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Internal fall protection


vfrdave

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Has anyone provided any means of internal fall protection on their build, specifically during the roofing phase?  I had an unwanted visitor by way of the health and safety inspector and he now wants me to provide fall protection.  Air bags or bean bags was suggested but neither seem readily available in NI. Trestle planks and plywood it might have to be.

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Guest Alphonsox

What ! Falling from where to where ?

We had first floor boarding and scaffolding in place but nothing else.

Ask them for the full specification of the air bags/ beanbags and question every parameter. In the meantime put the roof on.

 

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what kind of area do you need to cover?

how long do you need them for? (just for the trusses or the entire time anyone is working on the roof)

can you claim they will only work in stages? (only cover half the floor at a time)

could you consider harnesses?

 

I remember when we got called upon by HSE, had to spend a month wearing hi-vis and buy an accident book..... we got off lightly :ph34r:

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Guest Alphonsox

That has got to be unlucky, there's a lot of places around us where HSE isn't even an afterthought. How about boarding out the loft as a solution ? That should limit the drop to a couple of meters, would that work ?

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I also provided a fall arrest harness etc, mainly for the PV installer.  He didn't use it and had an accident when the ladder up the roof that he was working from slid sideways.  He was damned lucky, in that the ladder slid towards the centre gable, so just smashed the valley GRP moulding and stopped there.  Even after that accident he wouldn't use the harness, but I did insist on him fixing ladder braces to the scaffold planks and tying the ladder securely so that it couldn't move sideways before he went up there again.

 

You cannot force someone to use PPE, and if you provide it then you have to back that up with the appropriate certification.  If you provide something like a fall arrest anchor point, then you are also wholly responsible for ensuring it is adequate, so there are some risks in providing PPE on site.  My general policy was to have signs highlighting the PPE requirement, keep a bucket full of basic stuff (gloves, safety glasses, helmets) on site, plus a first air kit and eye wash station.  Beyond that any PPE was for my personal use only, and if used by anyone else was at their own risk.

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This is what HSENI say about the use of harnesses for internal fall protection:-

 

Harnesses should be the last option considered, and only used by workers who have been trained in their use and the use planned by someone competent to take into account:

  • the circumstances
  • strength and location of available anchor points
  • type/length of lanyard
  • suspension height and obstacles
  • means of rescue
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16 minutes ago, vfrdave said:

This is what HSENI say about the use of harnesses for internal fall protection:-

 

Harnesses should be the last option considered, and only used by workers who have been trained in their use and the use planned by someone competent to take into account:

  • the circumstances
  • strength and location of available anchor points
  • type/length of lanyard
  • suspension height and obstacles
  • means of rescue

 

It will. All PPE is deemed as the last option/resort in terms of H&S.

If you do a risk assessment and show that PPE is appropriate to the risk then thats fine.

However, its impossible to give proper advise without being able to see or know full details of the site, job and appropriate risks. 

 

Oooooh and that lovely word "competent". The HSE love it. Now there is a whole bag of onions. :/:/:/

 

 

 

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