Choosing The Right Fall Protection System

1. Article 1: Caisafety.com CHOOSING THE RIGHT FALL PROTECTION SYSTEM Construction is a delicate task, and even more sensitive is the handling and managing of the workers that take care of it. There are many potentially dangerous activities that they need to do in order to get the job done. While they willingly do it with a daredevil spirit, they worry for safety too. They have families back home. It is necessary to ensure that companies employs the right kind of fall protection safety for its workers. The most popular kind of fall protection are the guardrail systems. These are popular because of their ease of use, simple application and use of fundamentals of human psychology. Guardrails are a series of rails that are able to stand freely on the roof edges. This prevents workers from tipping over and falling down while working on elevated platforms. They are usually painted in flashy colors so as to be prominently visible as a “do not approach” signal. They are set up along the edges of a roof and look like any normal railing. When the roof does not have any such rails, human psychology makes us peer over the edge, which can cause accidents. Having a rail put up prevents such behavior, and also helps maintain the workers’ balance as they work. Guardrails do not work where workers have very little space to work on an elevated surface. An example could be the skeleton of a bridge under construction. Guardrails hold no meaning in this context. Here, the companies employ something called a horizontal lifeline. This is a very intelligently devised mechanism that allows the workers flexibility to move around on narrow, elevated footings. This mechanism consists of two sturdy braces held in place opposite each other over a distance that the worker needs to work in. a horizontal line is tied to these braces, on which is hooked a rope which holds the worker. The worker can move around freely in the range that the rope can cover. In case he slips, the hook will tighten and the worker will only end up dangling from the line by the rope. This mechanism is particularly used for construction activities where there are a lot of narrow construction elements to be assembled high up. Another system in popular use, giving horizontal lifelines a competition, are fall protection platforms. These platforms look like those that you have on a fire brigade. It is a steady platform atop a series of foldable ladders. These platforms can be elevated as far as the ladders go. The worker on this platform then finishes the task on the elevated construction element and comes back down safely. These systems can be mounted on a vehicle and carried around. Unlike a horizontal line, a fall prevention platform does not let a worker fall. A horizontal line allows fall and stops it. A fall prevention platform gives workers a steady base to keep their feet firmly on, and does not allow a fall. To know more about fall protection products, visit Caisafety.com. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brent Owens is a safety expert who works hand in hand with many construction companies across the country to ensure that employees are always protected while at work. He recommends Caisafety.com as the best name to trust for high quality fall protection systems.