commonly used on scaffolding and where maintaining tall erections, such as tower cranes.

How To Don A Safety Harness

With straps everywhere, it can often look confusing when tasked with trying to put a safety harness on yourself. Thankfully, they are relatively simple, and with our Portwest range, they’re also easy to visually check that you’re wearing the equipment correctly.

Firstly, hold the harness up by the back dorsal D ring and proceed to sling the harness over the arms and shoulders as you would a backpack. Next, starting at the top, attach your chest and waist belt connections. Reaching under your leg, grab the leg straps and wrap around each thigh and then attach to the connection points at the waist.

In order to ensure the leg straps are tightened correctly, a flat hand (but not a closed fist) should fit between the strap and leg. Finally, tighten all straps to comfortable but firm fit.

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