Many construction workers must work at great heights for most of their careers.
Be it repairing the roofs, or installing something atop a business house, working at heights is an integral part of the construction.
If you have a construction company then you need to hire trained personnel or provide on-job training to your workers.
Ensuring workers’ height safety not only makes the company responsible but also gives the worker peace of mind about their safety.
It will increase the productivity of your company, as workers can work on height with all safety measurements.
4 Tips To Ensure Workers’ Height Safety
Many may be confused about what is the actual minimum height that calls for taking precautions, the answer is simple — any height that proves to be fatal to the person falling. Fatal here means death or irreparable injuries.
Providing equipment and training often is not enough unless the worker understands the risks involved in working at heights.
They need to maintain the guidelines and you should provide enough safety measurements about height safety.
Related: Safety rail system – All you need to know
While height safety equipment handling is an essential part of the height safety training, there are certain tips that the worker needs to follow to maximize their safety. These tips include:
- Using The Railing: When working at heights and the building has no proper roof – more like a slanted roof – opting for railings along with the height safety kit will make it more secure.
The railings provide the most basic form of protection. With railings, the compliance for safety while working at heights is maintained and workers can use such railings to get the proper support.
Companies can choose from a wide range of railing systems, such as a mounted railing or metal roof railing. Even, for your on-going construction project, you can install suspended railings for your workers.
- Proper Inspection Of PPE: PPE or personal protective equipment is a must for all workers to ensure height safety.
Even small damage to the equipment and kit can prove to be fatal to the worker. Thus, every time they need to use the PPE arises, workers should make a thorough inspection of their equipment to prevent any injury and accidents.
Many opt for more affordable options and often than not some essential parts are missing, like extra D-rings.
This can cause major issues while working and you must check the kit and equipment before you install.
- Anchor Point Selection: A proper anchor point will be bearing the load of the person working the equipment and knowing the correct point plays a vital role in ensuring worker safety.
An anchor point is considered suitable only when they can handle a load of 5000 pounds and comes with the approval of a professional engineer.
- Understanding The Fall Distance: Many times, workers underestimate the fall distance, and they are not well-equipped.
For instance, working at a height of 20 ft., many workers use a lanyard that is around 10 ft.
This is fatal even if the harness and cord do not break for landing down from 10 ft. is not safe unless the worker is a tall person. Here, having a 15 ft. lanyard falls under basic height safety guidelines.
While these rules and tips will ensure construction workers’ height safety, the worker on their part must remember to check and notify the higher authority in case some issues have arisen with the given protocol.
But, above everything, if a worker is afraid of heights, they should avoid taking such projects.
