When carrying out maintenance, or working from cab operated cranes, it is essential that height safety equipment is used to prevent a fall or for use as a means of escape.
The whole point of fall arrest equipment is to reduce the risk of falling which could result in injury or death. Serious consideration should be taken when choosing a product for your application and discussing your problem with a specialist equipment provider will ensure that you get the right product or system for your application.
Engineers working overhead should at all times be secured to prevent a fall. This is normally achieved using a full safety harness and lanyard attached to a suitable fixing point. In Europe, any anchorage point must be able to withstand at least 10kN of force, as specified in the standard EN 795.
Safety harnesses come in many forms and for basic fall arrest applications a full body harness must be worn which consists of straps over the shoulders and between the legs, along with at least one rear dorsal ring for attachment of a shock absorbing lanyard or a similar device.
For more involved requirements a multi-purpose harness can be used which may incorporate many more features such as protection against falls, rescue operations, vertical access work and work positioning.
All fall arrest equipment must protect fallers to 6kN of force. A full body harness takes the load of the fall and distributes it through parts of the body that are better equipped for experiencing shock loadings, such as the upper thighs. Importantly, once the body has fallen, the harness structure then holds the person in an upright position, with the shock loadings dissipating down through the body.
Safety belts are quite sufficient for restraint purposes, but not for fall arrest protection. When a fall occurs the loads generated are concentrated through the narrow area of the belt, offering the potential for internal injury.
The horizontal safety system is a form of anchorage affording continuous horizontal mobility and safety through an installed safety system. When installed on a crane it can provide a reliable fixing point for a harness and make working and movement on the crane much easier.
A temporary horizontal line system is available that is quick and easy to install and is ideally suited for crane maintenance engineers to work on cranes without permanent installation. It uses a webbing safety line tensioned by a twin latch ergo ratchet and is available with loop ends or with two swivel hooks. The assembly is supplied in its own bag complete with shoulder strap, enabling the user to carry it aloft with little effort. Once fitted, the bag remains fixed and can be used for storing surplus webbing.
Vertical safety lines give safe access and egress to the crane and prevent a fall during climbing by using an automatic locking mechanism fitted to rope, wire or rail systems.
Protection is required on a fixed ladder and this more often than not incorporates hoops. But hoops do not provide effective protection and may actually contribute to injury during a fall. Heads can get hit and arms can get caught.
Hoops can also provide a false sense of security. Surrounded by this metal frame, users may feel overconfident and take greater risks. Hoops can also impede the operator, especially when the climber needs to work with other equipment.
In summary hoops are more expensive, do not eliminate the possibility of a fall, and restrict the movement of the user.
Emergency escape controllers provide the drivers of cab operated cranes with a safe means of escape, for example in the event of a fire, giving a fast, direct escape route from the crane. Escape controllers are normally used in the vertical plane for fast evacuation from any type of structure or building.
Special escape controllers can be used for evacuation on an inclined plane, this can be done by the use of an evacuation carriage and a positioning cable which must be installed.
Fall arrest equipment comes under Personal Protective Equipment regulations in Europe and should be inspected on a regular basis.
Fall arrest lanyards can be made from rope or webbing and must be fitted with a shock absorber to cushion the fall. They must not be longer than 2m, giving a possible maximum free fall distance of 4m.
They can be supplied with a large selection of end fittings from screw gate karibiners to large automatic scaffold hooks for easy attachment to the fixing point.
Care must be taken when using shock absorbing lanyards to allow for the tear-out distance. For example, a 2m lanyard with a tear-out of 1.75m must have a minimum distance of 6m from fixing point to any obstructions below. Never use a rope to extend the length of your lanyard as you may increase the distance of the fall multiplying the forces on the body.
Every effort should be made to keep the fall distance to a minimum, this can be done by fixing the lanyard as high as possible above the user.
The multi-function rescue lanyard incorporates a shock absorber to reduce forces in a fall. When the faller is suspended, this lanyard has the capacity to lower the faller a maximum of 12m by simply turning a tamper-proof descent control dial. This unit is not for self recovery or for use as an escape device; recovery must be executed by someone other than the faller. It is a specialist unit which requires training in its proper use.
Retractable-type fall arrest blocks are used as an alternative to lanyards when the fixing point is more than 2m away from the user.
The mechanical fall arrest device is essentially a unit with a retractable lifeline which can be used to allow a worker freedom of movement when working at height. In the event of a fall, the unit will lock and arrest the faller. During this process brakes within the unit will operate, limiting the force on the user.
Because of this, it is not necessary to use an additional shock absorbing lanyard. Connection is directly to the fall arrest point on the harness.
Though very useful, this product needs to be used with extreme caution and consideration should be given to your movements as during a fall you could create a pendulum effect.
