Working at a height is always a risk, but there are ways to reduce the chances of injury. It doesn’t matter what type of work you’re doing, these tips will help you stay safe, at any height.
Inspect Your Equipment Before you entrust your life to a piece of equipment, you should always inspect it. This is true even if you used it the day before, because accidents can happen. A rope may be worn down, or a strap could have a cut on it. It’s better to be safe than to end up falling when a careful look could have prevented it. Add a Backup If you are working at extreme heights of three or more storeys, you should have a backup fall protection. This may mean extra work clipping and unclipping, but you will not be sorry if it saves your life. All it takes is one system failing to make that backup well worth the extra time and money. You don’t need to spend a lot in order to get the right fall protection equipment and from there you can attach two lanyards instead of just one. This gives you an extra safety option and could end up saving your life. Measure Everything Too many workers end up with a lanyard that is wrong for the height they’re working at. For example, a six foot lanyard with a deceleration device attached is not going to help if you are only 10 feet off the ground. You will hit the ground before the end of the lanyard, due to the fact that the deceleration device adds another three and a half feet to the lanyard. You also need to calculate your body height and the sag in the actual harness you’re wearing. Due to this, it’s important to measure and calculate before you end up with a lanyard that gives a false sense of security. In this particular instance, you’ll need at least 18-20 feet for safety. Before you do anything else, you should anchor yourself when at a height. This includes before you step onto the scaffolding if possible. You should always intend to be anchored to at least one point. It’s easy to think that you can make it to the next step without anchoring, but it could literally take one misstep to send you plunging to the ground. Safety should always be first on the jobsite. Make sure you’re properly anchored and using the correct equipment to prevent injury. Need more information on working heights? Contact Crane and Lifting to find out how machinery can ease the load.
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