Falls are one of the top reasons for serious workplace injuries and fatalities. As such, fall protection has to be used in many jobs. There are inherent risks that can’t be avoided—such as a house painter who has to climb a ladder—but the right fall protection system can keep them safe.
There are a few different ways that these fall protection systems work. Below are three examples of systems that may be used.
1. Passive systems
First of all, a passive fall protection system doesn’t require the workers to do anything out of the ordinary, but simply increases safety on the job site. An example could be as simple as a guardrail. Workers may have to work in an elevated position, but if proper guardrails are in place, there’s very little risk that a fall will ever happen.
2. Fall prevention systems
In some cases, the system is designed to entirely prevent a fall. For instance, someone may be working on a roof, but they’ll be connected to a tether that only allows them to move 10 feet in any direction. This means that they can’t even reach the edge of the roof, so it’s impossible for them to fall.
3. Fall arrest systems
A fall arrest system, on the other hand, acknowledges that the worker may slip and fall at some point. Maybe they need to be able to access the edge of the roof, so the rope is longer. But it’s designed to catch the worker when they fall, arresting that fall before they hit the ground and preventing severe injuries.
All these systems can be helpful, especially when used simultaneously, but workers do still get injured on the job. Those who have suffered injuries need to know how to seek workers’ comp benefits.