Fall Protection

THE FALL PROTECTION CHAMBER

The Fall Protection Chamber of the IWH represents Companies, Partnerships and Individuals engaged in activities that require the use of fall arrest, fall prevention or fall restraint.

All persons working at height (where there is a risk of a fall) are to be trained and competent to the relevant standards. No work at height, in a fall risk environment, is to be performed alone, such work must be properly supervised.

What is the difference between Fall Arrest and Fall Prevention?

FALL PROTECTION: The generic term that covers the complete mitigation process and actions covering both Fall Arrest and Fall Prevention

FALL PREVENTION: The processes and actions implemented to eliminate the risk of falling.

FALL RESTRAINT: Physical equipment used to limit or prevent the freedom of movement that could lead to a person getting into a position where they can fall.

FALL ARREST: Processes and actions implemented to ensure controlled deceleration of a falling person.

FALL PREVENTION METHODS

FALL ARREST METHODS

FALL PROTECTION PLAN

The Construction Regulations 2014, CR10 (a) – (e), state that  :

“any work where there is a fall risk will need to have a Fall Protection Plan in place”

In order to compile a Fall Protection Plan you need to first designate a competent person.

It is recommended, especially in the case of site specific, that a site survey is conducted before hand. The site survey must include identifying the work areas as well as access to these areas and what techniques are to be used. This will also depend on the scope of work that is going to be performed.

In some cases there will be areas that need to be accessed by means other than conventional fall arrest methods and therefore other access methods need to be identified; i.e. mobile elevated work platforms, scaffolding, suspended access platforms, towers, ladders, etc.

The following SANS standards apply to the Fall Protection Industry:

SANS 50341:1992 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Descender devices

SANS 50353-1:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Guided type fall arresters including a rigid anchor line

SANS 50353-2: Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Guided type fall arresters including a flexible anchor line

SANS 50355:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Energy absorbers

SANS 50358:2008 Personal protective equipment for work positioning and prevention of falls from a height

Belts for work positioning and restraint and work positioning lanyards

SANS 50360:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Retractable type fall arresters

SANS 50361:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Full body harnesses

SANS 50362:2008 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Connectors

SANS 50363:2003 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Fall arrest systems

SANS 50364:1992 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

Test methods

SANS 50365:2008 Personal protective equipment against falls from a height

General requirements for instructions for use, maintenance, periodic examination, repair, marking and packaging

SANS 50566:2008 Mountaineering equipment

Slings – Safety requirements and test methods

SANS 51891:1998 Personal protective equipment for the prevention of falls from a height

Low stretch kernmantel ropes

SANS 33:1999 Equipment for use in industrial rope access work

SANS 50795: Protection against falls from height- Anchor Devices

Requirements and tests (including temporary anchors and permanent life lines)

SANS 1397: Industrial safety helmets

SANS 94-1: Textile slings

Safety Part 1: Flat woven webbing slings, made of man-made fibres, for general purpose use

SANS 94-2: Textile slings

Safety Part 2: Round slings made of man-made fibres for general purpose use

Related standards (BS & EN standards as international good practice) that also exist:

EN 12492: Mountaineering equipment – Helmets for mountaineers

Safety requirements and test methods.

The IWH Professional Body will issue licenses to individuals for recognition to work as

Please click here to watch the video of the IWH’s Fall Protection Chamber. Watch video!
Previous slide
Next slide