The Number 1. Mistake Using Fall Arrest Equipment

All too often Leading Edge trainers visit work sites only to find people working at height making the same mistake again and again.

Is it a minor mistake? No! It is one that would be catastrophic if the worker should fall.

Some people think that the number one mistake as a worker operating without safety equipment. Not so!

The number one mistake Leading Edge trainers see is where companies have incurred the cost of providing safety equipment, however through lack of the required knowledge the worker is using it incorrectly. The worker feels safe but doesn’t know that if he falls his protective equipment will fail.

It would be a tragedy, worse it would be unnecessary.

The number 1 mistake is connector misuse by the site worker.

What does misuse mean?

1. Choking - tying off incorrectly

2. Connecting to an unsuitable anchor point

3. Incorrect directional loading

1. Choking

This is where a site worker is supplied a lanyard, often with a small karabiner at the end. The site worker instinctively passes the lanyard around an anchor point e.g. a column or a beam, using the karabiner to choke i.e. tighten the lanyard around the anchor point.

The problem arises should the worker fall, further tightening the choked lanyard and subsequently applying a shock load inappropriately to the karabiner gate most likely causing the barrel of the karabiner to fail.

Karabiners are designed to accommodate tensile (pull) forces along their length and are at their weakest when the load forces are across the minor axis (width) or against the gate.

It is generally accepted that to engineer a connector to withstand the directional loading across the gate of the Karabiner which has been choked during a fall would require a gate strength of 5,000 lbs.

Note that this dynamic loading failure across the gate of the connector applies to all styles of connector i.e. scaffold hook, snap hook, and karabiner.

2. Connecting to an unsuitable anchor point For example, a roof worker may instinctively connect to an handrail believing this to be a suitable fixing point.

Note! All temporary anchorage points must be able to withstand a 12 kN Load. If in doubt the anchor point should be approved by a structural engineer.

Leading Edge level 1 and 2 courses cover identifying suitable anchor points.

3. Scaffold Hooks

Scaffold hooks are often placed around scaffolding resting on a horizontal member, i.e. the gate of the scaffold hook will be forced open subject to the loading that would be imposed by the horizontal member in the event of a fall. This occurs because the downward direction or loading imposed by the cross-member is across the axis of the gate on the scaffold hook and will result in complete hook failure as the hook gate will subsequently bend open, or in worst-case scenario, will explode.

Summary of connector misuse

Often a lack of understanding of equipment performance and its limitations can result in site workers being issued with inappropriate safety equipment which is not suitable for its intended use.

For example the scaffold hooks are often used where a sling would be a much safer option.

To conclude this section on misuse of connectors, which can have devastating and even fatal consequences; it is important for a site management, Foreman and stores personnel to be competent to issue the appropriate equipment for the job.

Site workers, generally through lack of training are not aware of what they can do with the simplest of equipment such as connectors. It is therefore essential that both site workers and those managers responsible for height safety are adequately trained to be competent to carry out their duties safely.

Connector misuse is just one of 25 or more total equipment misuse areas leading edge commonly see on site.

Death to the number 1 mistake - not the site worker

How to choose and use connectors

Years of experience on site has convinced us at Leading Edge that the answer lies in the following:

1. Sufficient strength and load-bearing capabilities

2. Correct size

3. Easy to use

4. Lightweight to carry

5. Commercially acceptable

6. Being properly trained to use connectors and associated equipment

Inevitably this often leads back to specifying slings, be they webbing or cable. These proprietary products have to be PPE items which are CE approved, designed to be an integral component in any fall arrest system and not just a bit of wire which somebody has terminated.

Slings fall into two categories

Wire -cable sling to EN795

Usually a 1m (but can reasonably be any length) galvanised steel cable, inside a hard but flexible resin jacket, making it more durable from abrasion and corrosion, also protecting the anchorage point from cable abrasion. This type of configuration is commonly used in conjunction with inertia reels.

