Fall Arrest
A fall arrest risk is one where a person has the potential for falling from one height level to another and sustaining significant injury. There is a misconception that a person is only in a fall arrest risk if the distance of a potential fall is 2m or greater. The reality is however, that people can sustain serious injuries or even die from falls less than this distance, as evidenced by the statistics.
This misconception has likely developed through the issue of previous versions of Codes of Practice and other documentation issued by various parties that referred to this distance being a ‘default’ height for assessing such risks. The most recent issue of the Regulator publications however provides much clearer guidance about risk assessment for fall arrest.
Ultimately, a fall arrest system is designed to catch a worker after a fall has occurred and prevent the worker from contacting the level below. Fall arrest systems are therefore the least preferred control measures for working at height and should only be used when fall prevention or work positioning cannot be achieved.
The WHS Code of Practice Managing the risk of falls at workplaces states that a fall arrest system should be used instead of a restraint system whenever:
- A position is able to be reached where a fall is possible (including through adjustment of the restraint line)
- There is danger of a fall through the surface
- The slope of the work area is greater than 15 degrees
- There is any other reasonably likely potential for a fall to occur.
Examples of fall arrest systems include:
- Catch platforms;
- Safety nets; and
- Individual fall arrest systems.
Managing Fall Arrest Risks
There are several ways to ensure that working in a fall arrest environment is safe, provided that adequate precautions are undertaken. These measures include (but are not limited to):
- 1. Undertaking a risk assessment of the tasks to be undertaken, to identify the hazards that exist in a specific work environment;
- 2. Preparing a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) to explain the procedures to be undertaken to mitigate the risks, including the equipment required to maintain the safety of this working at height and the potential impact on the public when undertaking the tasks in the works environment;
- 3. Using fall arrest rated equipment, ideally certified to the relevant ANZ Standards, for example harnesses and lanyards certified to ASNZS 1891.1;
- 4. Utilising tethering devices such as tool lanyards, barriers, bags and other devices to prevent the risk of items being dropped onto other levels and causing harm to others;
- 5. Ensuring the operator has undertaken and passed competency based training in safe work at heights and that the training is relevant for the tasks to be completed;
- 6. Having in place a suitable rescue plan such that those at risk when working at height have a means of being rescue and treated for any medical emergency should a fall event occur;
- 7. Ensuring there are measures such as 2 people always undertaking a task when working at height means that an alarm can be raised in the event of a fall, and similarly that an emergency plan can be effectively implemented; and,
- 8. Always using a secondary method of attachment will provide a higher level of protection in the event of a fall.