Personal Fall arrester / Protection system

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Personal Fall Arrester / Protection System

A Personal fall arrester / protection system is required when working at height levels with an unprotected side or edge. When it is not possible to provide a safe working platform, i.e. secured full deck board with guardrails including toe guards and means of safe access and there is risk of fall from height, then use of personal fall arrester or personal fall protection equipment is mandatory.

Appropriate connectors assembly along with full body harness required for each work shall be determined

Generally, a personal fall arrester system consists of anchors (connector), full body harness and lanyard with shock absorber

Regulations – Personal fall arrester system

• Body belts are not acceptable as part of personal fall arrest system
• When workers are exposed to fall of 6 feet or more to a lower level, they must wear personal fall arrester.
• Personal fall arrester system must be designed as per standard.
• The anchorage with anchorage connectors of fall arrester system must be capable to withstand the load of 26.7 KN (6,000 lb.).
• Personal fall arrester system equipment must be certified and inspected.

Hazards – Personal fall arrester system (PFAS)

• Defective PFAS equipment
• Unsafe practices
• Incompetence

Safe work practices and controls

• Plan and organize the work in advance JHA to assess the requirement of personal fall protection system.
• Ensure all PPE’s used for working must be certified and inspected before each use.
• Workers must be trained in the use of personal fall arrester equipment
• Ensure proper length of lanyard, lifeline, anchorage position and the distance to the lower level.
• Any damage or free fall, the equipment’s should be out of use.
• Personal fall arrester system should not be used for hoisting/rigging.
• No knots or splices in the lifeline except at the termination points.
• Attach each lifeline to an independent point of anchorage.
• Ensure availability of all required fall arrest and protection equipment’s.

Types Fall Protection

There are generally two types of Fall protection, Fall Restraint and Fall Arrest.

Fall Restraint: includes such items as a guardrail or parapet wall. It can also consist of a personal fall restraint system which restrict you from reaching an unprotected “fall” point. Guardrails (on scaffolds, aerial lifts and on the perimeter of buildings) are considered to be a Fall Restraint type of fall protection.

Fall Arrest STOPS you if you’re falling.

If you are at risk for falling 6 feet or more, you must use appropriate fall protection equipment. One type of appropriate fall protection equipment is the personal fall arrest system. The entire personal fall arrest system must be capable of withstanding the tremendous impact forces involved in a fall. A person without protection will free-fall 4 feet in ½ second and 16 feet in 1 second! A personal fall arrest system includes a full body harness, a shock absorbing lanyard or a rope grab and vertical lifeline and a sound anchorage.

Do’s 

• Pick an appropriate sound anchorage point.
• Fall arrest systems should be rigged so employees can’t free-fall more than 6 feet (or contact any lower level).
• Tie-off harness belt above your head level.
• Place your anchorage directly above/behind your work area to avoid potential swing fall hazards.
• Use the shortest lanyard possible. The shorter the tie-off, the shorter the fall.
• Before work start, always ensure daily JHA.
• Always inspect fall protection PPEs before each use

Don’ts

• Do not use water pipes, electrical conduits, light fixtures, or guardrails as anchor points.
• Do not tie a knot in lanyard. This will reduce its strength.
• Do not use any lanyards without self locking hooks.
• Do not join multiple lanyards together to reach an anchorage.
• Do not allow more than one worker to tie-off to the same anchorage.
• Do not enter into shaft without proper fall protection and mandatory PPE’s
• Do not use any damaged PPE’s

Checklist

• Inspect your equipment daily.
• Look for fraying ropes, cracks or other defects in hardware.
• Tag and remove defective equipment from service
• Make sure you are attached to a sound anchorage.