Webbing slings to EN795

This is a product which is lightweight and easy to carry around, which adds to its attraction and is relatively inexpensive. It is often used when anchoring to a scaffold pole.

Correct use of scaffold hooks and karabiners

Scaffold Hook

It may be the case that it is easier to tie off with a scaffold hook than a sling and standard karabiner, but a scaffold hook is designed to be suspended off horizontal Anchorage e.g. of a horizontal scaffold tube, ensuring correct directional loading (vertical downward load). Karabiners

As mentioned earlier karabiners are weakest when they are loaded across or against their gate.

This means that it is vitally important that the karabiner is always loaded along its length and never across its width, which would pull against its gate or caused the karabiner to take a force against the gate. So please take care

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Author: Drew Beardmore Leading Edge Safety height safety training courses and equipment are specifically designed for anyone whose job requires them to work at height and involves using the necessary safety equipment required to do this. For more information visit www.leadingedgesafety.co.uk

Working at height - After the fall

After the fall - Suspension Trauma / orthostatic intolerance - the need for a plan to rescue

Leading Edge stresses the importance of thorough planning for rescue

Planning for rescue and emergencies when employees work at height is a legal and moral responsibility for all employers.

Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 obliges employers to ensure all work at height is properly planned, and Regulation 4(2) notes that “planning of work includes planning for emergencies and rescue”.

Often we think of rescue as simply a matter of dialling 999, but calling the local fire brigade does not add up to an effective rescue plan. Response times can be too long and not all brigades have the capability to rescue from height.

Even in the most safety conscious employers’ workplaces accidents happen, so a rescue plan is an essential component of working at height and should be managed via a working at height method statement and risk assessment, and be ingrained through training and practice.

The absence of any form of post-fall rescue plan - relying on employees to improvise the rescue of a colleague - not only puts the victim at risk, but also puts rescuers in harm’s way. Unplanned attempts at rescue often result in secondary and tertiary injuries or deaths.

In intense, stressful and life threatening situations many individuals will suffer an onset of panic after the initial adrenaline rush. A panicked state damages the thought processes and the affected person will be unable to make logical or considered decisions. This puts both the casualty and the rescuer at risk as the panic can interfere with the rescue operation.

In fact, the number of people who are killed or injured as a result of trying to help a colleague or friend who has fallen from height almost exceeds the number of original casualties. This is why adequate operative training is essential not only for those who have fallen from height but also for the operatives attempting the rescue.

Time is short

The reason planned rescue by trained people is so important is that the danger is far from over when the fall arrest equipment does its job. Anyone hanging in a harness is at risk of suspension trauma; as the blood drains from the top half of their body, depriving the brain of oxygen. The critical thing is to get them to the ground as quickly as possible - any more than 10 minutes in suspension and the risk of irreparable damage increases rapidly.

The rescue plan must provide for self-rescue by employees who remain conscious after a fall, where their equipment allows them to get to safety. Workers must be trained and practised in self rescue.

But even where a fallen worker appears to be able to help themselves, the plan must require colleagues to act as though they are incapable, since the situation might change and time is at a premium.

The plan must give clear direction for anyone who witnesses a fall to know who on site at the time is responsible for rescue and to alert them immediately, plus the emergency services where available. This means ensuring every worker has emergency phone numbers to hand and knows the site location to direct third parties.

The plan must set out the hierarchy of rescue options available on site for getting employees to safety - from dedicated rescue equipment, such as additional harnesses, controlled descent devices, winches and hauling devices, to retrieve the fallen worker, plus locations of first aid equipment and any rescue-specific items.

Though speed is of the essence, the plan must make co-workers responsibilities clear and emphasise the importance of not endangering themselves during the rescue.

Death by Rescue

It used to be thought (following industry research) that as the casualty is returned to the level, the fallen worker must not be laid flat because of the risk of stale blood from the legs rushing back through the body poisoning their major organs and causing potentially fatal toxic shock. Operatives were encouraged to put the casualty into a sitting “W” position with their legs bent, unless they are suspected of having a spinal injury.

