As soon as your workers arrive at a job site, their health and safety should be your top priority. In order to send them home healthy, you need to find the right safety gear.
Employees working at heights can be protected by using fall arrest units. A personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) prevents someone working at heights from falling to the ground. Besides eliminating the consequences of the fall, the device also lessens its impact, limiting injuries.
The federal bureaucracy requires personal fall arrest equipment under certain circumstances. To remain in line, you must choose a system that offers your employees the proper safeguards.
We offer a range of fall arrest lines to suit your needs at Malta Dynamics. Having over 30 years of professional experience in the construction industry, we understand compliance standards and safety requirements. The fall arresters we offer are easy to deploy and provide a comfortable fit, so workers can concentrate on their tasks rather than how their harness feels. As a result of purchasing our equipment, you can rest assured that your workers will be protected.
The components of PFAS
Despite the slight differences in appearance, fall arrest equipment uses the same parts. Personal fall arrest units consist of three main components.
1 The anchorage
A secure connection point is provided by the anchorage for the PFAS. The worker connects the lanyard or lifeline to the anchorage, which supports the fall protection system. Anchors can be permanent, like roof anchors on skyscrapers, or temporary, like nail-on anchors used by roofers.
Harness for the body
The body harness is a set of straps that connect the worker to the PFAS. The harness distributes the force of the fall across their chest, shoulders, waist, and pelvis. Body belts are no longer allowed by OSHA as they do not distribute the impact of a fall as effectively and can cause serious internal organ damage.
The connectors
A connector connects the anchor to the body belt or harness. Lifelines and lanyards come in four primary types: standard lanyards, shock-absorbing lanyards, rope grabs, and self-retracting lanyards.
How Should a Personal Fall Arrest System Be Used?
There are more fatalities caused by falls in the construction industry than by any other type of accident. Federal safety regulations are set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
When a worker is at risk of injury from a fall, such as when:
More than 6 feet above the surface, they work.
The scaffolding is suspended more than 10 feet above the working surface.
Working around open drive belts and acid vats can be dangerous.
PFAS: How to Choose the Right One
Choosing the right personal fall arrest system depends on a variety of factors, including the type of work you do. The first step to do is to examine your Jobsite and determine what hazards are present. At what height will the worker perform the job? To choose your PFAS, you need that information. From the standing employee’s D-ring to where the lanyard starts arresting the fall, measure the free fall distance. If you want the free fall distance to be as small as possible, choose a shorter lanyard.
It is also necessary to consider what other obstacles a worker might encounter during a fall. What kind of work will the employee perform? It will be easier for them to move with a PFAS equipped with a positioning harness. Retrieval harnesses are more effective in confined spaces, such as shafts. It’s easier to rescue a worker who can’t move with this harness. With a suspension harness, your worker can work hands-free, such as when painting
You should also consider ease of use and durability when making your decision. The harness should fit snugly but not tightly, and it should last for a long time. When temperatures soar in summer, finding a harness made from breathable material will keep your worker cool and comfortable as well.
