Fall Restraint

What is Fall Restraint?

Fall Restraint refers to any method or system that prevents (literally ‘restrains’) a person from falling into a void when working at height.

There is an obvious preference to working from the ground wherever possible as this is always the safest option, but where there is no alternative a system of ‘fall restraint’, which prevents a fall, is always to be preferred over a ‘fall arrest’ option which mitigates the result of a fall. Prevention is always better than cure.

Refer to the Sayfa Document ‘Safety Requirements for Working at Height’ for further details.

Collective/Passive vs Individual/Active

The selection of the best system is clouded slightly by the issues surrounding the selection of a collective/passive or individual/active system.

Fall restraint equipment fall in to two main categories.

• Collective/Passive – requires no action by the user to achieve protection – e.g. a hand-rail
• Personal/Active – requires an action by the user(s) to achieve protection – e.g. a safety line that the user must clip on to, to be protected.

Obviously, following the hierarchy, a collective/passive system is preferable to a system that is personal/active.

In reality it is more complicated than this as the choice of equipment is down to many things outside the strict hierarchy such as:

• The nature duration and frequency of the work
• Impact on other aspects of site safety
• Weather conditions etc

Sayfa Options include:

Where working from the ground is difficult or dangerous, RhinoDeck offers a secure and stable access load and work platform with a SWL of 600kgs/m2 up to heights of 3 metres. RhinoDeck eliminates the risk of any fall from height and provides a cost effective and time saving collective/passive solution.

The range of Payload products includes collective/passive fall restraint solutions such as handrails – both lightweight aluminium and galvanised steel – as well as safe access solutions such as walkways, gantries, step-overs and ladders. Safe access to the area of work is as much a consideration as work in the area itself.

Aviator offers a complete range of ‘fall restraint’ systems.

The Aviator range of products includes safety line systems which in conjunction with the appropriate brackets can be fitted to any roof type – from ‘green roofs’ to all types of standing seam and profiled metal roofs. Once linked to the line using an Aviator shuttle and harness, the user can access all roof areas to carry out maintenance and other work and yet be ‘restrained’ from entering areas where there is a fall potential. The design of the system is all important to ensure that worker can reach all necessary areas without being exposed to the risk of a fall.

Please contact Sayfa Systems design department via info@sayfasystems.com or call 0845 241 9102 for further information

A concise and uncomplicated guide to Working at Height can be found on the HSE website.