The HSE following further research has clarified their guidance on the treatment of a casualty following a fall and having been suspended by a harness and may have developed suspension trauma.

The HSE recommendation now is:

“Not to place casualty in the “W” position, but to place the casualty in a horizontal position.”

Other Considerations

Other considerations for a plan include how to ensure any wreckage/equipment is set aside to help later investigation, allowing for unusual structural features that might complicate a rescue and ensuring materials are provided in translation where large numbers of migrant workers are on site.

However well thought out, a rescue plan (like a risk assessment) is useless if it is filed away and forgotten. You need to ensure that everyone who could be involved in a rescue: managers; supervisors; and workers are fully trained in the types of situation that might call for a rescue, what their roles are and how to use the equipment you provide. Rescue operations are carried out under extreme pressure, whatever training your employees have had or are yet to have, will determine how they react.

The training should be kept topped up with regular practice sessions or drills, keeping employees on their toes but also checking that they can act inside the necessary ten-minute window. Just as the plan needs updating with any change of circumstances, personnel or equipment, so does the training.

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Falls from height are one of the leading causes of death and serious injury in the work place, with a high personal cost to families and the subsequent financial cost to businesses. With more than 50 years of experience in technical height safety training and products, we have determined not only to provide the best fall protection height safety products and training possible, but to also continuously develop new ideas, further our technological expertise, understand and implement new techniques and to repeatedly set higher standards of safe working at height.

New Range of Height Safety Lanyards

Leading Edge rope shock absorbing lanyards are uniquely developed to be tough enough and optimised for high impact edge abrasion, found today in harsh, abrasive environments.

Drew Beardmore Leading Edge managing director said “we are continuing our lanyard ongoing battle within the industry for higher quality lanyards products at a more affordable prices.

excellent high quality materials and design, insuring the very best in safety considerations.

We are constantly developing new lanyards, height safety products and services that exceed expectations and maintain low prices. Our lanyard range is getting bigger everyday so take advantage of some of our great new lanyard offers and see for yourself how you can get your hands on real quality safety lanyards at competitive prices.

with harsh environments is the multibraid rope used. Its fibrous inner core provides the strength and flexibility whilst maintaining it lightweight and flexible characteristic. A tight woven outer jacket protects the inner core from abrasion and the ingress of dirt, creating a tough, lightweight lanyard which remains supple for freedom of movement.

through material behaviour and design, creating a shock absorber that has both smoother impact dissipation, greatly reducing the overall impact of forces, making the arrest process less aggressive.

The new design also allows for it to be much smaller pack, making it lighter and nicer to carry around when attach to the wearers harness. The new design is up to 50% small than classic designs.

All leading lanyards are supplied with a maillon connector at the harness anchorage end. We do this to stop the potential hazard of connector failure at this point in the system.

Our in-house testing has proven to us that when a person falls the impact normally happens at this point (Dee ring to connector area) by using a normal traditional karabiner, the wearer is exposed to the karabiner failing through minor axis loading i.e. the connector is loading incorrectly across the weakest point during impact on the edge. By using a maillon this is significantly reduced, as the integral design is not subject to the same minor axis failure issues, making it ideal as a connector used in this application of connecting lanyard to harness.

For more information on this subject, Drew Beardmore MD of Leading Edge has published a technical guidance booklet (currently 4th revision) on this subject and is available free from Leading Edge Safety.

These new lanyard products will be available online over the next few weeks in there own section category at http://www.leadingedgesafety.co.uk/lanyard.php Posts of new product willl be released on our Twitter, Dig and blog feeds.

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Drew Beardmore -Leading Edge Safety Falls from height are one of the leading causes of death and serious injury in the work place, with a high personal cost to families and the subsequent financial cost to businesses. With more than 50 years of experience in technical height safety training and products, we have determined not only to provide the best fall protection and height safety products and training possible, but to also continuously develop new ideas, further our technological expertise, understand and implement new techniques and to repeatedly set higher standards of safe working at height.

Fall Arrest - How to Wear a Full Body Safety Harness Correctly

There is so much more to wearing a full body harness to work than simply throwing it on and hoping for the best.

Every type of full body harness has to be worn in the same way, whether it is standard polyester non elasticised webbing, or elasticised harnesses. There are a number of points on the harness you need to be aware of.

On the rear of the harness is the Dorsal Plate, this could be rubber, plastic or form part of the harness webbing pattern. This piece is extremely important as it prevents the “D” ring from slamming into the back of your head in fall and converting the harness in a noose. The “D” ring connects your harness to the anchorage point via intermediate attachments. Some harness have an adjustment for height via buckles on shoulder straps, the simplest rule for this type of harness is that you should not be able to touch the Dorsal Plate by reaching from behind your head or by reaching up from the lumber or lower back region. Modern harness design has taken this feature out of the system to reduce miss-use of the harness, this type of harness may be elasticised to encourage correct fitting and for the users comfort.

On the front of the harness should be a chest strap, some harnesses have a metal buckle and possibly a “D” ring on the front. This is to provide the user with a way of attaching to an anchor or safe system of work, for example ladder systems. The important thing to note with type of attachment that unless the harness is worn correctly; there is a risk the “D” ring and buckle can strike the user in the neck and under the chin if you are involved in a fall. Some harness designs have replaced this with soft loops as a front connection as this feature makes the harness safer for the user.

The chest strap, without a front attachment is much smaller and made of softer webbing, the chest strap is there to stop the shoulder straps from parting and allowing the user to fall out the front of their harness. However in both cases it is important to take care when attaching your safety equipment in relation to the “D” ring. If the anchorage point is behind you then use the rear “D” ring and vice versa if the anchor point is in front of you.

Once you have put the harness on, like a jacket, and adjusted the chest strap to so it is tight but comfortable, we need address the leg straps, buckles and sliders, there is more to it than just stepping into harness. Stepping into a commercial full body harness is considered to be extremely bad practice. Not only does it increase the risk of slips trips and falls; if the harness is placed on the ground it could pick up all kinds of dirt and contamination. There is also a risk of complacency setting in; where the user steps into the harness in a rush and fails to adjust it appropriately. In a fall a slack harness can lead to death or worse, extreme testicular trauma and severe rectal damage.

The easiest way to gage the correct tension of the leg straps is to tighten it until you can just about get 2 fingers between the webbing and your leg. Two finger tension means placing the middle and index finger perpendicular to the webbing around the front area of the leg.

The final thing and probably the most important thing is to lock your harness, every harness with a buckle used for adjustment should have at least one slider to lock it. If the harness is not locked and you are involved in a fall the movement of the webbing through the buckle can cause the bar tack to shock load against it. The bar tack is rolled over and lightly stitched it is only there to keep the sliders and buckles on the harness. The energy, in a fall, may exceed the strength of this stitching and it will rip apart allowing the bar tack to unroll and pass through the buckle. The end result is that you will fall through the bottom of the harness.

It doesn’t matter how good your harness is or how correctly you are wearing it unless it is inspected on a regular basis it will offer you no protection what so ever.

The most important part of the harness is the webbing, so check the webbing for any signs of abrasion; look at the edges of the webbing, a 1mm cut in either edge of the webbing will cause the webbing to fail. From there it is a simple task of looking at and feeling all the component parts of the harness. If there is any sign of wear and tear or damage then do not use the harness. It should be quarantined and removed from service and passed to your line manager so it can be recorded and destroyed inline with the Equipment Inspection Policy.

The article is not intended to be used as Primary Training; instead it is a reminder to those who have been trained.

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Author: Drew Beardmore Leading Edge Safety fall arrestequipment and height safety training courses are specifically designed for anyone whose job requires them to work at height and involves using the necessary safety equipment required to do this. For more information visit www.leadingedgesafety.co.uk